All individuals are not born perfect. Every individual has their flaws that has a positive or negative impact to those around them and the society. All individuals have flaws that can or cannot hide from the rest of the world. Scholars of psychology argue that obsessions cause individuals to achieve perfection and can have a positive or negative aspect to an individuals’ life. Perfection is the conditions, state, or quality of being free as possible from all flaws or defects. These scholars’ arguments contribute to the story, “The Birth-Mark”, Nathanial Hawthorne expresses the common personal issue that individuals possess. The Birth-Mark was about a man named Aylmer and his obsession of science and the birth mark on his wife’s face. The birth …show more content…
Which leads him to the point of using science to remove the birth mark. Aylmer’s obsession of removing the birth mark led to the death of his wife, Georgina. Hawthorne uses Aylmer to present a common issue that individuals have. Furthermore, each scholar help better understand the theme of obsession and achieving a goal that leads individuals to a path of negativity because of individuals’ foolishness to achieve perfection, science vs naturality, and mental isolation.
Hawthorne emphasizes on Aylmer’s character shift in the poem to demonstrate his views on obsession. Individuals foolishness to achieve perfection has led to critical decisions in society. Hawthorne explained Aylmer’s characteristics by describing him as a man of science (447). Aylmer’s passion for science help to understand the obsession that he has and Hawthorne showed how much Aylmer
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Science vs naturality is a common battle in society. Some scientists believe that science has similarities with nature. Hawthorne explains the occupation of Aylmer as a scientist (447). Aylmer believed he can remove the birth mark from Georgina’s face. The birth mark symbolizes the natural beauty that Georgina has. Aylmer believes that the birth mark is hiding Georgina’s “natural beauty”. Hawthorne’s analysis can be compared to a journal article called “Beliefs about Excessive Exercise in Eating Disorders: The Roles of Obsession and Compulsions,” by Heath Naylor, Victoria Mountford, and Gary Brown. These psychologists want to understand the causes of excessive exercise in eating disorders by exploring the roles of obsession and compulsion (226). The psychologists are using scientific methods to solve something that happens naturally in most individuals. Also, scientist believe that something cause an action to occur. Debating on whether science is more important in society than naturality. Aylmer is a stereotypical version of what a scientist is. Believing that science is more valuable to than nature. Although, Aylmer has the ability to make aromas and lovely sights. Aylmer doesn’t have the ability to control Georgina’s spirit or prolong her life. Aylmer makes his attempts to control nature, but ends up unhappy with his actions. Both Hawthorne and the psychologists share the same views of nature by using
Aylmer believed that if people really had the desire to be perfect they would strive for it, but they don’t and in result Aylmer cannot accept the reality that people are imperfect. Hawthorne uses a number of techniques such as, setting, foreshadowing, imagery, tone, etc. With each of these different techniques he uses them to contribute to the story to create the theme or idea of the
Nobody is perfect and no one ever will be. This theme shows up often in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, The Birthmark. In this story, a scientist named Aylmer becomes obsessed with removing a hand-shaped birthmark from his wife’s, Georgiana, visage. After a series of tests, he is successful, but Georgiana becomes perfect and can no longer stay in the mortal world, so she dies. The Birthmark demonstrates how foolish it is to strive for perfection and this is revealed throughout the story using narration.
Intro: Nathaniel Hawthorne’s fictional short story “The Birthmark” and The Twilight Zone’s darkly romantic episode “Eye of the Beholder” both use gothic elements and delve into the realm of science to explore concepts of beauty and perfection. Through their contrasting characterizations of the scientist and employments of irony and allusions, each work comes to its own conclusions about how to define and treat beauty. Body #1: The Birthmark From the very first paragraph, Hawthorne’s story revolves around Aylmer, a scientist who supposedly gives up his career to marry the beautiful woman of his dreams, Georgiana.
The narrator mention that “it was not unusual for the love of science to rival the love of woman in its depth and absorbing energy”(Hawthorne 212). This is the center of the entire conflict. The narrator wants the reader think about the purpose of why Aylmer so obsessed on her birthmark? Is that only like simply obsession on the appearance or this is only his desire of overcoming the nature by science? The conflict emphasize that a excessive ambitions will makes a miserable consequence.
When Aylmer demanded assistance from his servant, Aminadab, with Georgiana who was in a “lifeless form,” he muttered to himself: “If she were my wife, I’d never part with the birthmark” (Hawthorne 343). The ironic aspect of this part of the story is the servant, the scientist's personal laboratory rat, knew that the removal of such a tiny “defect” would end in a great loss. The “man of science,” the “philosopher,” the faith in man’s “ultimate control over nature,” all meant nothing. He could not see past his wife’s imperfection and look at what was truly important, her inner beauty. Destruction of beauty in this story, “The Birthmark,” is developed through the use of symbolism, conflict, and irony.
Numerous people want to be perfect no matter what obstacles they will encounter. However, an individual cannot overcome their obstacles if they are drawn to their ego of perfectionism. Lawrence Sargent Hall believe that having too much confident in an individual result in ignorance by not realizing how some unexpected signals are too easy to miss out. He writes a short story The Ledge to explore a nameless fisherman who has pride in crafting a perfect day of hunting ducks with his son and nephew. But the fisherman did not realize that his pride will put a risk on himself, his son, and his nephew on an unexpected event.
“Young Goodman Brown.” : An Annotated Bibliography “Young Goodman Brown” is a story about a man who challenges his faith in himself and in the community in which he resides. Gregory, Leslie. " The Text of Nathaniel Hawthorne 's "Young Goodman Brown". " American Literature Research and Analysis.
Symbolism in “The Birthmark” In “The Birthmark” Nathaniel Hawthorne gives us a story that is telling us on some level to accept your own, as well as other people's imperfections or it could destroy not only your relationship with them, but also your relationship with yourself. In this story Hawthorne uses symbolism to show us exactly how this kind of behavior can lead to not just ruining relationships, but in this case even death. In “The Birthmark” Hawthorne uses a wide variety of objects and people such as a withering flower, a birthmark, poison, Aylmer's dream and Georgiana's death, and even a character named Aminidab to symbolize that nobody is in fact perfect and we all must accept each others flaws in order to have good and healthy relationships.
The Ultimate Perfectionist Many authors in American literature tend to use common themes or outcomes in their writings that can or cannot pertain to real life experiences. Hopefully not many times in ones life does someone hear about a person being murdered solely because of his or her imperfections; however, this outcome seems to be very common in two of our famous writer’s short stories. In both Nathaniel Hawthorn’s “The Birthmark” and Edgar Allen Poe’s “A Tell Tale Heart,” both of the main characters develop such an unnecessary, obsessive hatred with someone’s imperfection that they go to ultimate measures to eliminate them forever. When comparing these two short stories, it is evident to see how both of these themes are concentrated around the idea that one physical imperfection can be a mark of moral shortcoming.
Equally Aylmer and Dr. Rappiccini, both characters in Hawthorne’s works causes destruction of human life with selfish aims to perfect the woman of their choice. In the case of Aylmer’s love interest in science, just as with the case of Beatrice’s father, blinds him to the true beauty and humanity of the woman before him. Aylmer views Georgiana’s birthmark as a symbol of imperfection and tries to remove it. At the end of the story, Georgiana say, "My poor Aylmer," she repeated, with a more than human tenderness, "you have aimed loftily; you have done nobly. Do not repent that with so high and pure a feeling, you have rejected the best the earth could offer.
He had an unnatural obsession with her imperfection. Georgiana, you have led me deeper than ever into the heart of science. I feel myself fully competent to render this dear cheek as faultless as its fellow; He was a scientist who lived for experiments, at no matter the cost. Aylmer had loved his work, even though they were all failures, he was confident in himself. He was crazed with this removal of the imperfection upon her.
It describes him as “Proficient in every branch of natural philosophy”, (Hawthorne, 365) to the extent that he even discovered an elixir that he could determine if a man would drop dead instantly or linger out years after only of a breath of this substance. We see a great irony in how intelligent Aylmer is, and yet how many scientific mistakes he makes. When he uses the elixir of life upon the flower, it grows beautifully but also self-combusts. He then tells Georgiana he will need to use a much stronger substance on her, in order to fix her birthmark. The flower very obviously foreshadows Georgiana’s death, and the result proves that Aylmer’s science can produce extremely unpredictable results.
In “The Birthmark”, Georgiana tells Aylmer of how she would drink poison if he were ever to instruct her to because she trusts his judgement (Hawthorne 16). Georgiana is rejecting all forms of reasoning in this statement for she knows well of what would happen to her if she were to drink poison, but because she trusts in his “deep science” she would drink it regardless (Hawthorne 8). Also, Eckstein states, “...science ‘has become religion not only for Aylmer but also for Georgina’”(511). The couple has become so reliant on the statistics of science that it has gotten to the point where it is having a negative effect on both of them. Georgina’s negative affect was that her faith in her husband’s science resulted in her ultimate death; according to Eckstein, Aylmer’s obsession made him “ unfit for human companionship”
As you can see evidence suggests that Aylmer has love for both science and Georgiana, but his love for science exceeds more greatly than his love for Georgiana. Immediately after getting married Aylmer asked Georgiana to get the birthmark removed, and of course by the use of science. It seems that he wants to treat her like a simple experiment nothing more. Aylmer states that it shocks him that something so little ruined her appearance, and tries to convince Georgiana to scientifically get rid of the mark. Hawthorne provides proof by writing, “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, as being
Aylmer is consumed with a pursuit of perfection in his scientific studies and also in nature. The leads to Aylmer being appalled at the blemish on his wife Georgiana’s cheek. He tells Georgiana “you came so nearly perfect from the hand of Nature, that this slightest possible defect..shocks me, as being the visible mark of earthly imperfection” (216). This is the catalyst for Aylmer's seeking for perfection in his wife who is a natural being. Aylmer recognizes that there is a “fatal flaw of humanity, which Nature...stamps ineffaceable on all her productions” (216).