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.
You make valid points in your argument of nothing and no one is perfect and everything has a flaw. I believe that the birthmark itself it a constant reminder of this. Looking into the symbolism behind the hand-shaped blemish on Georgiana I have concluded that it symbolizes mortality. Hawthorne remarks that everything is imperfect in one way or another; it is nature’s way of telling us that every living thing dies eventually. The birthmark is but a constant reminder of this otherwise Georgiana might be known as the perfect human being. Aylmer’s attempts to rid his wife of her imperfection eventually turn out for the worst because no living being can alter mortality. Aylmer’s main motive for trying to get rid of the blemish is that he believes that he would have the power manipulate a mortal being into the perfect person.
ReplyDeleteThe birthmark also can represent the evil and sinful part of Georgiana. Since she is the perfect woman physically and mentally, the birthmark is a physical representation that all people have some part of them that is imperfect, for example: greed, selfishness, hate, etc. Overall I would agree that nobody is perfect and that the birthmark is a physical representation and a constant reminder of this.