'Perfection In The Birthmark' By Nathaniel Hawthorne

So often in relationships we find the smallest idiosyncrasies or characteristics charming at first. However, after the initial “honeymoon phase” these characteristics cannot be overlooked any longer. This is especially evident in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, “The Birthmark”. A man named Aylmer is no longer able to overlook the birthmark that was bestowed upon his wife, Georgiana’s, cheek. Even though the mark was small enough to be covered by two fingers, he was not able to allow it to disrupt the utter perfection of the rest of her face. However, this mark represents much more than a cosmetic disfigurement. It represents the imperfection we strive to eliminate everyday. This is proven because Georgiana never thought of her birthmark as such a horrible thing until Aylmer pointed it out, then she wanted nothing more than for it to be removed. Also, as Aylmer tries everything to eliminate the mark it shows humanity’s obsession of trying anything and everything to achieve perfection, even if it means certain death.
Georgiana had never thought of her birthmark as anything less than a charm, because that is what she was told so often that it must have been true.
It isn’t until Aylmer prompts the discussion of her having it removed that she begins to think of it as any less (Hawthorne, par. 3). It is at this point that she begins to doubt her ideas of said “charm”. Later in the story she remarks that she has always hated the mark contradicting what she said here (par. 51). Due to this boiling hatred Georgiana throws caution to the wind and obediently drinks the potion Aylmer had procured for her which ultimately leads to her
downfall. Aylmer’s fixation with the removal of Georgiana’s birthmark reached a deep psychological level when he began to dream of his failed removal of the mark (par. 15). Upon regaling Georgiana with the tale of his dream he informs her of his conviction of the mark’s removal (par. 17). Then with the drive of a mad scientist, Aylmer set to work and developed a serum he was sure to work. Utterly convinced with his success he bade Georgiana to drink the concoction. As the mark began to fade, as did Georgiana’s life. She was anchored onto this Earth by the mark upon her cheek. This is a testimony to humanity’s obsession with perfection. We are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice. The story of Aylmer and Georgiana was written so that one would look upon oneself and accept the imperfections, no matter the size, as part of who one is as a human being. Without such a revelation one can expect a drastic change to one’s life as one strives to correct any and all imperfections. Leading one down the proverbial well of self-loathing. When one begins to become disheartened about an imperfection one need only remember that one was given that imperfection because it is beautiful.