The Birthmark by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthornes short story, The Birthmark, is a moral allegory that serves as a warning against using science to combat nature and the dangers of obsession. The story is focused around three characters: Aylmer, Georgiana, and Aminadab.
Aylmer is the protagonist of the story. He is a brilliant scientist whose work has made him famous in the scientific community. Hawthorne describes him as, An eminent proficient in every branch of natural philosophy (605).
Georgiana is his wife. She has a tiny birthmark in the shape of a handprint on her cheek. Hawthorne takes care to describe the birthmark as delicate and to emphasize its beauty (606). Georgiana is a passionate and intelligent woman and she displays a strong allegiance to her husband. She is willing to bend to his will even when she suspects that his methods will eventually kill her. But it is important to say that she is not weak. When her husband scolds her for entering his laboratory, she refuses to apologize and admonishes him for hiding the dangers of his experimentation from her.
Aminadab is Aylmers assistant. He fits the stereotypical description of a laboratory assistant: a man of low stature, but bulky frame, with shaggy hair hanging about his visage, which was grimed with the vapors of the furnace. (609). He has worked for Aylmer throughout his entire scientific career. Aminadab also displays a devotion to Aylmer and a willingness to follow his Masters direction even when it goes against his better judgment.
While Hawthorne does not tell the reader the exact date when The Birthmark takes place, he does take care to describe how there were many key scientific discoveries, such as electricity, being made at that time. This is important because it gives the reader context for the atmosphere surrounding science at that time. It is fairly safe to assume that it takes place during the early 19th Century when the Enlightenment was in its final days. It was during that time that science was new and exciting and held mass appeal to an increasingly literate population. Many believed that so many new scientific discoveries and their popularization would ultimately lead to a rejection of religion and superstition, and see them replaced by free speech and thought.
The Birthmark, like many other Gothic short stories and novels, illustrates the dangers of science when it is not guided by morality and a healthy respect for how much knowledge Man has yet to attain.
When Aylmer and Georgiana were first married, they were both quite content. However, soon after their marriage, it occurs to Aylmer that the birthmark on his wifes cheek is a blemish on an otherwise perfect woman. She is shocked at first and expresses that she has always been told that it enhances her beauty, but Aylmer cannot be swayed; his fixation on the birthmark grows stronger and stronger until he resolves himself that its removal is possible. Georgiana is unsure that removal of the mark will be possible, but she loves Aylmer and, given the time period, she believes that she should do all she can to please him. Aylmer is thrilled that she has relented and does everything to reassure her of his confidence in his own abilities (608).
Aylmer and Georgiana move into the apartments Aylmer used formerly for his scientific work. As they cross the threshold into his laboratory, Georgiana grows weak. Aylmer means to reassure his wife, but she has gone pale and he is horrified to see the birthmark on her cheek standing out so clearly. Georgiana faints. Aminadab helps Aylmer care for Georgiana, but he states that were she his wife, he would never part with the birthmark (609). This event foreshadows the ultimate end that Georgiana will meet in that laboratory.
Hawthorne continues to foreshadow Georgianas fate as she and Aylmer spend time in that apartment while Aylmer attempts to develop a method to remove the mark. In an attempt to cheer Georgiana up, Aylmer develops little experiments to entertain her. He causes a flower to sprout from the earth and bloom within a matter of moments. However, the flower withers and dies at Georgianas touch. Aylmer brushes it off saying that he must have used too strong a stimulus. Again, to take Georgianas mind off the previous failure, he means to take her portrait on a piece of metal. They are both frightened to find that instead of her picture, the plate has a blurry image on it, save the distinct shape of a hand where her cheek should have been. Aylmer reacts by throwing the plate in a jar of acid (611).
Aylmer soon forgets these failures, though, and continues with his work. He even tells Georgiana that while many scientists no longer believe that things such as alchemy or everlasting life are possible, he believes that he can unlock these secrets if he were to work hard enough. He assures Georgiana that he would never actually attempt such things, but she is still disturbed by his thinking (611).
Furthermore, Georgiana now hates the birthmark on her cheek even more than Aylmer. It is because of that mark that her husband has been forced to go back into his laboratory. To pass the time in the apartment while Aylmer works, Georgiana takes to reading many of his scientific books. One day, she stumbles upon his scientific journal. As Hawthorne describes what Aylmer has written, the reader can no longer deny that Aylmer fancies himself to be working toward a divine status. He spiritualizes his work. This is supported by Aylmers belief that he is capable of impossible and terrible things. He justifies his perilous ambitions to himself, stating he is too wise to attempt them (613). However, the reader cant help but wonder how long he will be able to refrain from experimentation. How long until his desire to delve deeper into science than anyone else gets the best of him?
In contrast to the expected reaction, as Georgiana reads, because she is so devoted to her husband, her belief in his abilities is bolstered. When she is discovered crying over the pages, she tells Aylmer that she worships him even more (613).
She goes to his lab to tell him that him that she has been feeling strange for several hours. He is angry that she has intruded on him, but she stands her ground, saying that he should trust her as she trusts him. She tells Aylmer that she is so confident in him that she will drink whatever he may give her. Aylmer is moved by her commitment and confides that he has already been experimenting and, without her knowledge, has administered several different methods, none of which has worked. He says that he is down to the last possible remedy (614).
He hesitates to administer the last method because of the danger, but Georgiana insists that she will risk anything because nothing could be worse than living with the mark upon her cheek until it drove both of them mad. She now completely shares his fixation with the removal of the mark (614).
Aylmer sends Georgiana to her room and follows her a while later with a liquid. She drinks it and falls asleep. Aylmer watches over her, more like an experiment than anything, and is thrilled to eventually see the mark fade away. He and Aminadab begin to celebrate their success. Georgiana wakes. She assures Aylmer that his efforts have been noble and successful, but she informs him that she is dying. As the last tint of the birthmark fades away, she draws her last breath.
The reader cant help but pity Georgiana. Hawthorne makes it quite clear that the reader should not encourage the removal of her birthmark. In fact, he describes it in such detail, that it is clear to the reader that the distinction between Georgianas beauty and the flaw is almost nonexistent. This is because the birthmark itself is meant to symbolize mortality and natural order.
Aylmers fear and revulsion towards the birthmark suggest his own fear towards mortality. We are given more insight into these fears when he divulges that he believes, if he were so inclined, he would be capable of finding a method that would allow him to live forever. It is those very ambitions toward immortality and divinity that are his downfall. Aylmer symbolizes the dangers of science and ambition that are unguided by morality.
While Aminadabs role in the story is small, he is, nonetheless, a significant symbol. Aminadab offers balance between Aylmers illogical fixation on the birthmark and Georgianas dangerously unwavering submission to her husband. Hawthornes description of Aminadab implies that he is of humble origins and simple, but wise. He is disappointed by Aylmers determination to remove Georgianas birthmark. If Georgiana represents Nature, and Aylmer represents misguided science, then Aminadab represents physical existence and the natural man.
Like many other pieces of Gothic Literature, The Birthmark remains relevant to modern readers. Ethics and morality are highly debated subjects and will only grow more so as technology advances.
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