Nature Human And Nature

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”, a short story by Nathanial Hawthorne, the use of the archetypal conflict Nature vs. Science, the character of Damsel in Distress, and the symbol of the Incurable Wound show how easily beauty is overlooked in the endeavor for perfection.

The Birthmark by Nathaniel Hawthorne is trying to communicate some important ideas about a variety of themes, he articulates a few weighty themes around this brief argument: the struggle between science and nature. In a story full of successful and almost magical scientific experiments, it is intact nature itself that is more powerful than any creation made by man. As is to be expected, this path to perfection also includes the creation of life and the victory over death. In the birthmark Aylmer does not see, like others who pretended Georgiana's hand before him, a singularity that accentuates her immaculate beauty. He sees in that crimson little hand an indication of decay and death. And also of immorality and sin, in tune with the belief

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 Nathaniel Hawthorne’s tale, “The Birthmark,” the dominant theme is love conquering self, though there is also present the theme of alienation resulting from the evil within mankind. This essay intends to explore, exemplify and develop this topic.

Human beings are part of the animal kingdom, and therefore part of nature. If that is true, then everything they create or destroy is by default "natural". I agree with the statement.

Georgiana’s birthmark is the main symbol in the story that could have multiple meanings. It is clear what the birthmark symbolizes when Georgiana declares, “I am happy to put my life in your hands,” (Hawthorne 3). Aylmer is ready to start his experiment when Georgiana says she is willing to be a part of it. What Aylmer does not know is that the birthmark actually symbolizes her mortality and when she says she is happy to put her life in his hands, she actually means that her birthmark is her lifeline and she is happy to put it in his hands. Aylmer wanted his wife to be perfect, but he only made the outcome worse with trying to remove the mark. Another example of symbolism is when Hawthorne writes, “The mark was usually a deep red color,” (Hawthorne 1). The color red could symbolize one of many different things, but it mainly symbolizes the color of blood. Blood is a main part of one’s body and mortality, and when the birthmark is described by its deep red color, it means that the mark is her source to life. After the tragic death of Georgiana, Aylmer finally realizes that the birthmark really had been her mortality. Aylmer is so deeply caught up in forcefully trying to get Georgiana to let him remove her birthmark, he does not recognize the true perfection that was there all along. Symbolism helps the theme that is portrayed throughout the story that trying to be flawless results in a devastation.

Aylmer’s abhorrence for Georgiana’s imperfection is a representation of evil in this story, he talks about Nature or God and how spiritual he is during the whole story; but his key focal point shifts to her imperfection. This is a representation of evil for the actuality that she carried one physical defect and that is all Aylmer could focus on. People like this are called pessimistic, since they only concentrate the awful or expect the worst. Georgiana was perfectly at ease for the way she was until her husband kept making comments about her until she became self conscious about

Aylmer’s craving to make his wife Georgiana perfect is destined to fail because perfection cannot be found on earth and only found in heaven. Aylmer obsesses about the birthmark that is on his wife for an extensive time that it actually starts to inconvenience him. For Aylmer, it symbolizes mortality and sin and comes to mast over Georgiana’s beauty in his cluttered mind. Consequently, her tiny imperfection, which is only a birth-mark, is all he can see and is so prominent to him. The desire for perfection not only kills Georgiana inside and out, but it also ruins her husband. Aylmer starts to break down because his desire to create the ideal woman becomes such a fixation that it prevents him from seeing all the good his wife has to over him and the world. Nevertheless, Georgiana says that she will risk her life for him and have the birthmark erased. Aylmer is very confident about it but ends up killing her in the process, emotionally and

Aylmer has not only sickening distaste for Georgiana’s birthmark but also an obsession of control (even when it comes to things he can’t control). Ayler goes so far to control Georgiana’s near perfect looks but to also control nature itself, and it wasn’t Aylmer who had to pay for his sins at the end of this story. Georgiana dies at the end of “The Birthmark” due to her husband’s ambitions and it took seconds near death for Georgiana to tell Aylmer how selfish he was to try to control a higher power. “With so high and pure a feeling, you have rejected the best the earth could offer. Aylmer, my dearest Aylmer, I am dying!”

Without the flaw, Georgiana would simply not be real. Perfection doesn’t exist in the real world, nothing and no one is perfect, but Aylmer persists to believe that he can be the one to make perfection a reality, by removing her flaw. The birth-mark represents us as human’s, ability to be moral and sin while still repressing all that is good and profound within. The removal of her mark basically rids her of the ability to be imperfect, hence she is no longer mortal. In consequence of the removal Georgiana

Georgina was adored by so many. Women were envious of her and men desired her (par.7). Out of them all, she chooses Aylmer. After reading through his opinion and thoughts, it would make the reader question if he truly loved her, or was he in love with the idea of making her into what he envisioned as perfect. He took a confident woman and tore her down till she was so unsecured to be looked upon by her husband. He loses the idea of what love is.

In this short story, Hawthorne uses symbolism to emphasize the strange shape of the 'earthly imperfection' (204) and his desperate need to change it. The shape of the birthmark 'bore a

Aylmer, being selfish and oblivious to the problems he might cause, told Georgiana that he did not like her birthmark. Taking it further, every time he looked at Georgiana, his eyes shifted towards the birthmark he despised. Because the birthmark caused so many problems, it is the conflict between the two characters. Georgiana knew that her husband hated the birthmark and told him “You cannot love what shocks you!” (Hawthorne 291). Her husband’s hate and emotional abuse drove her to madness until she willingly submits to get drugged by Aylmer. When her suffering is almost over, and the birthmark finally fades, she dies because the birthmark is her tie to the earth. In my opinion, Aylmer should have been paying more attention, and never have said anything that might cause a huge conflict, especially considering Georgiana liked her birthmark; that is, before her husband decided to hate it. He may have been her husband, but he had no place to tell her that he did not like her one and only “flaw.” The conflict of the story is memorable because of how Aylmer was able to ruin his wife’s life because he thought she had one “impurity” and obsesses over how he can “cure” Georgiana of her birthmark.

In the short story, “The Birthmark,” Nathaniel Hawthorne’s usage of characterization, symbolism, and foreshadowing help establish the central theme: to have an ambition for perfection is foolish; especially when trying to take extraordinary measures using science. It is simply stated that, perfection is the quality of being free or as free as possible from all flaws or defects. No matter the amount of power that you may have, you can’t change what’s already perfect.