Nothings Perfect

In Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story, "The Birthmark", we find that no one and nothing is perfect. We are introduced to a perfectionist/mad scientist name Alymer. He is the one that sees Georgiana’s birthmark as an imperfection to the most beautiful girl in the world. Hawthorne shows us that nothing in this world is perfect and that searching for perfection can drive one mad. This is what happens to Alymer, he sees the one flaw in Georgiana and because he is a perfectionist he proceeds to try to get rid of that one flaw.

Alymer sees the birthmark as an imperfection and is willing to risk his wife’s life to get rid of it. The birthmark drives him mad and he even has a dream about him removing the birthmark. “Attempting an operation for the removal of the birthmark; but the deeper went the knife, the deeper sank the hand, until at length its tiny grasp appeared to have caught hold of Georgiana's heart; whence, however, her husband was inexorably resolved to cut or wrench it away.” (87) The idea of the birthmark is driving him so mad that in his dream he kills his wife trying to remove it. Alymer wants the birthmark removed from Georgiana’s face because that is the one thing in his opinion keeping her from perfection.

Even when Georgiana tells Alymer her concern over the removal of her birthmark Alymer still proceeds to convince her that if she lets him remove her birthmark that nothing will go wrong.  “I feel myself fully competent to render this dear cheek as faultless as its fellow; and then, most beloved, what will be my triumph when I shall have corrected what Nature left imperfect in her fairest work!” (88) is what Alymer tells his wife. He will be the triumph one once the birthmark is removed. But once Alymer removes the birthmark Georgiana dies and says “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. Aylmer, dearest Aylmer, I am dying!"(99) Alymer wanted the birthmark removed from Georgiana’s face that he did not think of the consequences of his actions. Sad thing is that the consequence in this story was the most beautiful girl in the world dying.

One thing this short story teaches us is that nothing in this world is perfect and you can never make anything perfect. To strive for perfection can drive one mad, just like it did to Alymer. Everyone and everything has a flaw, the perfect girl in the world Georgiana had one flaw and it was her birthmark.

Dehumanizing

To enslave people is one of the most dehumanizing things one can do as a human. After reading Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass I realized how dehumanizing it was for both sides of slavery. To force another human being into slavery is just as dehumanizing as it is for the person being enslaved. Slavery has been a sad part of human history and I feel very fortunate that our country no longer participates in it.

            One might argue that the only people being dehumanized in slavery are those who are being enslaved. Yes it is horrible to beat and whip people half to death, to treat someone like a piece of property, to treat them like livestock, to never let them taste freedom, and many more things. All that I have listed are awfully dehumanizing and to dehumanize a person is one of the worst things one could do to another human being. But for those who held the whip, which enslaved other people, were also being dehumanized. For a person to treat a human being the way slave traders and slave masters did is just has dehumanizing as being a slave. It is barbaric to take a whip and whip someone half to death.

            Before he commenced whipping Aunt Hester, he took her into the kitchen, and stripped her from neck to waist, leaving her neck, shoulder and back, entirely naked. He then told her to cross her hands, calling her at the same time a d---d b---h. after crossing her hands, he tied them with a strong rope, and led her to a stool under a large hook in the joist, put in for the purpose……… and after rolling up his sleeves, he commenced to lay on the heavy cow skin, and soon the warm, red blood came dripping to the floor. (52)

            This scene from the book shows how dehumanizing it was for both sides of slavery. Aunt Hester in this scene half naked and is whipped half to death in front of the other slaves. She is humiliated and she is not treated like a human being at all. Now for the slave master who is whipping her it is also dehumanizing for him. It is barbaric to beat someone half to death and to own another human being is outrages. How does forcing another human being to do your work humane at all? It is not.

            In the book there are multiple examples of whites becoming dehumanized while participating in slavery. One example is Mrs. Auld she went from a women who never had a slave her life to a women who was just as ruthless as a person raised with slaves. She at first tries to teach Douglass how to read and is kind to Douglass and treats him nicely. But as she becomes accustomed to having a slave she becomes brutal and almost the complete opposite of how she started. She became just as barbaric as the people that owned slaves there whole life. Another example is when Mr. Gore shoots a slave named Demby and kills him. But as Douglass describes Mr. Gore doing so he talks about how Mr. Gore showed no remorse. After reading that scene of the book I felt like Mr. Gore treated the death of Demby as if he was just an animal. He shot him as if he was not a human.

            Slavery is a dark pass for the human race as a whole. It was dehumanizing in every way. It is astonishing that we treated human beings that way back then. I am glad that we no longer have slavery. Slavery is one of the worst acts in human history and I hope that we never have to experience it in any way again. 

Reflection on the Physical and Mental Hardships of Enslavement

Frederick Douglass’ Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave is an extraordinary and touching piece of writing.  The wording, imagery, and poetic rhythm captivate me.  I want to focus primarily on the first chapter.  This particular section of the narrative is thoroughly engaging.  Here, Douglass explains how a man becomes a slave.  From not knowing one’s identity, to being beaten, lashed, and stripped of merely everything is what we, as readers, are immediately thrown into.  To put oneself back in such a time is heart wrenching, but learning the history and triumph is a humbling experience.

“The louder she screamed, the harder he whipped; and where the blood ran fastest, there he whipped longest.  He would whip her to make her scream, and whip her to make her hush; and not until overcome by fatigue, would he cease to swing the blood-clotted cowskin” (51).

The way Douglass describes his first witness is moving.  Without even going into great detail just yet, I can still place myself at the scene.  The fact that he describes someone being beaten, rather than himself, engages the reader in visualizing through Douglass’ eyes.  I reread this quote many times, for there is a rhythm that I find poetic.  The beat is like that of the whip, which has a great impact on the connection with the text.  When explaining his first witness, Douglass explains, “It struck me with awful force”, (51) which correlates to the lash of the whip.  This is the first of many beatings that Douglass observes in his lifetime, but it is this particular scene that leads the path for what is to come.

Growing up deprived of an identity, such as a name or family history, seems to be unsettling for Douglass.  He states, “A want of information concerning my own was a source of unhappiness to me even during childhood” (47).  Not having the privilege of being an individual would be horrifying, for there is no way to differentiate oneself from another. 

Throughout the narrative, Douglass remains devoted to separate the slave from the man.  He succeeds by gaining the power of knowledge and recognizing that freedom is attainable.  Douglass, like the other slaves, was stripped of simply everything, yet educating himself led him to freedom.

Imperfection: Merely Superficial

            Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “The Birthmark” is a tale that showcases a thematic discussion of perfection versus imperfection, and the natural versus the unnatural.  The crux of the story’s narrative revolves around Aylmer, a scientist, and his wife Georgiana.  Georgiana is described as a picture of beauty by most, a picture only lightly tarnished by a small birthmark upon her face.  Unfortunately for Georgiana, Aylmer is unable to look past this slight imperfection, and seeks to concoct a formula that will remove the mark from her face permanently.  Aylmer’s efforts grow towards borderline obsession, and his ultimately bitter success offers an interesting perspective upon the motifs of perfection and imperfection.  Aylmer becomes more and more absorbed in perfecting his wife by removing the birthmark, but is unable to understand that the mark itself grants a semblance of natural perfection. 

            The most important aspect of the birthmark is the strangely polarizing descriptions made by Aylmer and those of other men.  When the birthmark is first discussed, the narrator explains how Georgiana’s previous lovers would playfully claim the birthmark was created when a “fairy at her birth hour had laid her tiny hand upon the infant's cheek, and left this impress there in token of the magic endowments that were to give her such sway over all hearts” (85).  The metaphor utilized by Hawthorne paints the origins of the birthmark in a positive light, as though its creation were a gift from a spirit of the supernatural.  The diction is crucial to the metaphor, especially the words “fairy,” and “token.”  The word “token” implies that the birthmark is a gift rather than a scar and the term “fairy” hints that this gift was granted by a kindly, otherworldly being.

            On the other hand, Aylmer tends to assume the opposite view.  Rather than viewing the birthmark The scientist describes the birthmark on several occasions as being a “bloody hand” or even a “fatal hand” and views the mark as the sole permanent marring of Georgiana’s perfection.  Aylmer’s quest to remove the mark progresses to near obsession however, as the scientist slowly comes to believe that the imperfections created by the mark have grown more than skin deep.  In a telling moment,  Aylmer displays the corrosive effects of an acid and upon being asked by Georgiana if this solution is intended for her, Aylmer replies that the solution was “merely superficial” and that Georgiana’s “case demands a remedy that shall go deeper” (93).  The word “remedy” indicates that Aylmer perceives the birthmark in the same vein as a disease or plague that must be cured.  When coupled with the words “merely superficial” however, imply that Aylmer believes this imperfection has grown beyond a mere birthmark and become a figurative scar upon Georgiana’s soul.  The foreshadowing of Aylmer’s remedy displays his desire to cleanse not only his wife’s face, but her very spirit through unnatural means.

            The ultimate irony at the end of the tale is stated by the narrator: Aylmer had “failed to look beyond the shadowy scope of time, and, living once for all in eternity, to find the perfect future in the present” (99). In becoming so consumed with removing this twinge of perceived imperfection from his wife’s body, the narrator concludes that Aylmer failed to realize that it is only through accepting these natural imperfections that humans are capable of understanding the true, natural perfection that lies beyond, or is perhaps even augmented by these birthmark-like blemishes.  Instead, Aylmer’s intent to remove the mark by unnatural, scientific means results in Georgiana’s death, a sign that the very imperfections she possessed were the only link to the living world.

The Power of the Written Word: A Frederick Douglass Reflection

This week, we began to read "Frederick Douglass: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave". This book, as I read it intently, has had great impacts on me. Not only was his story powerful, but the way he wrote it (in my eyes) seemed as close as perfection as one could get. The words that he chose not created imagery and rather than just informing the readers of how things were, his words evoked emotions within me.

The first thing that caught my eye and attention was the second sentence of his story. "I have no accurate knowledge of my age, never having seen any authentic record containing it." (47) At first glance, you continue to read, because the generally the second sentence in a story is still part of the introduction, but you are stopped, almost forced to commit a double take. Wait, what? He doesn't even know his date of birth? Almost every biography, or story about one's life begins with a birthdate, thus showing the reader from the very beginning that his story is not like any other you've read about.

The next thing that is very interesting about his story is the imagery and emotions that he creates in his story. My attention was drawn to page 51.

"The louder she screamed, the harder he whipped; and where the blood ran fastest, there he whipped longest. He would whip her to make her scream, and whip her to make her hush; and not until overcome by fatigue, would he cease to swing the blood-clotted cowskin. I remember the first time I ever witnessed this horrible exhibition. I was quite a child, but I well remember it. I never shall forget it whilst I remember any thing. It was the first of a long series of such outrages, of which I was doomed to be a witness and a participant. It struck me with awful force. It was the blood-stained gate, the entrance to the hell of slavery, through which i was about to pass. It was a most terrible spectacle. I wish I could commit to paper the feelings with which I beheld it."


This passage was one of the most powerful to me.  Because it really made me stop and think, this isn't just a story, this is what happened in real life, not only to Douglass but to so many people, in my country, this was real. The last sentence when he says that he wishes he could say in words how this horrible experience made him feel shows just how strong it was. The part about the "entrance to the hell of slavery" was so incredibly written. He could have easily just written about the experience and that it was horrible, but he makes the readers think about how severe it was, it wasn't just what they endured, it was indeed the worst experience he had had at that moment in his life. I felt astonished, which was odd considering we have always been taught about slavery and I've known that they endured this. It was just a matter of the past, it was history to me. But he made me feel legitimately sorrowful, and disgusted, fearful for him and the other slaves that had to go through this.

Another passage that had a great impact on me was when he described the slaves singing. "Slaves sing most when they are most unhappy. The songs of the slave represent the sorrows of his heart; and he is relieved by them, only as an aching heart is relieved by its tears." (58) This just makes my heart sink, and although the content is depressing, it is so beautifully written. He puts things into perspective for his readers, he wants to make them understand how he's feeling, not just what is happening. Overall this story has shown me how the written word can have an actual affect on the reader, and this writing, although evoking many sorrow-like emotions, is beautiful.

Beyond Skin Deep

“…he failed to look beyond the shadowy scope of time, and, living once for all eternity, to find the perfect future in the present”

Although Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, The Birthmark, was written during the Romanticism era, it is a piece that is relatable to the modern time in which we live.  The theme of this short story is the representation of the beauty of nature, which is far more powerful than science.  Aylmer, who’s arrogant confidence gets in the way of his lovely infatuation for his wife, Georgiana, fails to see the beauty of life.  Due to his magical abilities in the laboratory, this scientist is one who strives to correct any imperfection.  Aylmer becomes repulsive toward Georgiana’s single flaw, which is the tiny birthmark of a handprint resting on her cheek.  Like many people today, it is Aylmer’s goal to reach the impossible: perfection.

Georgiana is a charming woman who enchants everyone around her.  Men find the birthmark she possesses to enhance her loveliness, while woman despise her for the all around beauty and the flaw that makes her unique.  Aylmer finds this “visible mark of earthly imperfection” (85) to be a defect that separates Georgiana from the ideal.  This obsession is one that many possess today.  It is the obsession that imperfectability is for some reason not accepted, therefore people go to great lengths to achieve the impossible.  Measures such as plastic surgery, wealth, and even medication have people preoccupied.  People, such like Aylmer, are blinded by the beauty of nature itself, which is far more powerful than any enhancement, for once one goal is reached another is to be attained.  It is a never-ending cycle of reaching perfectibility, and it often time leads to death.

While Aylmer’s mania grows deeper throughout the story, Georgiana’s birthmark embeds deeper into her being and is no longer superficial.  It becomes part of her, and without this pure and honest flaw, she is nothing.  Hawthorne reuses the word “fatal” many times when referring to the birthmark.  This word is powerful in the sense that perfectibility is met after death, when there is no social class.  Georgiana’s birthmark is what differentiates her from anyone else.  It’s fatality lies in the hands of who wishes to rid of it. 

I find the irony Aylmer speaks to be quite amusing.  He replies to Georgiana’s thought of death by exclaiming, “You are fit for heaven without tasting death!” (97).  Little does he know, the elixir, which he has concocted, is a deadly potion that cannot compete with nature.  Once it has been finished and the goal has been met, Aylmer accomplishes his utmost passion and desire, but Georgiana begins to lighten away.  The birthmark becomes more faint and is described as “the stain of the rainbow fading out of the sky” (98).  I think that Hawthorne selected this correlation very thoughtfully.  As the birthmark disappears, nature and mortality itself begins to dwindle.


The Birthmark exemplifies what many people struggle with today.  The feelings of insecurity and acceptance lead to an obsession that can be quite the battle.  Trying to reach perfection is killing what nature has made true, which is what I think Hawthorne is trying to portray.  The theme in which science cannot measure up to that of nature shows how beautiful imperfection can be, for it is what makes us mortal.

The Strive for Perfection

In Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story, "The Birthmark", we are immediately introduced to a very unusual character. The protagonist, Aylmer, is portrayed as an obsessive mad scientist, that is constantly striving for perfection. His wife, Georgiana, seems to the surrounding world, to be perfect. One simple flaw, however, is what holds Georgiana from achieving perfection (in Aylmer's eyes). The birthmark is described consistently throughout the story.

"[In] the centre of Georgiana's left cheek there was a singular mark, deeply interwoven, a sit were, with the texture and substance of her face. In the usual state of her complexion--a healthy though delicate bloom--the mark wore a tint of deeper crimson, which imperfectly defined its shape amid the surrounding rosiness... Its shape bore not a little similarity to the human hand, though of the smallest pygmy size. Georgiana's lovers were wont to say that some fairy at her birth hour had laid her tiny hand upon the infant's cheek, and left this impress there in token of the magic endowments that were to give her such sway over all hearts." (85)

Hawthorne later implies that the crimson handprint upon Georgiana's face is what makes her like the rest of the "brutes" on earth, the only thing that separates her from the angels. Although it would have been a good story if it focused on Georgiana's life and how this enchanting birthmark affects her life, we are faced with a more interesting plot. Aylmer, Georgiana's husband, and his obsession to not only be perfect, but to rid Georgiana of her imperfection. Aylmer grows addicted to devoting his scientific work to concocting a potion that would erase the crimson handprint. Aylmer's assistant, Aminadab, is then introduced into the story.

Aminadab, although loyal to Aylmer, makes it apparent that if Georgiana was his wife he would never try to rid her of the birthmark. In this sense, I feel like Aminadab somewhat represents nature. Not only is he accepting of the natural birthmark that has planted itself upon Georgiana's face, but he finds beauty in the birthmark, and wishes that nobody would try to change her natural beauty.

The more Aylmer's desperation for Georgiana's perfection grows, the more Georgiana realizes that she does not have a problem with risking her life in order to perfect the imperfection, to make her husband happy. She speaks as though she would rather die than to remain imperfect in the eyes of the man she loves.

The crimson hand upon Georgiana's cheek is not only a trademark of her general appearance, but rather it has a grasp on her being, reaching beneath the surface, it is the fatal hand at the core of her being. In the end of the story, Aylmer's magical concoction kills Georgiana. "The fatal hand had grappled with the mystery of life, and was the bond by which an angelic spirit kept itself in union with a mortal frame."(99) This showed me that the birthmark was the bond by which the angelic is attached to the human, what keeps this angel from resorting to heaven, which graces the human race with her soul and spirit. The handprint that marked her cheek was holding on to her soul.

"[He] failed to look beyond the shadowy scope of time, and, living once for all in eternity, to find the perfect future in the present." (99) This passage is discussing Aylmer and his actions. I believe that Hawthorne is trying to say that rather than enjoying this angelic woman while he had her, he only focused on the future, when she would be without imperfection. He failed to remove his focus from time (mastering time) and didn't realize that his time with Georgiana is what was really important.

I thoroughly enjoyed this short story. The obsessive husband/mad scientist and the angelic human were all tied together in a very capturing way. I believe that even though Hawthorne probably didn't intend for this story to hold a cliche meaning, he created a question for the reader: Is perfection really worth the pain? And when we reach perfection, will we be able to enjoy it? Hawthorne definitely succeeded in showing his readers that beauty and vivaciousness lie within the acceptance of the imperfections.