The Birthmark Essay

In the Birthmark, Nathaniel Hawthorne reveals the individual, yet universal, human struggle of understanding and coping with the conflict between internal beauty and external beauty. Through the complex characters of Aylmer, the obsessed scientist and husband, and Georgina, the beautiful, but physically marked wife, Hawthorne demonstrates that science can be used for the greater good or, when the basis of science is misguided priorities, for the greater evil. He also shows that when we attempt to secure ultimate beauty, we often bring ultimate destruction. It was Aylmers desire for perfection in his wife that drove him to sacrifice his need for human love.

Aylmer was a man of science, who Hawthorne implies loved science for the path it opened into the region of miracle and the ability it gave man to control nature. (1). Shortly after he convinced Georgina to marry her, he asked the question has it never occurred to you that the mark upon your cheek might be removed (Hawthorne 1)? Georgina replied she thought it was a charm, but Aylmer says No, dearest Georgina, you came so nearly perfect from the hand of Nature, that this slightest possible defect--which we hesitate whether to term a defect or a beauty--shocks me, as being the visible mark of earthly imperfection (Hawthorne 1). With those words, Aylmer expresses growing obsession with removing her imperfection, wishing for ideal loveliness rather than accepting real loveliness. As Hawthorne notes, But, seeing her otherwise so perfect, he found this one defect grow more and more intolerable, with every moment of their united lives (Hawthorne 2).

One night Aylmer dreamt that he attempted to surgically remove the birth mark, but it kept receding further into Georgina until it finally reached her heart. Aylmers obsession with removing the birthmark rubbed off on Georgina, for she too wished to have the hand shaped mark removed from her face no matter what the cost. Remove it! remove it!--whatever the cost--or we shall both go mad! (Hawthorne 10). Georgina is a mirror for contemporary society. Men and women will go to any lengths to cosmetically alter their appearance. People are so caught up in achieving external beauty; they forget that what is on the inside is what really matters.

Aylmer was so obsessed with what was on the outside of Georgina; he killed what he liked about the inside. As the last crimson tint of the birth-markthe sole token of human imperfectionfaded from her cheek, the parting breath of the now perfect woman passed into the atmosphere[and] took its heavenward flight. (Hawthorne 12). Although we would see Georginas birthmark as being something quite harmless, to Aylmer it was an imperfection which must be removed. Unable to accept his wifes one imperfection Aylmer attempted to change her, which resulted in Georginas death. Without her token imperfection, shes too pure, too beautiful to live. (Patricia McLaughlin 1).

Aylmer took his obsession of removing the birthmark to the extreme; he believed he could not fail, I am convinced of the perfect practicability of its removal (Hawthorne 3). Aylmers fascination of eradicating the birthmark blinded him so much that he forgot about his past failures. Doubt not my power (Hawthorne 4).

Aylmer was so blinded by his obsession he began to think of himself with G-d like powers. This sets him apart from his assistant Aminadab. Aminadab is happier and more content because he is not trying to defy the laws of nature. He accepts reality, and will not try to play G-d by fixing an imperfection using scientific means. Ironically, simple Aminadab is wiser than the gifted Aylmer. If she were my wife, Id never part with the birth-mark (Hawthorne 5).

Aylmer had the power to use his science in a positive way, and make a difference in the world. Instead, he took his knowledge and channeled it in a way that was selfish and fed his ego; in the end, leaving him with nothing. Science has become so dangerousbecause it is a powerful force, yet one that has been deliberately stripped of moral values by scientists who are trained to purse the truth objectively. (Nicholas Wade 1). Even though Aylmer thought truth and wisdom were in science, science has to be tempered with morality to truly achieve good.

Work Cited

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Birthmark. From Mosses from an Old Manse, 1846, 1854. Touro Ereserves. 20 Sep. 2007.

Muecke, Patricia Ann Wrinkles: A depth psychological view through the lens of story. Diss. Pacifica Graduate Institute, 2003. ProQuest Digital Dissertations. ProQuest. Touro Library, Brooklyn, New York. 24 Sep. 2007 http://www.proquest.com/

Nicholas Wade. "Moralist of Science Ponders Its Power. " New York Times [New York, N.Y.] 19 Mar. 2002, Late Edition (East Coast): F.1. National Newspapers (27). ProQuest. Touro Library, Brooklyn, New York. 24 Sep. 2007

Patricia McLaughlin (copyright) 1988, Patricia McLaughlin Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate. "PERFECTIONISM IT APPEARS THAT BEAUTY GETS UNDER OUR SKIN :[FINAL EDITION, C]. " Chicago Tribune (pre-1997 Fulltext) [Chicago, Ill.] 12 Jun 1988,5. Chicago Tribune. ProQuest. Touro Library, Brooklyn, New York. 24 Sep. 2007