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Symbolism In Nathanial Hawthorne's 'The Birthmark'

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Nathanial Hawthorne’s “The Birthmark” is a story that symbolically reveals how love conquers the evils of mankind. The main character Aylmer is a scientist who lives and breathes the wonders of science. Aylmer eventually falls in love with Georgiana and decides to marry her. Once they are married he realizes she has a birthmark on her face that he finds so repulsive he shudders when he looks at her. The disgust Aylmer has for this birthmark leads him to create a concoction that he claims will cure her face and inner body of the birthmark and make her perfect. Georgiana is so in love and infatuated with Aylmer to the point where she almost worships him that she is willing to do what it takes to make Aylmer think she is perfect including her …show more content…

Georgiana is a representation of human life and her birthmark is a symbol of the deep-rooted imperfections all humans have. Aylmer begins to dream about her birthmark which leads him to believe that the mark is more than just a physical imperfection but linked to who she is as a person. This symbolism shows that the imperfections in humans are related to what makes a person unique. The understanding that human imperfections will never be removed leads the reader to know that the only way for Georgiana to be perceived as perfect would to be inhuman. Aylmer eliminated her one imperfection and erased her humanity with it. This message is strong in showing that being imperfect is human nature and science cannot alter …show more content…

He wanted to be perceived as a genius to his assistant Aminadab and his wife Georgiana but knew that most of his personal experiments failed. Once again, his failed attempts using science to alter nature were would never succeed. The failure of the experiment was foreshadowed time and time again through Georgiana reading Aylmer’s failed research, Georgiana touching a flower Aylmer created and it dying on contact, and the major event of Aylmer dreaming of Georgiana’s death. Aylmer’s dream was about trying to remove the birthmark and it being deeply rooted to her heart which killed her. This dream is what drives Aylmer to believe that Georgiana’s mark is much more than just a cosmetic defect. Georgiana continuously referred to death when speaking of drinking the liquid and Aylmer would say “But why do we speak of dying? The draught cannot fail... The concoction of the draught has been perfect…Unless all my science has deceived me, it cannot fail." Georgiana knew the risks of involving herself in Aylmer’s experiment but was blinded by her love for him to have any rational in her mind that she deserved better than Aylmer from a husband. Georgiana’s love is what prevailed no matter what Aylmer said about her she continued to love him endlessly. In the world, there will always be evil but love will never die. This is a message Hawthorne creates when he describes Aylmer’s state of mind post Georgiana’s

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The hand on Georgiana’s cheek is a symbol for the sins of this world. Even Aylmer states that, “as being the visible mark of earthly imperfection.” I personally think Georgiana knows that she will die in order for Aylmer to remove the Birth Mark. That is why she keeps putting the surgery off. Rosenberg explains, “Aylmer never truly sees his wife; even when she is dying, he misperceives the true import of her symptoms.

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586 Words | 3 Pages

That the relationship between Aylmer and Georgiana is being torn by his scientific mind and urge to experiment. Aylmer being very analytical and even studying the human frame beforehand almost feels like an excuse to combine his two loves. Aylmer saying, “Doubt not my power. I have already given this matter the deepest thought.” This shows that he has been ready to use science he was just waiting on Georgiana to give the approval.

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Aylmer through the story reminds Georgiana how flawed she is with this birthmark that she herself believes she is no longer beautiful, and in so allows her husband to preform the experiments

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722 Words | 3 Pages

In Aylmer’s eyes she was the “nearly perfect from the hand of Nature” (Hawthorne). Since then he has been on the quest for perfection and just seeing the mark on her face disturbs him. It reminds him of his wife's mortality and humanity. “To explain this conversation it must be mentioned that in the centre of Georgiana's left cheek there was a singular mark, deeply interwoven, as it were, with the texture and substance of her face.” (Hawthorne).

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791 Words | 4 Pages

When Aylmer and Georgiana got married, Georgiana was taken from her mothers home, making her complete dependent on Aylmer and his opinions. In addition to this, Aylmer’s belief hat he is better than God, and has the ability to remove Georgiana’s birthmark, creates inequality in their relationship. Finally, due to Georgiana’s obsession with what Aylmer thinks of her, paired with Aylmer's rude looks and comments, leads her to do something

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871 Words | 4 Pages

Georgiana took note of Aylmer’s displeasure of the birthmark from the dream and through his stealthy stare, causing Georgina displeasure (Nathaniel Hawthorne 114). Aylmer’s further loathing of the birthmark, causes Georgiana to give up for the sake of his happiness. She tells, Aylmer after bringing up the conversation of the birthmark, “Either remove this dreadful hand, or take my wretched life!” (Nathaniel Hawthorne 114). Aylmer could have avoided tragedy, however he failed to listen to his assistant Aminadab, who stated he would “never part with that birthmark” (Nathaniel Hawthorne 114).

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1470 Words | 6 Pages

Mortality is written all over Georgiana’s birthmark, if taken away it would resemble nothing else than death itself. According to Hawthorne, “Aylmer now remembered his dream. He had fancied himself, with his servant Aminidab, attempting an operation for the removal of the birth-mark. But the deeper went the knife, the deeper sand the Hand, until at length its tiny grasp appeared to have caught hold of Georgiana’s heart; whence,

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408 Words | 2 Pages

Georgiana’s birthmark represents her grasp on humanity as shown in its shape as a hand. The hand symbolizes humanity’s role in nature and the continuous struggle between nature and science. Georgiana is someone who Aylmer sees as created “nearly perfect from the hand of Nature” (Hawthorne 1). Her birthmark is an imprint left by nature and is representative of humanity’s ties to it. Altering nature isn’t something that humans should be able to do because it is more powerful than any creation made by man.

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495 Words | 2 Pages

Obsessed with the birthmark of Georgiana, Aylmer actions and dreams define the tone for the entire piece. Dreaming about the removal of Georgiana's' birthmark Aylmer states “but the deeper went the knife, the deeper sank the hand, until at length its tiny grasp appeared to have caught hold of Georgiana's

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437 Words | 2 Pages

A goal of romanticism is to display strong emotions. However as quickly as emotions can grow, Hawthorne shows that when the emotions grow too strong love can get dangerous, well in this short story even deadly. The dominant issue in “The Birthmark” is that of Georgiana’s human imperfection, as symbolized by the birthmark. The theme of imperfection arises frequently in the statements made by Aylmer, even the distinguishable ones. Aylmer states, “I am convinced of the perfect practicality of its removal” (Hawthorne 648).

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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.

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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).

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436 Words | 2 Pages

The phrase “No, dearest Georgiana, you came so nearly perfect from the hand of Nature, that this slightest possible defect, which we hesitate whether to term a defect or a beauty, shocks me, as being the visible mark of earthly imperfection”(212) was used to illustrate a point of Aylmer's obsession with the mark and how he is not satisfied with his wife's current aesthetics. Aylmer loves Georgiana

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1139 Words | 5 Pages

As Georgiana reveals her true sentiments about her stigma, she states with a sense of pride, “To tell you the truth, it has been so often called a charm, that I was simple enough to imagine it might be so” (Hawthorne 378). In expressing this sense of pride, Georgiana exudes her initial happiness with her birthmark, as she rebuttals with Aylmer. Even in this moment, Hawthorne extracts the mission of Aylmer, as he says, “Until now he had not been aware of the tyrannizing influence acquired by one idea over his mind, and the lengths which he might find in his heart to go, for the sake of giving himself peace” (Hawthorne 380). This selfish statement, causes for readers to recognize that Aylmer was aware that it would be no simple task to convince his muse that it is necessary to change her indifference.

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717 Words | 3 Pages

Destruction of beauty in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s story, “The Birthmark,” is developed through the use of symbolism, conflict, and irony. First and foremost the birthmark upon Georgiana’s cheek symbolizes the mortality of all living things. All the living are

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