'Perfectionism In The Birthmark' By Nathaniel Hawthorne

In the early Nineteenth Century, Nathaniel Hawthorne was one of America’s most important writers since the publication of The Scarlet Letter. Hawthorne was known as a romancer and even a realist when writing many of his pieces. When writing the short story, The Birthmark, Hawthorne say that it was one of two of his most challenging stories. The story is about a crazed scientist Aylmer and his wife Georgiana and his hatred towards Georgiana’s birthmark. Aylmer caused Georgiana to hate herself because of the birthmark. At the end, Aylmer disgust towards the birthmark and drive to remove it cause his wife to die. Aylmer hatred towards the birthmark shows perfectionism, Georgiana love for Aylmer shows love is inevitable, and Aylmer trying to change nature. Aylmer shows his way of being a perfectionist by saying “No, dearest Georgiana, you came so nearly of perfect from the hand of Nature, this this slightest possible defect—which we hesitate whether to term a defect or a beauty—shocks me, as being a visible mark of earthly imperfection” (2440). Aylmer also says “Aylmer opened his eyes upon his wife’s face, and recognized the symbol off imperfection” (2441). Meaning his wife was beautiful until he …show more content…
Aylmer wasn’t the best scientist, “But Georgina had no sooner touched the flower than the whole plant suffered a blight, its leaved turning coal-black, as if by the agency of fire. There was too powerful a stimulus said Aylmer thoughtfully” (2444). Aylmer thought he was such a good scientist that he could change nature. “Doubt not my power, I have already giving this matter the deepest thought—thought which might almost have enlightened me to create a being less than perfect than yourself”. “Then, most what will be my triumph, when I shall have correct what Nature left imperfect, in her fairest work” (2442). Meaning he can change what God has made imperfect and he can make