A Literary Analysis Of The Birth-Mark By Nathaniel Hawthorne

Nathaniel Hawthorne was one of the representatives of the Dark Romanticism genre. The cultural and literal context, stylistic features and main themes of the Hawthorne’s short story The Birthmark will be discussed in this essay.

In “The Birthmark” we first learn about the main character named Aylmer. He is fascinated with science. “He has devoted himself, however, too unreservedly to scientific studies ever to be weaned from them by any second passion” (Hawthorne 952) He eventually finds love with his wife Georgianna, but there is something about her he just will not seem to take much longer. Georgianna has a red birthmark on her cheek which is the shape of a small hand. While she thinks it is beautiful, the most important person in her life doesn’t feel the same way. In fact, Aylmer is truly disgusted and in shock by her mark, claiming it is a “visible mark of earthly imperfection” (Hawthorne 953). Finally telling his wife how he feels, Georgianna is in disbelief. She is upset, hurt, and confused, even questioning their marriage as she tells him “You cannot love what shocks you!” (Hawthorne 953). The last thing she would have thought is that the person she planned to spend the rest of her life with doesn’t see her beauty mark the way she does.

Once Georgiana also begins to view her birthmark as an imperfection, just like Aylmer does, she begins to hate it and demands it be removed. “’Remove it, remove it, whatever be the cost, or we shall both go mad!’” (Hawthorne 21). Georgiana is sacrificing everything she can in order for this birthmark to be removed, even death. Aylmer warns her of the dangers of performing such a surgery but she refuses to think it over and believes she is “most fit to die” (Hawthorne 21). Of all mortals, she believes that she has reached her potential in the world and there is no more use for her on the world unless she is perfect, with no birthmark and no imperfections.

Aylmer uses Georgiana’s love and trust for him against her, turning her into a scientific experiment, and taking away her life. Aylmer tells Georgiana about his displeasure with her birthmark. After an initial shocked reaction, Georgiana quickly changes her mindset to agree with her husband and lets him know: “I know not what may be the cost of both of us to rid me of this fatal birthmark. Perhaps its removal may cause cureless deformity, or may be the stain goes as deep as life itself” (222). Throughout her life, other men tell her birthmark is beautiful; however, after Georgina marries Aylmer , Georgiana now no longer wants it and wishes for it to be removed because of her husband’s wishes. This accommodates with what Aylmer wants and is the start of his scientific experiments on his wife. Later, Georgiana and Aylmer have a tense conversation debating about the

A birthmark as referred to in this short story is the “Differences of temperament”, the inborn traits someone can develop. In Nathaniel Hawthorne 's "The Birthmark" there are many different themes such as, nature versus science, and perfection. We see Aylmer struggle with his own temperament. For him the birthmark becomes the symbol of Georgiana’s flawed humanity, which he tries to alternate. Throughout the story, we come across several observances of otherness revolving around “The Birthmark”.

“As the last crimson tint of the birthmark that sole token of human imperfection faded from her cheek, the parting breath of the now perfect woman passed into the atmosphere, and her soul, lingering a moment near her husband, took its heavenward flight” (Hawthorne 13). In 1843, Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote “The Birthmark,” a tragic and unexpected short story. In the beginning of “The Birthmark,” Alymer, a man of science, marries a young beautiful woman named Georgiana. One day Alymer noticed a mark on Georgiana’s cheek, and over time his obsession with the thought of removing it scientifically caused the death of his wife. Therefore, in the short story “The Birthmark,” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Alymer pushes the scientific boundaries too far and his experiment is unjustified.

Hawthorne achieves this same task in the character of Georgiana in "The Birthmark." Georgiana, too, is presented as an ideal specimen of womanhood. She is beautiful, intelligent, and devoted to her husband, the alchemist, Aylmer. She would be absolute perfection, except for one flaw: a birthmark in the shape of a fairy-sized handprint on her left cheek. While those who love Georgiana attest that the mark is a symbol of the "magic endowments that were to give her such sway over all hearts," Aylmer and her detractors regard it as a "bloody hand" that belies "his wifeâs liability to sin, sorrow, decay, and death" (Hawthorne, "The Birthmark" 119-20). Hawthorne continues to impart Aylmerâs inner feelings of shock and horror over Georgianaâs single physical flaw, gradually leading his audience to share his disgust for the dreadful

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, “The Birthmark”, demonstrates how Georgiana’s image of herself changed throughout the story. At the beginning of the story, Georgiana felt as if her birthmark was beautiful, but as the story progresses, she begins to view that the mark as an imperfection. When Aylmer first addressed Georgiana about her birthmark appearing as an imperfection, Georgiana stated, “To tell you the truth it has been so often called a charm that I was simple enough to imagine it might be so" (“The Birthmark”). She had always viewed her mark as a unique and positive addition to her beauty.

In Hawthorne’s story, the idea of control is used in many different ways. The largest symbol of this theme is the birth mark itself on Georgiana’s cheek. This birth mark resembles a hand and represents Aylmer’s control over Georgiana. Aylmer’s wife, Georgiana, is controlled by her husband. Aylmer makes her hate the birth mark that she once loved through his own hatred of it. Georgiana, discovering her husband’s disgust of her birth mark, tells Aylmer, “To tell you the truth, it has so often been called a charm, that I was simple enough to imagine it might be so.” (340; par. 4) In this scene, Aylmer makes his wife feel foolish for accepting and even loving her own birthmark. She responds to him in the form of an apology, an apology for even having the birth mark that disgusts her husband so much. She blushes and seems embarrassed of her natural face. The hand symbolizes Aylmer’s control over Georgiana, how she feels about herself, and how he pushes the idea of the removal of the birthmark that she liked from the beginning.

Aside from Hawthorne?s use of symbolism, his extensive use of imagery also contributes to the notion that man cannot perfect nature. Aylmer?s true goal in this story is to force Georgiana to believe that her birthmark is ?a symbol of [her] liability to sin, sorrow, decay, and death? (204) and she must rid herself of it. He creates this image in order to brainwash her into believing that it is a ?dreadful hand? (207), and she, too, should wish it away. Finally, after gazing at, and studying the birthmark, this horrible image in which Aylmer had implanted in the mind of his lovely wife has become all too unbearable. Georgiana, feeling unworthy of her husband, freely surrenders herself to Aylmer and his science. ?Either remove this dreadful hand, or take my wretched life,? (207) she tells him, while rationalizing the validity of science on such a thing. Another image Hawthorne makes use of, in order to potentially change the mind of Georgiana, is that of the geranium, once diseased with yellow spots of death, is now full of life. The diseased flower symbolizes, in the eyes of Aylmer, a diseased Georgiana.

First, Hawthorne shows his worldview through his use of Aylmer’s obsession with the birthmark to show a sign of imperfection. When Aylmer is conversing with his wife Georgiana regarding the birthmark, he says “This slightest possible defect shocks me as being the visible mark of earthly imperfection.” (Hawthorne, 5). This is important because it shows that Aylmer is troubled by the birthmark and cannot leave it alone. In addition, it also shows that Aylmer ignores the main characteristics and features of Georgiana, such as her great personal qualities, in order to focus on the one imperfection, the birthmark. Adding on, the birthmark is stated as being: “It was the fatal flaw of humanity which Nature, in one shape or another, stamps ineffaceable on all her productions” (Nelson, 12). The birthmark is a part of nature and is inevitable because it cannot be altered or removed. Furthermore, the birthmark is a reminder that imperfection is part of

The predominate symbol Hawthorne uses is inarguably the birthmark on Georgina’s cheek. It seems to come up in almost every sentence as if Hawthorne is screaming, “That is a symbol!” The birthmark symbolizes human mortality and the imperfection of human nature. For Aylmer, Georgiana came "nearly perfect from the hand of Nature" (cite). The presence of the birthmark, therefore, deeply disturbs him because it reminds him of his wife's imperfection and mortality when he is on a quest for faultlessness. Aylmer's mistake lies in believing that human nature and all its flaws is something that can be interfered with. The birthmark is inseparable from Georgiana's spirit; it is what makes her perfectly imperfect. To be perfect is to be non-human, which

In the short story “The Birthmark”, our main character, named Aylmer, is a natural philosopher and scientist. Throughout the short story, Aylmer is in a constant internal conflict with the idea of perfection, which also highlights the flaws of nature. These conflicts are presented when we learn that his wife, Georgiana, who is described as insanely beautiful, has a small, red, hand-like birthmark on her cheek. Many people, a majority of males, admire Georgiana and they even say her birthmark is an appeal, but Aylmer obsesses about it.

“The Birth-Mark” was written and published in 1843 by Nathanial Hawthorne. This short story, as many of the works of Hawthorne, showcases his apparent disdain for the transcendental movement. As this story is read a person can definitely see the mockery of scientific advancements as the protagonist of the story becomes obsessed with his wife’s appearance and his perception of a flaw and his use of scientific experiments to rid her of the stain (Idol). Hawthorne also illustrates his Puritan history in that the birthmark can be seen as human flaw indicative of the sin of his wife. Many different views have been discussed about “The Birth-Mark,” and it is a fact that many interpretations can be taken

Although “The Birthmark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne was written in the mid-1800s, its themes and ideas are still a part of society today. The 19th century was a time of change, just as this, the millennium, is a time of great change. Hawthorne’s ideas about science, beauty, and life still play a major part in our lives, despite many improvements. Even today, people try to play “God” and change things that nature has put in place. It’s human curiosity; how much can be changed, how many things can be perfected? The themes in this short story-- religion, gender, and science--were relevant in Hawthorne’s day, and still are many years later. The theme of religion is hidden in the desire to erase