Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “The Birth-Mark” is a story symbolic of society’s tendency to put pressure on an individual to conform. Georgiana is an ideal wife; she is beautiful, jubilant, and, most of all, prioritizes her husband’s happiness above her own. She is shocked to learn that her husband, Aylmer, finds her birthmark appalling, and when he proposes to experiment on it, she is willing to subject herself to the tests to please him. Eventually, though Aylmer is able to eradicate the mark he feels disfigures her face, he loses the woman he claims to love because he refuses to accept her slight imperfection. In the same sense, humanity is a vast and beautiful combination of charm, wit, and, most essentially, diversity; attempting eradicate
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First, she breaks into tears whenever her husband mentions the mark with a negative connotation. Hawthorne also mentions, “Georgiana soon learned to shudder at [Aylmer’s] gaze,” (Hawthorne 214). Aylmer’s reaction to her disfiguration permanently wounded her pride in herself. This phenomenon of the neurotic sort is easily explainable in today’s world; every decision a person makes, he or she is seeking approval. Whether it be from a stranger, a dear friend, or a loved one is insignificant; the society revolves around the ideal that approval is of the highest priority. For example, social media is becoming one of the most common ways to communicate and interact with others. Accounts are created for a reason; people crave the attention. Haircuts, food choices, outfits of the day, and parties are all featured on any individual’s account. The user does not create these posts to document the occasion for him or her self; he or she wants the viewers’ approval. People aim for the likes, the views, and the comments. If a post does not spark the reaction desired, the author begins to feel much like Georgiana in this situation. She was satisfied with her outward appearance, perhaps even happy, and she had every right to be. Her happiness would not have changed, but Aylmer’s disdain for a significant part of her utterly crushed her confidence. Self-satisfaction is so vital in any person’s life, but
First, she breaks into tears whenever her husband mentions the mark with a negative connotation. Hawthorne also mentions, “Georgiana soon learned to shudder at [Aylmer’s] gaze,” (Hawthorne 214). Aylmer’s reaction to her disfiguration permanently wounded her pride in herself. This phenomenon of the neurotic sort is easily explainable in today’s world; every decision a person makes, he or she is seeking approval. Whether it be from a stranger, a dear friend, or a loved one is insignificant; the society revolves around the ideal that approval is of the highest priority. For example, social media is becoming one of the most common ways to communicate and interact with others. Accounts are created for a reason; people crave the attention. Haircuts, food choices, outfits of the day, and parties are all featured on any individual’s account. The user does not create these posts to document the occasion for him or her self; he or she wants the viewers’ approval. People aim for the likes, the views, and the comments. If a post does not spark the reaction desired, the author begins to feel much like Georgiana in this situation. She was satisfied with her outward appearance, perhaps even happy, and she had every right to be. Her happiness would not have changed, but Aylmer’s disdain for a significant part of her utterly crushed her confidence. Self-satisfaction is so vital in any person’s life, but