Analyzation of The Birth Mark Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “The Birth Mark” shows readers the foolishness and selfishness of trying to create a perfect being and defying our creator. Nathaniel shows an example of this act by publishing this story of Aylmer and his non-perfect wife, who has a birth mark in the shape of a hand on her cheek. Aylmer is so disgusted with this mark that he soon begins to use science to take care of the problem. Throughout “The Birth Mark” Hawthorne performs different symbols that indicate Aylmer is just a human being and challenging God to make a perfect human will always lead to death. Hawthorne’s use of mirrors reflects on the beauty of Georgiana. While she stares at her reflection in the polished metal plate she is too concerned with how the …show more content…
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. (147) At the end of the story, Aylmer accomplishes the surgical procedure of removing the birth mark; however, it killed his wife in the process.
Hawthorne uses The Birth Mark as a lesson to be learned that everyone cannot be perfect. Georgiana represents the closest state to perfection that someone can get in this world; although, Aylmer is not satisfied with that. Howard states, “Aylmer feels that the mark may render him unnecessary to Georgiana.(135) He wishes that Georgiana could be absolutely perfect in every way, but little does he know that a perfect person cannot live in an imperfect world. Georgiana’s birth mark is now removed and she will be cleaned of all of her sins because now she can be