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The Birthmark By Nathaniel Hawthorne: An Analysis

683 Words3 Pages

Nature can be described as the natural physical world including plants, animals and other products of the earth without the interference of human beings. However, the use of science has made it possible for humans to affect nature as they see fit. The short story “The Birthmark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne tells of a man obsessed with science and the power it holds. Aylmer a “man of science” falls in love with a beautiful woman named Georgiana. Aylmer makes Georgiana his wife because to him she is perfect, except for the tiny red birthmark on her cheek. Aylmer insists that this “flaw” keeps his wife from being perfectly beautiful. Obsessed with his ability in science to “perfect” nature, Aylmer asked Georgiana to allow him to remove the tiny red mark from her cheek. In this story Hawthorne shows that nature is not meant to be perfect, because we as humans are products of nature, and therefore inevitably flawed. By trying to perfect Georgiana with the removal of the birthmark, Aylmer unknowingly robs her of her humanity because perfection cannot exist in nature. …show more content…

Where Aylmer “A man of science” sees his wife’s birthmark as a flaw to be corrected, his assistant “Aminadab” who represents “man's physical nature” thought that the birthmark only enhanced her beauty. Aminadab states in the story “If she were my wife, I’d never part with that birthmark.” As a man more of nature than science, Aminadab understands that it is this very flaw that makes Georgiana natural and respectively beautiful. Aylmer however sees things from a scientific point of view, which means he believes that nature can be altered as he pleases. Therefore the birthmark will always be a problem to be solved for

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