Symbolism In The Birthmark

How can humans perfect ourselves? What are the repercussions of man’s desire to conquer nature’s will? In his short story, “The Birthmark”, author Nathaniel Hawthorne attempts to shed light on potential answers to these questions. He especially emphasizes the latter question, prompting his audience to wonder, “Can - and should - man attempt to “perfect” nature’s will?” when the main character, a scientist named Alymer, becomes obsessed with removing a birthmark from his wife’s face. Furthermore, because Alymer’s experiments have fatal results for Georgiana, Hawthorne seems to be suggesting an untouchable monism of existence.
From the beginning of the story, Hawthorne’s diction makes it clear that Alymer’s relationship with Georgiana is highly

flawed, objectifying, and based considerably in her physical beauty. In fact, Hawthorne does not even use Gerogiana’s name when first introducing the woman; instead, he describes her as, “a beautiful woman to become [Alymer’s] wife” (pg 1). This language foreshadows Georgiana’s predominant role in the story; she holds little significance other than being “a beautiful woman” for Alymer. Furthermore, the first dialogue between Georgiana and Alymer also centers around her physical appearance, more specifically, the one “blemish” on her face. “‘Has it never occurred to you that the mark upon your cheek might be removed?’” Alymer asks, with “a trouble in his countenance” (pg 1). The simple, hand-shaped birthmark on Georgiana’s left cheek troubles the scientist beyond compare because, to him, it represents “‘the visible mark of earthly imperfection’” (pg 2). Moreover, this earthly imperfection is significant to Alymer, because his disposition is more inclined towards the “spiritual element” (pg 8); he lacks a certain balance between mind and matter, and often seems nearly disgusted by reminders of the physical world, especially the birthmark on his wife’s face. Consequently, this lack of balance causes Alymer to become arrogant - hubristic even - in his attempts to fix “‘what Nature left imperfect in her fairest work!’” (pg 6).
Throughout the story Hawthorne, makes many speculations about nature’s control over “perfection”.

For starters, he describes the birthmark as “deeply interwoven” into Georgiana’s skin, and while this remark could otherwise be passed off as unimportant to the plot, it is actually very significant to the context of nature’s ultimate control. This birthmark does not merely sit on top of an otherwise perfect face, instead it is part of Georgiana’s face, part of who the woman fundamentally is. This “defect” is “the fatal flaw of humanity which Nature, in one shape or another, stamps ineffaceably on all her productions” (pg 3). In reality, Georgiana is more than “a beautiful woman”, she is a product of nature, and therefore could never be perfect; her mark ties Georgiana to the physical world where all humans belong, and therefore, Hawthorne seems to suggest that Alymer’s attempts to “fix” her are not only shallow, they are also attempts to break the connection which ties Georgiana to this world. However, being so unbalanced towards the mind, Alymer cannot stand to see nature’s hand in Georgiana’s creation - it drives him to

obsession.
Just before Alymer has begun to experiment on his wife, Hawthorne writes that nature “shows us nothing but results.

She permits us, indeed, to mar, but seldom to mend, and, like a jealous patentee, on no account to make”, an observation which seems comparable to the common religious acknowledgment that “God works in mysterious ways” (pg 7). Georgiana’s birthmark is the result of nature’s will, and – while many of her lovers have speculated – none can truly know nature’s intentions. Furthermore, as the quote states, no one – not even a brilliant scientist – can “make” the perfect woman Alymer is seeking. It is therefore no surprise that, as with most tales of hubris, Alymer is doomed to fail. Humanity is presented to be ultimately monistic, and Alymer cannot successfully separate Georgiana from her physical circumstances. “As the last crimson tint of the birthmark - that sole token of human imperfection - faded from her cheek, the parting breath of the now perfect woman passed into the atmosphere, and her soul, lingering a moment near her husband, took its heavenward flight” (pg 20). When Alymer finally manages to remove his wife’s blemish, he also succeeds in killing her, as if her “sole token of human imperfection” was the only thing tying Georgiana to this world; this separation between mind and matter is unsustainable, which Hawthorne proves because the “now perfect woman” immediately dies after being changed. Perhaps the scientist’s worst nightmares were correct, perhaps

the tiny hand went so deep into her very being that it “caught hold of Georgiana’s heart” (pg 5).
Initially, Nathaniel Hawthorne presents Alymer as the brilliant dualist of the narrative; he represents man’s desire to conquer nature, even allowing his obsession with “perfection” to interfere with his personal relationships. However, Hawthorne uses Alymer’s obsession and subsequent failure as a cautionary tale against dualism. As Hawthorne foreshadows, nature allows us “on no account to make”; man cannot conquer the mysteries of nature, and therefore Alymer ultimately fails “remake” what nature has already designed, proving the vital interconnectedness between mind and matter. As with Alymer and Georgiana, when man attempts to find perfection and eliminate the “earthly imperfections” that constitute our identities, he will find nothing but failure.