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The Hawthorne Symbolism In The Birthmark

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Birthmarks could be like magic stones that can grant wishes. In the story (The Birthmark) Aylmer who is described as a brilliant scientist his wife after a couple days of their marriage has she ever thought about removing the birthmark on her cheek. Aylmer immediately upsets his beautiful wife by saying “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”(Hawthorne 340). Georgiana sees the mark as a charm. She embraces the imperfections and blemishes. Although the birthmark seems not to bother Georgiana her husband Aylmer wants perfection. The birthmark located on Georgiana left cheek is a red mark in the shape of a …show more content…

Aylmer wasn’t for sure what he was getting himself into because his mind stayed focused on his wife defect. The desire for perfection no only kills Georgiana, however it also ruins her husband. “Aylmer reached a profounder wisdom, he need not thus have flung away the happiness which would have woven his mortal life of the sesame texture with the celestial” the author stated, (Hawthorne 349). Georgina tiny mark is all he can see. It develops in Aylmer’s mind until the good sight of gorgeous Georgiana fade.
Aylmer does not seem integrally evil at the beginning of the story; he is described as a brilliant scientist, and it is palpable he loves his wife. A couple days after he married her he becomes the antagonist of the story. In this circumstance he begins to forget how beautiful Georgiana is and instead only focuses on her birthmark. His constant undermining of her self-image is pure evil camouflaged as loving criticism. His stupidly wicked experimentation on her body cause her definitive death. Georgina was so focused on looking good for her man she let him experiment on her body for

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(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)

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The birthmark itself symbolizes morality. Aylmer, this brilliant scientist and husband to Georgiana, sees it has as fatal flaw. It also represents this imperfection of human nature. Nothing is perfect in nature, but science can help improve to make it seem flawless.

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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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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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As you can see evidence suggests that Aylmer has love for both science and Georgiana, but his love for science exceeds more greatly than his love for Georgiana. Immediately after getting married Aylmer asked Georgiana to get the birthmark removed, and of course by the use of science. It seems that he wants to treat her like a simple experiment nothing more. Aylmer states that it shocks him that something so little ruined her appearance, and tries to convince Georgiana to scientifically get rid of the mark. Hawthorne provides proof by writing, “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

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He provides the story with a character that identifies contrast between the others. He is Aylmer's assistant although we tend to get the impression that he may actually be smarter than Aylmer in a way. As he realizes that Aylmer has killed Georgiana, he begins to laugh. He believes that Aylmer has simply got what was coming to him. He warned him that she already is perfect and says, “If she were my wife, I'd never part with that birthmark”(208).

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It describes him as “Proficient in every branch of natural philosophy”, (Hawthorne, 365) to the extent that he even discovered an elixir that he could determine if a man would drop dead instantly or linger out years after only of a breath of this substance. We see a great irony in how intelligent Aylmer is, and yet how many scientific mistakes he makes. When he uses the elixir of life upon the flower, it grows beautifully but also self-combusts. He then tells Georgiana he will need to use a much stronger substance on her, in order to fix her birthmark. The flower very obviously foreshadows Georgiana’s death, and the result proves that Aylmer’s science can produce extremely unpredictable results.

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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.

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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

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The focus on “what could be” instead of “what really is” ruined Aylmer and it’s what ruins so many people in today’s culture. In The Birthmark as Georgina is dying it’s said that Aylmer’s assistant Aminadab, is chuckling but Hawthorne gives no reason as to why. Perhaps Aminadab sees the ridiculous and silliness of what Aylmer was trying to accomplish and can’t help himself from laughing. Maybe Aminadab sees the idiocy of trying to play against nature and is laughing because it took Aylmer so long to figure it

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A birthmark is a irregularity on one’s skin, they come in all shapes, sizes and many colors. Birthmarks are harmless and can even be considered endearing. To Aylmer, the main character in the short story “The Birthmark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, a birthmark is anything but harmless. Aylmer is a man of science, but one day meets the beautiful Georgianna and they marry. Soon after their marriage Aylmer discovers his disdain for a small, hand shaped, birthmark on Georgiana's cheek.

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Aylmer’s views on perfection led to the demise of Georgiana. He skewed Georgiana’s views by making it seem that if she wasn’t perfect then he could not love her. Throughout the process Georgiana was scared of her husband’s actions but she was made to believe that what he was doing was normal so she went along with it.

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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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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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Aylmer’s obsession with removing the birthmark cost him more than he cared to imagine, the loss of his wife’s life. His fascination of perfection had killed their marriage before her soul departed from her body, not realizing that his lack of wisdom would cost him

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