ipl-logo

Perseverance In The Birthmark

739 Words3 Pages

Throughout our lives, we as people encounter decisive perseverance that ultimately defines who we are as people, and how we are perceived by others; an enduring sequence of life brought on by humanity. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “The Birthmark”, a prodigious alchemist named Aylmer experiences toilsome perseverance while attempting to remove an odious birthmark residing on the face of his beautiful, but imperfect wife Georgiana; going to extremes to assist in its removal. Aylmer performs many trials of experiments on his wife as he faces his intolerable predilection to restore perfection to his wife; forming a costly rivalry between love and science.

Philosophy and science have always been significantly impactful topics throughout history, aiding in the development of new technologies and unprecedented topics; a burning passion for which Aylmer possessed within his intertwining worlds of both his wife and his laboratory. Along with Aylmer's exceptionally intimate …show more content…

As a part of humanity, we as people often hypothesize ambitious desires in which we may not realize the full complexity of the task at hand; an enduring fight against human nature in which no one can relieve. What motivates an individual in life should lead to a moral, well organized hypothesis that recognizes the boundaries we as people face in order to solve the problem at hand. In addition, an intangible entity or unattainable desire should always be discarded as the force of nature will always prevail throughout our lives. Life is an unpredictable sequence of motivations that defines who we are as people, and what we will accomplish as we proceed through life; Aylmer’s weak sense of morality combined with his profound predilection to attain perfection, was ultimately countered with a penalty presented by the pure force of

Show More
Related
1165 Words | 5 Pages

These scholars’ arguments contribute to the story, “The Birth-Mark”, Nathanial Hawthorne expresses the common personal issue that individuals possess. The Birth-Mark was about a man named Aylmer and his obsession of science and the birth mark on his wife’s face. The birth

Read More
508 Words | 3 Pages

Some think of science as advantageous, while others believe it can be immoral. Acts of science can lead to manipulation of the natural world and cause those performing the experiments to “play God.” Nathaniel Hawthorne 's short stories “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment,” “Rappaccini’s Daughter,” and “The Birthmark” each incorporate characters that attempt to alter a natural aspect of life and in turn are met with failure. It is through his short stories that Nathaniel Hawthorne reveals opinion of science: Men should not engage in scientific studies that require them to act as God.

Read More
781 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More
683 Words | 3 Pages

Sula’s Difference; The Journey of the Birtmark Edward Siu Mr. Boskovich Period 1 03/06/2023 In the novel Sula, written by Toni Morrison, Sula Peace’s most obvious physical characteristic is her blaring birthmark immediately above her eyes, with the birthmark being intimidating and frightening even, yet exotic and enticing as it grows darker growing older, seemingly representing her age, maturity and growing sadness; the very things she is trying to fight against with all her might, which proves to be essentially impossible as more variables prevent her from doing so as her mark gets darker. The people of Bottom mark Sula as evil, while other characters have difference interpretations: a rose, a snake, and a tadpole. Sula was born with a

Read More
208 Words | 1 Pages

Nobody is perfect and no one ever will be. This theme shows up often in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, The Birthmark. In this story, a scientist named Aylmer becomes obsessed with removing a hand-shaped birthmark from his wife’s, Georgiana, visage. After a series of tests, he is successful, but Georgiana becomes perfect and can no longer stay in the mortal world, so she dies. The Birthmark demonstrates how foolish it is to strive for perfection and this is revealed throughout the story using narration.

Read More
590 Words | 3 Pages

The Birthmark The short story “The Birthmark” was written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1834. The story follows a brilliant, yet insane scientist named Aylmer. He creates so many brilliant inventions in hoping to improve his life; his wife is just as perfect, despite a small hand shaped birthmark on her cheek. While Georgiana is considered gorgeous and beautiful by hundreds of men, only Aylmer sees the fault in the birthmark and deems it as a flaw that only he can fix with science. Nathaniel Hawthorne uses symbolism and figurative language to help convey the meaning of the short story to readers.

Read More
294 Words | 2 Pages

“The Birthmark” and “Walden” are a dark romantic and a transcendentalist text. One common element is that they both have the idea of knowledge being important. The first one says, “lived a man of science, an eminent proficient in every branch of natural philosophy...make new worlds for himself” (Hawthorne 2). Learning new concepts in science expands Aylmer’s world tremendously.

Read More
717 Words | 3 Pages

In the story “The Birthmark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, he uses several techniques to help build his story. Hawthorne tells a story of a man of science whose name was Aylmer. He married a beautiful women named Georgiana, although she was quite beautiful she had a birthmark on her face which, in Aylmer’s eyes was an imperfection. Aylmer tries to perfect Georgiana, but in the end Aylmer’s attempts to change Georgiana causes him to lose her. Aylmer does not accept the idea of imperfections in people.

Read More
408 Words | 2 Pages

Aylmer believes that he can correct “what Nature left imperfect in her fairest work!” (4). Aylmer, who stands as a symbol for science, obsessively seeks to remove Georgiana’s birthmark and make her ideal. When mankind attempts to change nature in the pursuit of perfection, it never ends well as seen in Aylmer’s attempts at

Read More
573 Words | 3 Pages

In “The Birthmark”, Aylmer is bothered in seeing a birthmark on his wife Georgiana’s cheek. I believe that Aylmer was truly evil in the way he manipulated Georgiana in thinking he truly cared about her. Aylmer’s ideas of perfection were the most dangerous thing about him and even led him to kill. When Georgiana learned of her husband’s disdain towards her birthmark she was devastated. Slowly, Aylmer manipulated Georgiana into believing that this mark would need to be removed.

Read More
416 Words | 2 Pages

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).

Read More
743 Words | 3 Pages

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.

Read More
1005 Words | 5 Pages

Aylmer made many mistakes from lying to his wife and to being obsessed with an insignificant flaw. Instead of degrading her, he should have focused on making her happy and grow as a person. Building his character more would have made him live jubilant. Improving one’s character will get one further in life than physical beauty for the fact that beauty is insignificant compared to one’s

Read More
1108 Words | 5 Pages

In “The Birthmark”, Aylmer works to produce a cure for the handprint on his wife’s cheek. He often states that she is the most beautiful force of nature aside from for her defect. Aylmer spends months in his laboratory concocting a potion that will rid his wife of her ailment. The concoction went against all forms of nature. It defied the laws in which it was created as no man should hold such a powerful concoction in his hands.

Read More
894 Words | 4 Pages

Motivations of Eveline and The Birthmark Characters There is reason behind characters actions and point of view, it’s their motivation that influences them. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, “The Birthmark,” you can easily discover that the main character, Aylmer’s motivation is selfishness. Selfishness can be defined as the lack in consideration for other and is only concerned with oneself. Aylmer presents his selfishness through his obsession of perfection and success. He wants his experiment to work so badly that he sacrificed his wife Georgiana’s life.

Read More

More about Perseverance In The Birthmark

Related Topics

Open Document