Written almost two centuries ago, “The Birthmark” is an early form of our present-day obsession with a flawless, perfect physical state. Our society has numerous ways of showing just how far they will go to show their passion for physical perfection. Like in “The Birthmark” our society makes physical changes through plastic surgeries because for one reason or another they are not happy with themselves. While most of the time people make their own decisions about changing their look, it was Aylmer who convicted Georgina to let him change her look. In this story and in our world we see people all the time teasing others, making them hate who they are on the inside and especially the outside. Even a person who didn't have any issues with themselve can be convinced to feel other wise. In the text we see Georgina battling this issue with her husband...someone who should love and accept her; “Still, whenever she dared to look into the mirror, there she beheld herself pale as a white rose and with the crimson birthmark stamped upon her cheek. Not even Aylmer now hated it so much as she.”(Hawthorne, 364). Just like the people in this world the characters in this story didn't understand that you shouldn't mess with what nature gave you;”“It was the fatal flaw of humanity which Nature, in one shape or another, stamps ineffaceable on all her productions, either to imply that they are temporary and finite, or that their perfection must be …show more content…
These procedures allow people to gain the perfection they are looking for like the characters in this story. At the end of the day no matter how many times you change yourself on the outside it matters what you keep on the inside. Therefore, even though the short story “The Birthmark” was written almost two centuries ago many of its themes can be seen in today's