Gender Roles In The Birthmark

“The Birth-Mark” is a short story that was written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, which was published in march of 1843. This story is about a scientist, Aylmer, who is obsessed with physical perfection. It is important to mention that he is a scientist, since they are known for wanting things to be golden. Aylmer is married to a beautiful and caring woman, Georgina. According to to her husband the only “flaw” she has is the small red birthmark on her cheek that is shaped like a tiny hand. He points this birthmark as an “defect” instead of a beauty mark. He describes Georgina is “nearly” perfect, but is not due to the birthmark. Her husband practically insists that she gets plastic surgery to make her perfect. The topic that will be discussed in this

essay will be that “The Birth-Mark” is a tale of gender bias.
Gender bias is the unfair difference and discrimination in the treatment of women or men because of their sex.

Throughout the years society has always seen several differences between female and male. Women are seen as objects, while men are seen as the dominant one. Gender bias usually affects female gender, which in this case, is Georgina. In “The Birthmark” the time setting is in the late 1700’s, which was a time that women were seen as objects. Women were determined around the time philosopher and scientist, all males, were controlling society. In this story Aylmer is pointing out that Georgina has a birthmark on her cheek, which Aylmer sees it as a “imperfection.” He tries to fix it be having it surgically remove her mark, in order to make her

perfect.
Aylmer sat and gaze at his wife, which is ironic.

The reason it is ironic is because there is a gaze theory. in the short story, Aylmer is “gazing at his wife with a trouble in his countenance that grew stronger until he spoke.” He then says, “has it never occurred to you that that mark upon your cheek might be removed?” (Hawthorne). He is gazing at his beautiful wife, but notices there is a mark, and questions if she had ever thought of removing it, remove something that is apart of her. The gaze theory is when a male gaze in the act of depicting the world and women in the visual arts of literature from a masculine and heterosexual point of view, presenting women as objects of pleasure. Men are looking at the women’s beauty which, is being controlled by male. Males are taking away the true meaning of beauty, and are controlling to what they find beautiful and not. They are making changes in society, which affects women. Society is being taught that we must be a certain way to fit the category of “beauty.”
In the short story, Aylmer calls her birthmark a “defect.” “... You came so nearly perfect from the hand of Nature that this slightest possible defect… shocks me, as being the visible mark of earthly imperfection.” (Hawthorne). Aylmer describes the birthmark as something that is anything but beautiful, wich means Georgina is anything but beautiful too. This mark makes Aylmer feel as if his wife is a “defect,” instead of perfect. This is one main example of gender bias. Georgiana

is seen as anything but perfect. Aylmer views her birthmark as something that should be fixed.
Aylmer has a dream about removing the mark. “...but the deeper went the knife, the deeper sank the hand, until at length its tiny grasp appeared to have caught hold of Georgina’s heart; whence, however, her husband was inexorable resolved to cure or wrench it away.” (Hawthorne). His conscience is showing that he knows that he might do more than remove the mark. In his dream Aylmer continues to attempt the removal of the mark, even if it cost her life. The reason why the knife gets caught is because the birthmark goes deep in her heart, which is something that her imperfections are a very much part of her being.
After remembering his dream, Aylmer insists on continuing with the removal of Georgiana's birthmark although he’s aware of the effects that may occur, yet he’s willing to remove it given the risks it comes with. His dream is his conscience saying what he already knows what is bound to happen if he continues with the removal. Although, Aylmer feels guilt due to his dream, he still insists. “Dearest Georgina, I have spent much thought upon the subject. I am convinced of the perfect participle of its removal.” (Hawthorne). This is Aylmer response to Georgina asking if he had thought of any way of removing the birthmark. Aylmer tells Georgina that there will be no complication with the removal since he's thought about this for awhile now. He's trying to comfort her by explaining that everything will go as planned, so he could get what he want.
Georgina is convinced that she must fixe her flaw. “Danger is nothing to me; for life, while this hateful mark makes me the object of your horror and disgust, - life is a burden which I would fling down with joy.” (Hawthorne). She is a woman who is in need of a confidence boots. She is devoted into becoming what her husband wants her to become. The reason so, is because she is hurting. Her husband had called her mark an “earthy imperfection,” which made he feel as if she is not perfect enough for Aylmer. Georgina feels terrible, and wants her husband to love her the same way he did before. She feels as if her husband cannot love something that shocks you. She would rather do whatever it takes to not be an “object of horror and disgust,” (Hawthorne) to her husband.
Georgiana does the removal, but ends up dying. In the end, the short story shows Aylmer as selfish husband. He was unhappy with his beautiful wife. who he felt as if she was not beautiful enough due to a birthmark. Even though he had realized that the procedure is dangerous, but goes forward wit it anyways, and ends up killing her.
In conclusion, Hawthorne's short story “The Birth-Mark” shows that society believe that females are lower than males. Georgiana lost her life because she wanted her husband to love her. She wanted to be loved by her husband, so she chose to be consider “perfect” by her husband than to live. Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote this story to teach people that perfection cannot exist on Earth. Another is that the story teaches the readers about gender bias that relates to women's imperfections.