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The Birthmark Theme Essay

628 Words3 Pages

What is the theme you may ask? Theme is a concept or lesson that a writer explains in a short story or novel. The author tries to convey this message to its readers using literary devices such as mood, characters, plot, and setting. Many well-written stories have multiple themes. For example, the short story “The Birth-Mark.” In this story a scientist believes that the birth-mark on his wifes face must be removed because it symbolizes her sin, and when trying to remove it she dies. Hawthorne portrays many themes such as man versus nature, fatal pride, and the obsession over perfection. Man versus nature is when a character struggles with the forces of nature and what it creates. In “The Birthmark”, Hawthrone teaches us the consequences of what happens when man interferes with …show more content…

(add more about how he is trying to play God then talk about because he was so prideful he made his wife want to do anything for him, even die.) If you think about it, Aylmer only wants to remove the birth-mark from Georgiana’s face for the scientific thrill. It is not about her, it is about his ego. Hawthorne describes Georgiana as being perfect in every way except for the birth-mark on her face. He also shows that Aylmer loves his wife but cannot stand the imperfection. Aylmer becomes so obsessed with unlatching the scar from her face he begins to dream about it. Aylmer stated, “deeper went the knife, the deeper sank the Hand,until at length its tiny grasp appeared to have caught hold of Georgiana's heart…”(Hawthrone 14). (need to finish) In conclusion, Hawthorne was trying to communicate the themes of man versus nature, fatal pride, and the obsession over perfection, in the story “The Brith-Mark.” The themes used in this story were used to convey a lesson. The lesson being that if someone truly loved you they would not want to fix you to make you perfect. Theme is important because it teaches you lessons you could use every day. (fix

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Which leads him to the point of using science to remove the birth mark. Aylmer’s obsession of removing the birth mark led to the death of his wife, Georgina. Hawthorne uses Aylmer to present a common issue that individuals have. Furthermore, each scholar help better understand the theme of obsession and achieving a goal that leads individuals to a path of negativity because of individuals’ foolishness to achieve perfection, science vs naturality, and mental isolation.

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It is first seen when Georgiana asks Aylmer to describe his dream. Aylmer explains the dream as himself attempting to operate on the birthmark; however, to his dismay, the birthmark went deeper until it seemed to have “caught hold of Georgiana's heart.” In spite of the danger in the situation, he was still determined to eliminate the dreaded mark at all costs. Aylmer’s dream implies that he is willing to risk the life of his wife in order to achieve perfection. Hawthorne’s next use of foreshadowing is seen in his description of the boudoir.

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Georgiana’s birthmark is a symbol of her mortality. The narrator explains that everything in nature is flawed and dies. The hand shaped mark is the only thing on an otherwise perfect person, the thing that portrays her as mortal. Aylmer believes that the birthmark marks his wife’s premature death. Being the smart man that he is one would believe that he would just see the birthmark for what it is, but he makes a fatal misinterpretation.

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Through Hawthorn’s story the main emphasis is the birthmark located on Georgiana’s face. This birthmark is something that Aylmer wants to get ride of, he takes it upon himself to fix his wife. Rosenberg states, that Aylmer’s lifelong search through science is that he will finally have control over nature that he will be able to preform an experiment perfectly. Aylmer was so convinced he was better than nature he even thought that preforming these experiments would become not of nature. “In trying to cure her of her human nature, he killed her” (Rosenberg, 2).

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As the story progresses the audience can relate and sympathize with Georgiana as she is essentially the victim of her husband’s judgement and shock of what he claims to the birthmark to act as an ailment of her beauty. Aylmer goes on to calling her near perfection were it not for the birthmark, however as many would agree that in real life there is no such thing as perfection. Georgiana progressively begins to see her husband change and show his true nature. He becomes angry with her and does not trust her, leading to Georgiana essentially losing

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Hawthorne uses imagery sense of smell to get readers to imagine the scene, “When Georgiana recovered consciousness she found herself breathing an atmosphere of penetrating fragrance, the gentle potency of which had recalled her from her deathlike faintness” (Hawthorne). “The Birthmark” also creates irony with “Aminadab, the less inferior man to Aylmer is the one who speaks sensible to Aylmer by disclaiming that if Georgiana was his wife, he would not try to remove the birthmark” (“The Birthmark”). The figurative language helps enhance the story. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s meaning for the story was a man’s strive to perfection only caused the death of his wife. Aylmer was too focused on what perfect could be, and Georgiana blindly agrees with him and decides to remove the birthmark, despite never having a problem with it.

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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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In The Birthmark, Hawthorne depicts the obsession for perfection, the tole it takes on one and the consequences it has. The quest for perfection is unrealistic and unobtainable as we are only mere humans incapable of reconstructing our DNA. In The Birthmark, Hawthorne tells the story of a woman named Georgiana and her scientist husband Aylmer, who are both fixated on a birthmark similar to the look of a tiny human hand. Aylmer is disgusted by Georgiana’s birthmark, wanting to please her husband Georgiana is willing to do anything for him to look at her in a normal manner “Danger is nothing to me;for life which this hateful mark

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Aylmer states, “Georgiana, has it never occurred to you that the mark upon your cheek might be removed?” Aylmer sees the birthmark as a symbol of his wife’s imperfection; this section in the story is ironic because this should be the peak of their romance and instead Alymer is continuously ridiculing Georgiana. One of the overarching themes of Hawthorne’s writing conveys to the reader the lesson that nothing or no one is perfect. Aylmer states that the imperfection “...Is a liability to sin, sorrow, decay, and death...” With his fascination for flawlessness, Aylmer fails to see his wife’s absolute beauty and her humanity.

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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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