The Birthmark

Every relationship is different. Weather one may be in a relationship with a boy, or just a friend, it is different. Even though they are different, the characters in “The Birthmark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne and “IND AFF” by Fay Weldon are in similar relationships. That is, the male is dominant over the female, and the woman thinks the man is her knight in shining armor. In the beginning of “IND AFF” the unnamed woman thinks her professor, Peter, who she is having an affair with, is her ticket to creating a good thesis and higher standings. Similarly, in “The Birthmark,” Georgiana thinks her husband is her ticket to flawless beauty because he tells her he will remove her birthmark. Obviously, this is not how relationships operate in today’s society. These two relationships compare and contrast with each other as well as with relationships in today’s day-and-age.

“IND AFF” takes place in Sarajevo, which is where Princip assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife. This is a key aspect to the story because Peter is superb in history and thinks that he knows everything there is to know about history. Likewise, “The Birthmark” takes place in a laboratory. This is where the Georgiana’s husband, Aylmer, spends most of his spare time. Aylmer thinks he either knows or will be able to discover everything this is to know about science. So, in each story, the man takes the woman to somewhere he knows more about (and is therefore seen as superior) than she does. In both stories, the man is seen as intelligent. In “IND AFF” Peter says he is a professor of classical history and has a “first-class mind” (Weldon page 202). In “The Birthmark” Aylmer is referred to as “a man of science” (Hawthorne page 416) and a “genius” (Hawthorne page 423).

Like the men, the women have similarities and differences. For example, in the beginning of both stories, the women seem confident in themselves. Then, the men tell them otherwise. In “IND AFF,” Peter tells the woman she does not have a first-class mind (Weldon 202). In, “The Birthmark” Georgiana is accepting of her birthmark and in fact comes to think of it as a touch from an angel (Hawthorne page 417). Then, her husband tells her birthmark is nature’s slightest possible defect (Hawthorne page 417).