Who Is The Imperfect Beauty In The Birthmark

1004 Words3 Pages

Imperfect Beauty
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s romantic short story “The Birthmark,” the main character, Aylmer, is obsessively plagued with the inherent thirst for perfection. Allowing his wife to be the guinea pig was the ultimate downfall for him, as he failed in his research, as well as his lovely wife, Georgiana. The classic themes of romanticism were very evident, such as the power nature controls over science, extreme scenarios, and intense emotions. Aylmer in “The Birthmark” risks the safety of wife for science, knowledge, and perfection, forgetting the beauty of imperfection.
Long before Aylmer became acquainted with Georgiana, he was always a man of science, and a philosopher. Taking pride in his work, there was almost nothing that could form a wedge between Aylmer and his research. During his time, with exceptional discoveries being made such as electricity, “it was not unusual for the love of science to rival the love of woman” (Hawthorne). Despite this, Aylmer still set aside time in the pursuits of a woman to wed.
Shortly after their marriage, Aylmer stared upon his wife Georgiana until he could not hold his tongue any longer. Her mark, shaped like a bright red hand, burned …show more content…

Aylmer, comforting his wife, assured her the removal wouldn’t be dangerous. As time went on, she confessed to her husband she wants the mark removed “at whatever risk,” even if it meant her own life (Hawthorne). This is an extreme case of the search for perfection. Georgiana, in simpler terms, would give her life to be perfect in the eyes of her husband, who cringed at the very sight of her mark. This is also exactly what Aylmer wanted to hear. He craved the approval of her, so he could justify his obsession with removal of the red stain upon her ivory face. She has completely forgotten how her mark was admired by other

Open Document