Nature’s Perfection: How Monism Prevails
How can we perfect ourselves? What are the repercussions of man’s desire to conquer nature’s will? Often, humanity grapples with these questions, and in his short story, “The Birthmark”, author Nathaniel Hawthorne attempts to shed light on the answers. He touches heavily upon the latter question, prompting his audience to wonder: can - and should - man attempt to “perfect” nature’s will? The main character, a scientist named Alymer, becomes obsessed with removing a birthmark from his wife’s face. However, Alymer’s obsession with conquering nature has fatal results for Georgiana, an ending that seems to suggest the untouchable monism of existence.
From the beginning of the story, Hawthorne’s diction makes it clear that Alymer’s relationship with Georgiana is highly flawed, objectifying, and based considerably in her physical beauty. In fact, Hawthorne does not even use Gerogiana’s name when first introducing the woman; instead, he describes her as, “a beautiful woman to become [Alymer’s] wife” (pg 1). This language foreshadows Georgiana’s predominant role in the story; she holds little significance other than being “a beautiful woman” for Alymer. Furthermore, the first dialogue between Georgiana and Alymer
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However, Hawthorne uses Alymer’s obsession and subsequent failure as a cautionary tale against dualism. As Hawthorne foreshadows, nature allows us “on no account to make”; man cannot conquer the mysteries of nature, and therefore Alymer ultimately fails “remake” what nature has already designed, proving the distinct monism of human existence. As with Alymer and Georgiana, when man attempts to find perfection and eliminate the “Earthly imperfections” that constitute our identities, he will find nothing but
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “The Birth-Mark,” Aylmer, a married scientist, believes himself to be above nature. Acting on these beliefs, he prepares
“The Birthmark” and “My Last Duchess” are two very different works, from two completely different genres. “The Birthmark” is a short story written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and “My Last Duchess” is a poem written by Robert Browning. Although, these are two different genres, they have very similar themes and parallels. These works explore the problems with power and control in marriages at two different time periods and places and shows what it can drive a man to do. “The Birthmark” has a lot of symbolism, imagery and allegory. This story is about a pretty normal newlywed couple, Aylmer and Georgiana. “Such a union accordingly took place, and was attended with truly remarkable consequences and a deeply impressive moral. (2)” This quote is very interesting because the word “union” means many things. From one perspective it can mean the marriage between Aylmer and Georgiana, and on the other hand it could refer to the union of Aylmer’s love for Georgiana and science. Aylmer is thoroughly devoted to his career in science, and he was recently married to Georgiana so he is just getting to know what being married is like. The birthmark is the conflict in their marriage and in the story, Aylmer isn’t into Georgiana’s birthmark and he requests for her to allow him to remove it. He soon realizes that taking off the birthmark isn’t as simple as it seems because it is interwoven into Georgiana’s face. Georgiana then allows Aylmer to remove the birthmark, even though she knows he isn’t a successful scientist. The liquid that Aylmer has Georgiana drink slowly kills her, and Aylmer is shown to be a complete fool. The actual birthmark itself is the main symbol used throughout the story. “My Last Duchess” is a poem about a Duke who showing someone ...
In Nathanial Hawthorne’s “The Birth-Mark,” Aylmer, a crazed, “mad-scientist,” seeks to remove the scarlet handprint birthmark from his wife, Georgiana’s cheek. From the opening of the work, the third person narrator describes Aylmer’s obsession with science and the adverse effects it has had on his social life. Aylmer is tied up in this battle within himself and with his assigned association between the natural and the spiritual world. He wishes to have as much control over these colliding worlds as possible, granting himself god-like power and control in the process. In the art of manipulating nature through science, Aylmer believes he is able to alter the spiritual aspects of the natural as well. Aylmer’s focus on spirituality is Hawthorne’s way of commenting on mankind’s fixation on sin and redemption.
Overlooking the importance of Nature’s intended design greatly plagued Aylmer’s judgment. Nature, which is attributed to the grand design of human life, creates things “imperfect” in order to give things characteristics different than that of a deity. Georgiana’s birthmark “that sole token of human imperfection… Was the bond by which an angelic spirit kept itself in union with a mortal frame” (224). When Aylmer eliminated that crimson mark from his wife’s face, in order to be with a woman whose beauty was beyond eminence, he got rid of the only thing that was keeping his wife of human presence, “The spectral hand that wrote mortality” (215). Aylmer killed his trying to search for diamonds in a gold mine.
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, The Birthmark, he uses unperfected beauty to confirm that if God’s creations are meddled with the product is harmful. A scientist, Alymer is married to a beautiful women named Georgiana whose only flaw is a birthmark on her left cheek.
Perfection is in the eye of the beholder. Often times scientific advancements attempt to recreate perfection and disregard nature’s way of being. “The Birthmark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne shows the disconnection and battle between science and Mother Nature. Hawthorne creates the character, Aylmer, to show the science side of the spectrum and to show the extent it could go to. The protagonist, Aylmer, believes that with science anything can be done. Aylmer is a very intelligent and famous scientist who has worked in various fields and on various projects. Although he is very successful He is consumed with his idea of scientific perfection and he lets it fog up his vision of his wife. His wife, Georgina, is described as being basically perfect except for a small red mark on her cheek that burdens her husband. The
The birthmark is a compelling story of one man’s obsession with his scientific ability to produce perfection. Aylmer, a scientist, is married to a Georgiana who is a very beautiful woman. Not long after getting married Georgiana’s birthmark, which is in the shape of a tiny handprint on her check, really begins to bother Aylmer. He sees it as a flaw in an other wise perfect woman. Georgiana knows that her birthmark disgusts him and, having grown up not bother at all by it, begins to hate it herself. He asks if she has ever considered having it removed. This is not something she has considered since other people in her life, especially men, have always seen it as a “charm”. Aylmer being an amazing scientist almost sees himself as god and feels that he has the power to remove this imperfection. Georgiana, bothered by her husband’s reaction to her birthmark, agrees to let him try to rid her of it. She is taken to his laboratory and he immediately begins to experiment. After she finds Aylmer’s book of experiments, which all end in failure, she for the first time, has some doubt about how this will work and confronts him. He reassures her and begins to try a multitude of methods, with the help of his assistant Aminadab, which do not work. At one point, there are several experiments going on and he even refers to himself as a “sorcerer” (Hawthorne 232). Finally, he produces a potion, which she drinks, and the birthmark begins to disappear! Slowly though, even as the experiment is working, Georgiana is fading away. He finds that ultimately, the birthmark was connected to her very soul and in his trying to act god like he actually kills her. Really this short story just proves that science has its limits and no man should try to act like G...
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Birthmark”, is the story of a crazed scientist whose strive for perfection not only leads to the death of his beautiful wife, but the attempt of man to have power over nature. It follows the story of Aylmer and his obsession with removing the birthmark off his beautiful wife, Georgiana. “His unnatural fixation to his wife’s birthmark even consumes him in his sleep as he dreams of cutting it off much like scraping an apple off its skin.” (Snodgrass 29). This narrative explores the themes of perfection, and the conflict between science and the natural world.
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “The Birthmark” is written in third person omniscient. This means that we the reader are able to see and feel each character’s thoughts and feelings, giving us the full story. Aylmer, the protagonist, is a mad scientist who is overly obsessed with trying to control Nature though his experiments. His wife, Georgiana, is, in Aylmer’s eyes, the perfect woman except for a hand shaped birthmark that resides on her cheek. Throughout the story Aylmer attempts numerous scientific experiments in order to remove Georgiana’s birthmark. In the end, Georgiana’s birthmark is removed, but she dies, and Aylmer is left alone. It is clear in “The Birthmark” that Nature will never be defeated man, no matter how powerful man may seem to be.
The advancement of industrialism, economic growth, science and medicine, and wars all donated to the contributions of many writers during the Romantic Movement. This is true of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, short story, “The Birthmark”. The obsession with perfection is just as evident today; as it was back in the 18th and 19th centuries. The detrimental effects of amplifying science and romance are clearly defined between the relationships of Aylmer, his wife Georgiana, and Aminadab -his assistant in his lab. Romantic literature puts a higher significance on the value of intuition and imagination instead of fixating on objective reasoning.
...t it could only be by intertwining itself with his love of science, and uniting the strength of the latter to his own” (Hawthorne). In an attempt to justify his pleasure, Aylmer mingles adoration for Georgiana with his necessity for perfection. His failure is attributed to his oversight of nature’s goodness combined and the consequences of tampering with nature. There was much foreshadowing about Georgiana’s death, yet Aylmer overlooked all of it, because he was too overpowered by the pleasure that creation and manipulation gives him. Correspondingly, Rappaccini disregarded his intellectual gifts that he could have used beneficially for mankind; rather, he continued to do what gave him personal gratification. Both men had the craving for supremacy; the only way they knew to achieve that is through exploitation of nature, which they both found pleasantly appealing.
Every relationship is different. Weather one may be in a relationship with a boy, or just a friend, it is different. Even though they are different, the characters in “The Birthmark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne and “IND AFF” by Fay Weldon are in similar relationships. That is, the male is dominant over the female, and the woman thinks the man is her knight in shining armor. In the beginning of “IND AFF” the unnamed woman thinks her professor, Peter, who she is having an affair with, is her ticket to creating a good thesis and higher standings. Similarly, in “The Birthmark,” Georgiana thinks her husband is her ticket to flawless beauty because he tells her he will remove her birthmark. Obviously, this is not how relationships operate in today’s society. These two relationships compare and contrast with each other as well as with relationships in today’s day-and-age.
Both “Hill’s like White Elephants” by Ernst Hemingway and “The Birthmark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne have many common elements of comparison between them. The main element of the stories that will be compared is this thought of an operation. Both stories stem from these two operations and the comparisons derive from how the women react and respond to the two men in the story. Both stories are comparable by the common theme of a life changing operation, how the women first react to the operation and how the characters develop throughout the stories.
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1843 short story entitled “The Birth-Mark” is, at face value, a traditionally formatted Hawthorne story; it is a textbook example of his recurrent theme of the unpardonable sin as committed by the primary character, Aylmer, the repercussions of which result in the untimely death of his wife, Georgiana. However, there seems to be an underlying theme to the story that adds a layer to Hawthorne’s common theme of the unpardonable sin; when Aylmer attempts to reconcile his intellectual prowess with his love for his wife, his efforts turn into an obsession with perfecting his wife’s single physical flaw and her consequent death. This tragedy occurs within the confines of traditional gender
Nathaniel Hawthorne describes Aminadab, "With his vast strength, his shaggy hair, his smoky aspect, and the indescribable earthiness that encrusted him, he seemed to represent man 's physical nature" (Hawthorne 337). That statement foreshadows the events to come. Amindab was behind Aylmer the whole time during his experiments. Although, Amindab once murmured, "If she were my wife, I would never part with that birthmark" (Hawthorne 337). So, Amindab did not agree with what Aylmer was doing, but he continued anyway. Aminadab wanted Georgina to except herself as beautiful and not let Aylmer use her as a guinea pig. Nevertheless, I assume Georgiana 's love for Aylmer was strong enough that she was willing to do anything to be beautiful in his eyes. In this whole story, Aminadab has been Nature with no voice. Aminadab 's only line in this story shows that he thought what Aylmer was doing was truly wrong. Hawthorne even goes through the trouble to describe Aminadab to us as a "man 's physical nature". The statement that Hawthorne makes, lets us interpret Aminadab as Nature 's force. At the end of the story, Hawthorne tells of slight laughter coming from Aminadab right before Georgiana passes away. The laughter from Aminadab symbolizes that Nature has won the battle with Science. The battle between Nature and Science strung poor Georgiana and her endless beauty along, and eventually ended in her