Perfection In The Birthmark By Nathaniel Hawthorne

“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” (Hawthorne 358). In the short story “The Birthmark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne a scientist in the latter part of the last century named Aylmer is obsessed with perfection. Many men in the town believe that Georgiana is perfect, however Aylmer can’t seem to look past this birthmark because he believes it is an imperfection

The story "The Birthmark," by Nathaniel Hawthorne is told in a third person point of view and the setting takes place sometime in Europe where the characters Aylmer, Georgiana and Aminadab are introduced. Aylmer, is a scientist who is obsessed with the concept of perfection and altering nature. Aminadab is Aylmer’s assistant and is described as a hulking and strong normal man and Georgiana, is Aylmer’s beautiful wife who has a red birthmark that resembles a tiny hand and resides on her left cheek

In The Birthmark, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the scientist, Aylmer, strives for perfection. His love of science, as well as the love for his wife collide when he aims to erase her birthmark, a small, hand-shaped mark on her cheek, as he believes that getting rid of the birthmark will make her even more perfect. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case. The main themes within this story seem to include perfection, obsession, and science vs. nature. The first theme involves perfection. Humans always

The Pursuit for Perfection Nothing in this world is perfect. Our flaws are what make us the beautiful and unique people that we are. They give us our personality, and allow us to stand out from the crowd. Without them, our world would be boring. Perfection is a standard that no one could ever live up to, and the more “perfect” someone may be, the less of a personality they may have. “The Birthmark’’, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a story about a young, beautiful woman with a minor flaw that leads to

What is perfection? Is it truly being our best-selves? Is it feeling emotionally content? Or is it neurotically trying our hardest to mold ourselves into a person that appeases others? Whether or not we intend to, we often cater to the last. We live in a society where beauty and glamour are pervasive, creating an almost subliminal standard of perfection in the backs of our minds. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “The Birthmark”, he tackles this notion of perfection, while also noting the lust

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Birthmark” published in The Pioneer, the themes of science, perfection, and obsession are examined within the text. “The Birthmark” is the dark romantic short story about Aylmer and his wife Georgiana. Aylmer is a brilliant scientist and philosopher who dropped his focus from his career and experiments to marry the most beautiful women in their town, Georgiana. Even though Georgiana is the most beautiful, she does not lack flaws. She has a tiny birthmark in the shape

“The Birthmark”, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, symbolizes Man’s timeless pursuit of unattainable perfection and the fear of being unworthy of our possessions. Entwined throughout the story are the ideas of giving into vulnerability, shame, and a lack of authenticity and courage. Aylmer seemingly has admiration for the love and beauty in his wife, yet something within him is unable to rationally deal with her as she is. Although perfect in her beauty, she is marred by a mark that is visible

Ambition for Perfection: Themes in Hawthorne’s “The 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

Although we may mask our insecurities with false confidence and bravado, deep down most people crave perfection. As the majority of us learn as we age, this idea of “perfection” is unobtainable. The older we get, the more we tend to accept the flaws and imperfections that make us individuals. However, there are others who never learn the hard lesson of acceptance. Instead they spend ridiculous amounts of money on surgeries, creams and concoctions in order to rid themselves of these marks and insecurities

pursuit of achieving their idea of perfection, but when is it enough? Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story,“The Birthmark,” tells about a husband consumed by achieving the idea of perfection through his scientific knowledge to dispose of what he believes to be a defect that resides on his nearly-perfect wife’s cheek - a crimson birthmark in the shape of a hand - because he feels that the birthmark is the only thing that prevents her from achieving absolute perfection. After seeing the disgust in her husband’s

The Desire for Perfection and Science in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Birthmark” In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s "The Birthmark," the two central themes of Aylmer’s unyielding pursuit of perfection and his defiant struggle against nature are prominently displayed. Aylmer's relentless quest for perfection is depicted through his scientific experiments aiming to eliminate the birthmark on his wife's cheek. This integral theme resonates with the societal tendency to seek an unattainable state of flawlessness

Aspects of Romantic Literature in “The Birthmark” Throughout history perfection has always been a quality many have strived to achieve. Nathaniel Hawthorne was a prominent Dark Romantic author, whom during the nineteenth century wrote a short story about a brilliant scientist, Aylmer, and his beautiful wife, Georgiana. Aylmer possessed, as any newly wed would, a strong love for his wife. However, she had a small birthmark on the side of her left cheek the size of a small fairy’s handprint, which

Perfection isn’t a trait that can be accomplished but many people try to strive for perfection despite what the consequences are. In the short story “The birthmark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the archetypes that are used all relate to the main character Aylmer trying to reach perfection with his wife by trying to remove her birthmark so she can be perfect because without it she would already perfect. Hawthorne uses the archetypes: mad scientist, quest for perfection, and life and death to show how Aylmer’s

Don’t mess with Nature: Numerous themes of Nature in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Birthmark” Vrandol Perez December 21, 2017 Honors English III I’ve always thought that I’ve had an abundance of defects, enough for no one to like me because of my appearance. Once in awhile, mostly when I look at myself in the mirror, I question if there is some way to purge myself of these disfigurements. Hawthorne illustrated a short story similar to my complication, in which he believed that there must be

Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Birthmark" has a variety of different themes. One of the most prominent themes is Aylmer's need for perfection. His need for perfection can be seen when Aylmer says: "No, dearest Georgiana, you came so nearly perfect from the hand of Nature, that this slightest possible defect, which we hesitate whether to term a defect or a beauty, shocks me"(Hawthorne). While other people saw Georgiana's Birthmark as more of a sign of life, when Georgiana says: "To tell you the truth