Georgiana's Birthmark

Aylmer was a man knowledgeable scientist had an obsession for perfection in all aspects of life. Aylmer also viewed his wife as being flawless, except for the hand-like birth-mark that appeared on Georgiana’s left cheek. One day, Aylmer sits looking at his wife with many thoughts wondering throughout his mind, "Georgiana," said he, "has it never occurred to you that the mark upon your cheek might be removed?" "No, indeed," said she, smiling;

Aylmer is an opposite representation of C. JoyBell’s quote because he loses sight of his love of Georgiana for scientific perfection, without any self reflection upon the matter. Moreover, Aylmer’s want to dispel Georgiana's birthmark produces a change in his feelings toward her. When discussing the birthmark and a possible removal with Georgiana, Aylmer said, “‘you [Georgiana] came so nearly perfect from the hand of Nature… as being the visible mark of earthly

The archetypal conflict of Nature vs. Science is shown in Aylmer’s intention to remove the birthmark, nature’s constant reminder of human mortality, from Georgiana’s cheek. Aylmer believed that the birthmark might heighten Georgiana’s beauty if it wasn’t her only visible imperfection, but on Georgiana’s otherwise flawless complexion the birthmark was nothing more than “the fatal flaw of humanity…the ineludible gripe in which mortality clutches the highest and purest of earthly mould,

For instance, when Aylmer felt miserable, she felt miserable too. Nevertheless, it can be seen that then she demonstrated a total opposite attitude, a strong woman who challenges his husband to go ahead with his experiments. A girl with no fear at all. Far from being the typical woman in her house, she is educated and intelligent, and she is able to read and understand the intricate experiments that her husband documents in his diaries. With them she understands how his husband's love for her is, and she accepts it, and that Aylmer's lofty ideals condemn him to permanent dissatisfaction. She also knows that her husband's attempts to erase the birthmark will not succeed. In spite of this, she voluntarily takes the concoction he offers. The drink finishes with the birthmark, yes, but also with her, who says goodbye to her husband making him know that his search for divine perfection has made him despise the best the earth could offer. Therefore, with all those decisions it can be seen that she has the will to do it and she can make her own decisions. She is completely different from Aylmer. She understood and was aware about what happened to the birthmark, and why she died.

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

In “The Birth-Mark,” Aylmer, a natural philosopher, became obsessed with a hand shaped birthmark on his wife’s face. Being completely consumed by the notion of imperfection that graced the face of his wife, Georgiana, he attempted to remove the mark which resulted in her death. Aylmer views Georgiana’s birthmark as something more than a

Aylmer, the protagonist of Hawthorne’s “The Birthmark,” takes on the challenge to remove the blemish from his wife’s cheek to satisfy his own spiritual strivings and to redeem what he sees as a failed career. The ways in which human perceptions of reality are preordained and tempered by the individuals who appears to be peripheral to the larger conflict between humanism and science; however, they are really at the very heart of it. We see how Aylmer’s sudden obsession with his wife’s blemish is essentially referring to his own sense of identity.

Georgianna was already a beautiful woman. In fact, many men would risk their life in order to kiss the tiny crimson hand that rested on her cheek. Aylmer on the other hand believes that this mark on his wife's face is an “earthly imperfection” (614) and should be erased and he a renowned scientist was the man to do it. Although Aylmer loves Georgiana Barbara Eckstein quotes Donohue vehemently in her analysis "science and Romance as Belief" that Aylmer had left his lab "because he needed a new source of experiment” (par 4). This is proven in the story when Hawthorne

Aylmer see Georgiana's birthmark as a flaw that stops her from being a perfectly beautiful women,however as a scientist aylmer thinks he's some sort of god and believes he has some kind of power to remove this imperfection , As his wife Georgiana is willing to let him remove it, She then

Soon after Aylmer tells his spouse that the mark on her face bothers him, she practically begs him to remove it. Aylmer is more than happy to remove the birthmark and has no doubt that he can do so. While discussing the removal on page 316, he tells Georgiana that he “feels fully competent” to “render [Georgiana’s] cheek as faultless as its fellow.” He goes on to describe the sense of triumph he will feel when it is finally corrected. He only cares about the removal of the birthmark and not what may happen to his wife. Even though the mark bothers him, he reveals to Georgiana that “even [he] rejoices in this simple imperfection, since it will be such a rapture to remove it” (Hawthorne 318). This shows that Georgiana is not the love of Aylmer’s life, but rather science. He puts all of his faith directly into it. Barbara Eckstein states that “Aylmer’s study of minute details becomes a system of belief for Aylmer” (517). Even after Georgiana faints on page 317, Aylmer is “without alarm; for he was confident in his science, and felt that he could draw a magic circle round her within which no evil might intrude” (Hawthorne). This seems ludicrous to most people, but Aylmer had absolute faith in

Portrayed as spiritual and intellectual in contrast with his crude laboratory assistant Aminadab, Aylmer becomes disturbingly obsessed with a birthmark on his wife’s countenance. The plot of the short story revolves around the man’s attempt in removing the mark, which results in the death of Georgiana. In the very beginning of the story, the audience discovers through the narration that Aylmer views his wife’s birthmark as more than a congenital, benign irregularity on the skin. In reality, the primary reason why he becomes severely obsessed with the birthmark is because in his eyes, the mark symbolizes something. Aylmer proceeds to further clarify his inner thoughts by replying to his wife, “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” (Mays 340). Although Georgiana is initially mortified and even goes as far to question the existence of the marriage between them, the narration later sheds light and explains that the precise reason why Aylmer is excessively bothered with the birthmark is because he regards Georgiana as virtually the embodiment of perfection. As a consequence, perceiving a flaw on his wife’s image that clashes with the concept of her beauty inevitably leads him to feel aggrieved and begin to judge the birthmark as a dangerous blemish residing on her skin.

Though with each passing day it became more clear to him the crimson hand birthmark upon her cheek. He didn’t voice his opinion at first; he saw how the men of the town looked at the mark as something that just made her more beautiful. Though soon enough, this was no longer the case for Aylmer as he saw the birthmark as a nuisance that needed to be removed at once (Hawthorne 1). The voicing of his plan to remove the blemish slowly transformed the relationship between Aylmer and Georgiana. Georgiana’s self-image became tainted by a mark that had never before been a problem: “Not even Aylmer now hated it as much as she” (Hawthorne 6).

She had the qualities to become married, she married a scientist to prevent some financial hardship, and she was the epitome to the perfect woman, except for her birthmark. Other women of that time period thought of her birthmark as disgusting and revolting; they were just jealous because Georgiana was capturing all the men’s attention instead of it being put on them. The men of this time period flaunted over Georgiana and thought of her birthmark as something special that makes her different; they all were fascinated by it. Aylmer thought of the birthmark to be Georgiana’s opening to mortality and the introduction to her imperfectness so she started to imagine it as a negative image being placed on her as well. To fit in with the wifely roles, Georgiana dedicated herself to her husband in more ways than one.

Aylmer tries to remove a beauty mark that God has embarked upon her. Aylmer remarks, "... And then, most beloved, what will be my triumph when I shall have corrected what Nature left imperfect in her fairest work" (Hawthorne 336). Aylmer creates a potion to remove the hideous birthmark. In turn, the birthmark fades away, as so does Georgiana's life.

In the story “The Birthmark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the main character, Aylmer, shows how he can control nature with science. In parts of the story it also shows how cruel and malevolent he can be towards his wife’s because of her birthmark. He views the mark as a sign of evil and immortality. With all of that he commits the biggest sin, killing his wife to accomplish his lust and joy of removing the thing that haunts him. Aylmer perceives Georgiana’s birthmark as mortality and desire, and therefore showing us his moral depravity by removing the mark from her face.