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Analysis Of Aylmer, The Murderer In 'The Birthmark' By Nathaniel Hawthorne

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Aylmer, the Murderer A murderer, classified as many things. One definition of a murderer, someone who kills another physically, or mentally. Murders happen way more than they should. Almost 44 murders occur just in the United States per day. In the story, “The Birthmark”, by Nathaniel Hawthorne many questions come out about whether Aylmer, Georgiana’s husband could hold the title of a murderer. In Hawthorne’s story, Aylmer makes numerous statements that lead the reader to believe that Aylmer can be labeled as a murderer. In the beginning of the story, Aylmer explains to the reader his love for the beautiful woman he married. As the story goes on the reader learns that the mark grows more irritating to Aylmer every day, and now through Aylmer’s eyes, Georgiana loses her beauty. The mark disturbs Aylmer. In the beginning of the story, after the reader learns that the mark disturbs to Aylmer, he makes a comment to Georgiana about removing the mark upon her cheek, this being the first comment the reader sees Aylmer make about the mark, it does not come off as a threat. Aylmer mentions that the only way to remove said mark would be to have an operation, to where if something went wrong Georgiana will not make it. (Hawthorne) Many comments that Aylmer makes in the story proves that the love he should feel towards Georgiana no longer exist. He says, “you cannot love what shocks you”. (Hawthorne, 1) Basically, Aylmer says here that the mark upon …show more content…

She, kept secluded from the world because Aylmer is too embarrassed to show her off, she also must have interviews with Aylmer about the procedure as just a client, not his loving wife of years. (Karasu) Whenever it comes to science, Aylmer contains no spiritual connection with his clients, including his wife. To change the one tiny imperfection, he will have to change his wife’s entire physical system, yet he is willing to put her through that for his

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Which leads him to the point of using science to remove the birth mark. Aylmer’s obsession of removing the birth mark led to the death of his wife, Georgina. Hawthorne uses Aylmer to present a common issue that individuals have. Furthermore, each scholar help better understand the theme of obsession and achieving a goal that leads individuals to a path of negativity because of individuals’ foolishness to achieve perfection, science vs naturality, and mental isolation.

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Intro: Nathaniel Hawthorne’s fictional short story “The Birthmark” and The Twilight Zone’s darkly romantic episode “Eye of the Beholder” both use gothic elements and delve into the realm of science to explore concepts of beauty and perfection. Through their contrasting characterizations of the scientist and employments of irony and allusions, each work comes to its own conclusions about how to define and treat beauty. Body #1: The Birthmark From the very first paragraph, Hawthorne’s story revolves around Aylmer, a scientist who supposedly gives up his career to marry the beautiful woman of his dreams, Georgiana.

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While the entire focus of the story is on Georgiana's one physical flaw, it is Aylmer who seems to be irreparably flawed. An embodiment of the concept of "playing god" and a man obsessed with attaining divine perfection, he becomes unreasonably fixated on his wife's one apparent imperfection, going so far as unconsciously wanting to kill her just to dispose of it. Aylmer has been characterized by critics both as a representation of the higher nature of man, the spirit and the divine, and as a representation of ironic imperfection. Hawthorne's narrator, otherwise having a voice of his own, describes him in a strangely reverential manner:"Aylmer's slender figure, and pale, intellectual face, were no less apt a type of the spiritual element"

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The narrator mention that “it was not unusual for the love of science to rival the love of woman in its depth and absorbing energy”(Hawthorne 212). This is the center of the entire conflict. The narrator wants the reader think about the purpose of why Aylmer so obsessed on her birthmark? Is that only like simply obsession on the appearance or this is only his desire of overcoming the nature by science? The conflict emphasize that a excessive ambitions will makes a miserable consequence.

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Hartnett states,”…desiring subjects apprehend things or persons not on their own terms, but rather, as the space for the projection of self-fulfilling fantasy” (par 7). This means that during Aylmer’s experimentation, it became less about his wife, and more about projecting his scientific success onto something, or someone, else. Something that could be seen and tangible, as many people knew about Georgiana’s birthmark. If she were to be seen without it, people would ask why, and he would have his chance to gloat and claim intellectual superiority. That was not the case however, because his selfish desires took Georgiana’s life.

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Georgiana dies because of Aylmer's effort to erase the birthmark, illustrating the sad results of forsaking one's humanity in the pursuit of perfection. As a result, the birthmark acts as a potent representation of the human predicament and the necessity to accept and love our

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Humanity’s tendency in putting science over nature can often result in disastrous consequences for those that change nature to achieve his/her idea of perfection. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Birthmark” the characters,the setting, and symbolism is used to portray nature, perfection, and artificiality. Character such as Aylmer and Georgiana are symbols of artificiality in nature. Georgiana is a symbol of nature’s beauty well Aylmer symbolizes how science attempts to change nature in the pursuit of perfection. Aylmer, a scientist, has the ability to make beauty out of absolutely nothing.

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“His brightest diamonds were the merest pebbles, and felt to be so by himself, in comparison with the inestimable gems which lay hidden beyond his reach.” Throughout, Nathaniel Hawthorne makes of the birthmark upon Georgianna’s face save but two things—a luminous treasure, and a dreadful stain. As a proponent of science, Georgianna’s husband Aylmer is obsessed with experimentation, ultimately finding it difficult to be satisfied with what he has accomplished as he pushes for success and perfection. As an outwardly negligible sentence inserted by Hawthorne, it nonetheless alludes to numerous aspects of the story.

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Aylmer was an evil human being who did not really care about his wife. He only cared about whether she was the perfect women and that led him into committing the murder of his so called “beloved

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Knowing that the women is so close to perfection, it allows the reader to depict the idea that the women is one step closer to perfection, but is she really? Hawthorne illustrates that perfection is unattainable through three characters: Aylmer, Aminadab, and Georgina. In “The Birthmark”, Aylmer represents the mental attributes of mankind. Although he is a man of great thought, he is also a man with thoughts that can suffocate his well being.

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He shows the nature and scientist side, but also the personal side with the imagination. He often states references to nature and the sciences. Hawthorne has him describe science as giving him the perfect wife expect for the birthmark on her face. Aylmer wants to cure his wife of this horrid birthmark, and to do this he relies on the expertise of science. He says “I feel myself fully competent to render this dear cheek as faultless as its fellow.”

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Aylmer is consumed with a pursuit of perfection in his scientific studies and also in nature. The leads to Aylmer being appalled at the blemish on his wife Georgiana’s cheek. He tells Georgiana “you came so nearly perfect from the hand of Nature, that this slightest possible defect..shocks me, as being the visible mark of earthly imperfection” (216). This is the catalyst for Aylmer's seeking for perfection in his wife who is a natural being. Aylmer recognizes that there is a “fatal flaw of humanity, which Nature...stamps ineffaceable on all her productions” (216).

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Equally Aylmer and Dr. Rappiccini, both characters in Hawthorne’s works causes destruction of human life with selfish aims to perfect the woman of their choice. In the case of Aylmer’s love interest in science, just as with the case of Beatrice’s father, blinds him to the true beauty and humanity of the woman before him. Aylmer views Georgiana’s birthmark as a symbol of imperfection and tries to remove it. At the end of the story, Georgiana say, "My poor Aylmer," she repeated, with a more than human tenderness, "you have aimed loftily; you have done nobly. Do not repent that with so high and pure a feeling, you have rejected the best the earth could offer.

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Because of his devotion to science, Aylmer let his life be dictated by his passion. This obsession led to Aylmer’s battle between science and beauty, clouded judgment and tunnel vision. In the story, Alymer tells his beloved wife something along the lines of “science and my love must coexist and they must not

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Each of the tragic flaws they possessed seemed to complement the flaw of the other partner. While Aylmer strives for perfection in an obsessive way, Georgiana’s submissive character contributes to his ability to proceed in his actions. Her submissive nature can be attributed to her time period’s expectations which impacted her choices leading to her tragic death. Georgiana’s flaw of conforming benefits Aylmer in a negative way. Due to her conforming nature she agrees with her husband’s disgust of the birthmark and his plan of removal.

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