Perfection In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Birthmark
The Birthmark on Mortal Perfection Hawthorne writes about a subject that is still very prominent now. He examines the obsession with human perfection. The story tells of a very successful scientist and philosopher, Aylmer, and his very beautiful wife Georgiana. Aylmer is obsessed with perfection, as are most scientists. He makes sure he experiments with all possible options to conclude the best results for a perfect solution. Now Aylmer is very much in love with his wife Georgiana, and she with him. Yet he begins to start to obsess over this tiny hand-shaped mole on the left cheek of Georgiana. Most other men have claimed to like the birthmark, one as to even saying, “…some fairy at her birth hour had laid her tiny hand upon the infant’s cheek, and left this impress there in token of the magic endowments
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that were to give her such sway over all hearts”(1131). It begins to catch his eye more and more. He even finds himself sneaking glances so that Georgiana won’t catch him staring. He starts to believe that this one tiny imperfection on her cheek shows that she is not perfect. Aylmer is frustrated to understand why Nature will not create a perfect subject. He even says to Georgiana that it may be a charm on someone else’s face, but not on hers, because she was so near to being created perfect. Many women believed that the ‘bloody hand’, as they chose to call it, quite destroyed the effect of Georgiana’s beauty, and rendered her countenance even hideous. Hawthorne explains that Aylmer cannot stand this birthmark so much not just because it is a flaw to her perfection, but also because it is the only flaw that she possesses. He claims that it was the fatal flaw of Nature, and that Nature seems to mark all of its creations with some sort of flaw in an attempt to either show that all is, “…temporary and finite, or that their perfection must be wrought through toil and pain”(1131). Aylmer had done a decent job at keeping it from his wife that this mark has been almost taunting him to find a cure to rid it from her cheek. But one night Georgiana asks him if he remembers a dream he had. He began to obsess so much about it that he began to see it in his dreams. In the dream Aylmer and his assistant, Aminadab, attempt an operation to remove the birthmark. Aylmer is trying to remove it with a knife, but the deeper he cuts the deeper goes the hand, until he reaches Georgiana’s heart. The birthmark connects Georgiana’s kind heart and soul to her beautiful frame. Now Georgiana, who had been fine with the birthmark, is beginning to obsess also. Mostly because of how much she loves Aylmer and how it hurts her that this mark bothers him. She is willing to do whatever it takes to remove it even if that means her life. Georgiana can’t stand being the object of Aylmer’s disgust. Aylmer claims that he has already been devising cures of ridding the hand from her face. The next day Aylmer takes Georgiana to his lab to begin experiments to remove the mark. Aylmer turns one of the rooms of his laboratory in to a beautiful room for Georgiana to stay in. She begins to read all his books to pass the time. She finds his book of experiments and begins to read. She ends up breaking down and crying. She exclaims that the book made her worship him even more. Every time Aylmer enters the room where his wife is he seems to be very pleased and calm, as if everything is going perfect and smooth. Yet Georgiana follows him into the other laboratory room one time and sees his is very stressed and very distraught. She asks why he is not forward with her with how the procedure is going. He finally explains to her that there are dangers and that all of the other solutions have failed thus far. Georgiana again tells Aylmer that she would die if it were necessary for him to get his one moment of flawlessness.
Georgiana claims that she would do anything to satisfy Aylmer’s highest and deepest conception.
She knew it would not be longer than one moment for she knew the second Aylmer found a cure he was looking for the next imperfection to solve.
Aylmer returns with a clear elixir and has Georgiana consume it. Almost immediately after doing so she falls asleep. As she sleeps Aylmer sits and takes note on her actions. It is important to note that as she sleeps Aylmer has a sudden strange and unaccountable impulse, and he kisses Georgiana’s birthmark. Before his eyes the hand slowly begins to fade away. Shade by shade it fades away. Yet as the hand begins to disappear her skin becomes more and more pale. Aylmer and Aminadab’s excitement wakes Georgiana. She sees in the mirror that the mark is now gone and shows a faint smile. But she gives Aylmer a face showing trouble and anxiety. She tells him that, “…you have rejected the best the earth could offer”(1140). She is saying that she was the closest thing Nature produced to perfect and because Aylmer could not stand imperfections or flaws he has now given her the cure that will make her perfect and take her
life. The last paragraph of the story is the most important. It describes how Aylmer could not focus on things in the future but only look at the problems that could be fixed now. I believe that Hawthorne is trying to convey that nothing is perfect or flawless, until it dies. All of Natures creations have one flawless moment and that is in death. By giving Georgiana the elixir he is killing her by making her flawless. He killed his love by trying to find the perfect future in the present.
that were to give her such sway over all hearts”(1131). It begins to catch his eye more and more. He even finds himself sneaking glances so that Georgiana won’t catch him staring. He starts to believe that this one tiny imperfection on her cheek shows that she is not perfect. Aylmer is frustrated to understand why Nature will not create a perfect subject. He even says to Georgiana that it may be a charm on someone else’s face, but not on hers, because she was so near to being created perfect. Many women believed that the ‘bloody hand’, as they chose to call it, quite destroyed the effect of Georgiana’s beauty, and rendered her countenance even hideous. Hawthorne explains that Aylmer cannot stand this birthmark so much not just because it is a flaw to her perfection, but also because it is the only flaw that she possesses. He claims that it was the fatal flaw of Nature, and that Nature seems to mark all of its creations with some sort of flaw in an attempt to either show that all is, “…temporary and finite, or that their perfection must be wrought through toil and pain”(1131). Aylmer had done a decent job at keeping it from his wife that this mark has been almost taunting him to find a cure to rid it from her cheek. But one night Georgiana asks him if he remembers a dream he had. He began to obsess so much about it that he began to see it in his dreams. In the dream Aylmer and his assistant, Aminadab, attempt an operation to remove the birthmark. Aylmer is trying to remove it with a knife, but the deeper he cuts the deeper goes the hand, until he reaches Georgiana’s heart. The birthmark connects Georgiana’s kind heart and soul to her beautiful frame. Now Georgiana, who had been fine with the birthmark, is beginning to obsess also. Mostly because of how much she loves Aylmer and how it hurts her that this mark bothers him. She is willing to do whatever it takes to remove it even if that means her life. Georgiana can’t stand being the object of Aylmer’s disgust. Aylmer claims that he has already been devising cures of ridding the hand from her face. The next day Aylmer takes Georgiana to his lab to begin experiments to remove the mark. Aylmer turns one of the rooms of his laboratory in to a beautiful room for Georgiana to stay in. She begins to read all his books to pass the time. She finds his book of experiments and begins to read. She ends up breaking down and crying. She exclaims that the book made her worship him even more. Every time Aylmer enters the room where his wife is he seems to be very pleased and calm, as if everything is going perfect and smooth. Yet Georgiana follows him into the other laboratory room one time and sees his is very stressed and very distraught. She asks why he is not forward with her with how the procedure is going. He finally explains to her that there are dangers and that all of the other solutions have failed thus far. Georgiana again tells Aylmer that she would die if it were necessary for him to get his one moment of flawlessness.
Georgiana claims that she would do anything to satisfy Aylmer’s highest and deepest conception.
She knew it would not be longer than one moment for she knew the second Aylmer found a cure he was looking for the next imperfection to solve.
Aylmer returns with a clear elixir and has Georgiana consume it. Almost immediately after doing so she falls asleep. As she sleeps Aylmer sits and takes note on her actions. It is important to note that as she sleeps Aylmer has a sudden strange and unaccountable impulse, and he kisses Georgiana’s birthmark. Before his eyes the hand slowly begins to fade away. Shade by shade it fades away. Yet as the hand begins to disappear her skin becomes more and more pale. Aylmer and Aminadab’s excitement wakes Georgiana. She sees in the mirror that the mark is now gone and shows a faint smile. But she gives Aylmer a face showing trouble and anxiety. She tells him that, “…you have rejected the best the earth could offer”(1140). She is saying that she was the closest thing Nature produced to perfect and because Aylmer could not stand imperfections or flaws he has now given her the cure that will make her perfect and take her
life. The last paragraph of the story is the most important. It describes how Aylmer could not focus on things in the future but only look at the problems that could be fixed now. I believe that Hawthorne is trying to convey that nothing is perfect or flawless, until it dies. All of Natures creations have one flawless moment and that is in death. By giving Georgiana the elixir he is killing her by making her flawless. He killed his love by trying to find the perfect future in the present.