Dangers Of The Human Body In The Birth-Mark By Nathaniel Hawthorne

If I were to ask random people what they would physically change about themselves, I’m sure many would have at least one or two things to mention. In today’s world aesthetic changes have become common and accessible for those willing to pay to change how they look. The technological advancements of science have made it possible for people to change many of their physical traits. However, there are still limits on how the human body can be changed and questions about how much it should be changed. In “The Birth-Mark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, he shows the dangers of trying to outdo the design that nature has set in place. In this short story, Hawthorne presents the reader with the idea that some things are not meant to be in nature and trying

One way that Hawthorne conveys the dangers of trying to modify nature is through the dream that Aylmer has. Aylmer is a scientific man and represents the ideals of science and discovery. His trust in science and his ability to remove Georgiana’s birthmark cause him to ignore the warning that his dream provides him. In the dream Aylmer is trying to cut out the mark, but he must keep cutting deeper and deeper to find that it is wrapped around Georgiana’s heart (647). This connection shows that the birthmark is more than a birthmark, it is an anchor that is connected to the life of Georgiana. The image of it wrapping itself around her heart gives the impression that if it is removed then she will die. Georgiana even acknowledges this thought when she tells Aylmer, “Or, it may be, the stain goes as deep as life itself.” (647). These thoughts all provide

Hawthorne uses Georgiana and her birthmark as a representation of nature’s best. One reaction that Hawthorne gives is seen when Aylmer brings Georgiana to his laboratory. A lab is a place of experimentation and discovery and would represent the achievements and breakthroughs that science has made. Upon crossing the threshold of the lab Georgiana is described as “cold and tremulous” (649). These symptoms would give the reader the impression that Georgiana is physically sick. Her removal from a natural environment into an unnatural one causes distress. Another reaction given is the symptom she forgets to tell Aylmer about. “It was a sensation in the fatal birth-mark, not painful, but which induced a restlessness throughout her system.” (653). The restlessness that the mark gives Georgiana is comparable to the sixth sense that animals use to sense danger. It is the nature within her that is warning of the coming danger from being in an unnatural environment and exposing herself to unnatural elements. Another reaction that I found interesting was her reaction to Aylmer’s journal of experiments (652). Even though Aylmer had many experiments, the ones that captivated Georgiana most were the unintentional successes (652). These were the experiments that didn’t go perfectly, the ones that were marked by some imperfection in the