Georgiana's Imperfection In 'The Birthmark' By Nathaniel Hawthorne

In the story "The Birthmark" written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Aylmer the scientist is obsessed with Georgiana's imperfection, a hand-shaped birthmark that spoils her beautiful face. Georgiana's husband became captivated with getting it removed which led to the death of Georgiana. The story's tone is one of romantic controversy, a dilemma at a high level of existence. The scientist's love for his craft competes very intensively with his newfound love for his wife. It is also very psychological, strictly dealing with the raw mind of its subjects as if the ominous narrator told the story from inside their mind, rather than observe it from the outside.
The story presents a reflection of Hawthorne's personal life with the marriage of Sophia Peabody and it
The story shows a reflection of Hawthorne's personal life with the marriage of Sophia Peabody and it shows the fears and desires of a

newlywed couple. This story has psychological themes of the purist of perfection as Aylmer is obsessed with Georgiana's aesthetic birth defect. It also offers philosophical commentary regarding societal beauty standards and the perception of beauty, the body vs the soul, and the dangers of manipulating human nature.
In my opinion, Georgiana lets Aylmer attempt to remove the birthmark, despite the terrible danger, because she loves her husband so much and he is so troubled by the mark.

He tells her "dearest Georgiana, 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." (para. ) Georgiana is incredibly hurt by her husband's choice of words. Aylmer has managed to con Georgiana into believing that she isn't worthy of his affection, the narrator reveals here that Aylmer's insistence on perfection is insane. In fact, this passage makes it clear that even total perfection wouldn't satisfy him. Georgiana realizes that if she managed to satisfy his demands, her triumph would last only "for a single moment." After that, he would want still more from her. The removal of the birthmark is something of an artificial goal, and the narrator suggests that Aylmer wouldn't be happy even if she'd never had the birthmark in the first place. His lust for flawlessness will never be sated-he has become

deranged.
Hawthorne's ideas about science, beauty, and life still play a major part in our lives, despite many improvements. Even today, people try to play "God" and change things that nature has put in place. It's human curiosity; how much can be changed; how many things can be perfected? The themes in this short story-- religion, gender, and science--were relevant in Hawthorne's day, and still are many years later. The theme of religion is hidden in the desire to erase. thousands have cosmetic surgery performed every year as a way of trying to make themselves more beautiful. Religion has taken a step back in society today, so the significance of perfection by God has also been moved to the back burner. But, underlying all the surgeries performed today, is the question: Is it right to change what was given to you by God? Perhaps, but it is not without consequence. Many cosmetic surgeries require painful recovery time or follow-ups, and even some may be dangerous to one's health. Hawthorne's gender bias reflects his times. She shows some happiness at pleasing her husband. Georgiana's worst fear is an unhappy marriage, and she would much rather die than have Aylmer look at her with disgust. Gender bias today is not as strong as it once was but it still exists. There is still is a desire to be submissive and please men.