The Theme Of Perfection In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Birthmark

Improved Essays
No one is ‘perfect’. Perfection is a word we misuse to describe those who we think are above us in terms of power, beauty and much more. We often criticize those around us and ourselves due to our infinite imperfections while we should be focusing on other aspects of life. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “The Birthmark”, the primary focus is on human perfection as the protagonist tries to restructure the face of his wife, but it ultimately leads to her demise. This story is a mirror of life since it depicts that humans are flawed beings by our appearance or the way we are obsessed with finding flaws in others, and we should embrace others and our flaws.
As cliché as it sounds, do not judge a book by its cover. Something that may not hold value to one person may hold value to another, such as, a necklace passed down to a daughter from her mother who received it from her mother. The cover might be old, but the value it holds is still flourishing. In the story “The Birthmark”, Aylmer views the birthmark of a small hand on Georgiana’s cheek as an old book cover. He does not appreciate the beauty of it being that he is a scientist, and he strives for perfection. The text
…show more content…
The short story “The Birthmark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne illustrates that no individual is flawless; we are all internally flawed because we try to change others and our flaws, but we need to learn to accept those flaws. As Aylmer, the main character tries to heal the birthmark on the face of his wife, Georgiana; he unintentionally destroys her. In our daily lives, we come across people who do not believe in themselves because they have issues of self-esteem. They have always been told that they are not beautiful enough, however, the person telling them those things are the unattractive ones with insecurities. In order to avoid these people, we have to tell ourselves that we are beautiful and beautiful people surround

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    Women were thought to always satisfy their husbands which is why they stayed at home and did the chores of the house. In the short story, Georgiana wanted the birthmark taken of from her left cheek because she wanted to satisfy Aylmer, her husband. As observed on page eleven in Hawthorne's short story it acknowledges how much Georgiana wanted to satisfy her husband. “For a single moment, she might satisfy his highest and deepest conception” (Hawthorne 11). Georgina did not want to be seen…

    • 1283 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In Hawthorne’s short story “The Birthmark,” Aylmer is a brilliant yet misguided philosopher who is overly obsessed with his wife Georgiana’s birthmark. The red birthmark is placed on the left side of her face and is shaped like a hand. He begins to strongly hate the birthmark and bluntly tells his wife that it must be removed because the birthmark is her only flaw. Aylmer decides to use her as an experiment to get rid of the birthmark to make her his idea of perfect. Of course with the help from Aylmer’s assistant Aminadad.…

    • 1068 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In “The Birthmark”, the symbolism of Georgiana’s birthmark, the use of foreshadowing, and Georgiana’s dynamic character all reveal author Nathaniel Hawthorne’s primary theme that the world should be happy with what they…

    • 1268 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    Nathaniel Hawthorne is well-known as one of the fundamental writers of early American literature. His most famous work, The Scarlet Letter, is a staple in the classroom, and is recognizable by almost anyone. Hawthorne wrote about many things, but one particular theme stands out in a few of his works. Judgement is seen rather often, and Hawthorne seems to have a deeper personal connection to this particular theme, perhaps because of his dark ancestry. Noticeably, judgement appears in his two short stories, Young Goodman Brown and The Birthmark.…

    • 1377 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Great Essays

    A humans’ desire to defy Mother Nature can sometimes cause a problem to another human if it cannot be controlled. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, “The Birthmark” illustrates a Man versus Nature theme as mans desire to fix what Mother Nature created leads him on a quest towards perfection. Humans are imperfect beings; therefore, they cannot be perfect despite their attempts through science. Furthermore, if one reaches perfection then they are no longer considered human. Thesis Statement: In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, “The Birthmark,” the main character Aylmer pursuit for perfection conflicts directly with human mortality, ultimately resulting in the death of his wife, Georgiana.…

    • 1336 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Flawlessness, the most unattainable thought in which we all pursue to achieve. Many are obsessed with perfection. In our attempts, we utilize compulsiveness as an instrument to impart the most astounding gauges or execution conceivable. This approach to accomplishing our objectives has positive and negative results. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s story The Birthmark, he exposes how Alymer, a neurotic perfectionist (a person who strives for unrealistic goals and is dissatisfied when the task is not achieved), deals with his wife’s flaw.…

    • 792 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Birthmark exhibits many examples of Romanticism in numerous ways. In particular, the characters depict the elements of Romanticism extremely well. Two aspects of Romanticism are the importance of imagination and strong emotions. In Birthmark, the wife displays these traits through her actions. The wife comes to imagine a future in which she does not have to have the “hideous” birthmark on her face anymore and submits herself to her husband’s experimentation.…

    • 769 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    To Be or Not To Be An old word asks us: “To be or not to be, is a question.” How does a person think of death in daily life? What makes a person commit suicide rather than live a better life? What experience does a person go through leading him to give up the hope of existence?…

    • 1095 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “The Birth-Mark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a short story that carries an important moral. In the story, Aylmer sets out to achieve perfection. He does not consider the consequences of his actions due to the fact that he is too overtaken by reaching ultimate, physical perfection. He is obsessed with his wife’s external appearance to the extent that a small birthmark, considered beautiful by many, deeply bothers him. He wishes to remove it because he believes that it spoils her otherwise perfect beauty.…

    • 999 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Literary Analysis of “The Birth-Mark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, “The Birth-Mark”, illustrates the characteristics of Romantic literature through allegory and symbolism. Romanticism is a type of literature or attitude that arose during the late 18th century and mid-19th century. Romanticism focused primarily on imagination, appreciation of nature and feelings and emotions over science. The purpose of this research is to explain how Nathaniel Hawthorne uses Romantic literature to warn his audience of the destructive potential of an obsession with science and the human desire for perfection and to explain what exactly motivated Aylmer in the first place. In “The Birth-Mark”, Aylmer, a newly wed, notices a small birthmark…

    • 1002 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story The Birthmark features Aylmer, a famed scientist, and Georgiana, a beautiful woman with a unique birthmark. Throughout the story, the couple delves into the world of science as Aylmer devotes himself to removing Georgiana’s birthmark with his experiments. Hawthorne purposely pokes at scientists who envision themselves as godlike, meaning that they can control nature at their will. As the story delves further and further into Aylmer’s madness, the distinction between nature and science is made clear. The Birthmark tells readers that although science can allude humans into taking they can determine fate, at the end of it all, the true destiny of everyone and everything relies on nature.…

    • 852 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In his story The Birthmark, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the female character, Georgiana and her corresponding traits and personalities to symbolize traditional femininity and male dominance found in earlier times. He also uses this symbolism to deliver the message to the reader that perfection is not real and should not be perused, because it will eventually lead to misery. Aylmer, the husband of a beautiful woman, is in love with science perhaps as much as he is in love with his wife. But, he is not completely content with her. After marrying her, he is becoming more and more aware of a singular mark on her face: a birthmark with the shape of a hand.…

    • 729 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Essay On The Birthmark

    • 531 Words
    • 3 Pages

    THE BIRTHMARK The birthmark, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, follows the story of a scientist named Aylmer who marries the beautiful Georgina. Not long after getting married, Georgiana’s birthmark, which is in the shape of a tiny red hand on her left cheek, really begins to bother Aylmer. One day he asks her if she has ever considered having it removed. This is not something she has considered since other people in her life, especially men, have always seen it as a charm.…

    • 531 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “The Birth-Mark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a story sets itself apart from the many others already read during this semester. Most of the short stories read in this class have had an ironic ending the reader wouldn’t expect. The use of foreshadowing and strange amount of predictability in this short story are what set it apart from others and is what grabbed my attention. Hawthorne uses symbolism that goes even deeper than what can be read in the story itself. Symbolism, foreshadowing, and character build up all tie into the plot, which altogether leads the reader to the overall theme of the story.…

    • 1261 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Georgiana 's family and friends tell her that "some fairy, at her birth-hour, had laid her tiny hand upon the infant 's cheek," which in turn would make others love her even more. Many men would have "risked their life for the privilege of pressing his lips on the mysterious hand. " It is plain to see, to most people, that this hand print birth mark is nothing other than a gift. The imperfection only makes Georgiana more alluring, and more unique. Alymer, however, can only regard the mark, as a curse.…

    • 1220 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays