Hawthorne,+The+Birthmark

Background:Aylmer is a scientist who is very dedicated to his work. Aylmer is starting to become very annoyed by the birthmark on his wife’s face. He can’t look at her without staring at the mark. She is embarrassed and she notices him staring. She says that everyone else thinks the mark is a charm but he now believes she is no longer perfect. She decides to give in and tells him no matter the risk that she wants him to remove the mark if possible. She doubts his abilities as a scientist to remove the mark and he becomes arrogant and says the procedure is easy. The birthmark looked like a little hand on her cheek and it really becomes noticeable when she turns pale, and when she becomes angry or joyous her face becomes __florid__ and the handprint blends in. Men think of it as a charm but Aylmer thinks otherwise. Georgiana just wanted her birthmark removed because she believed that it was ruining her relationship with Aylmer. Georgiana was __skeptical__ about the potion that he was going to use on her face. Then, Aylmer showed her his other potions that he has created such as, the one that made the spotted plant grow __magnificently__. She notices that his experiments are almost to his level of perfection but never quite perfect. Georgiana is down in his lab and she is sifting through his books and notes and discovers information that she didn’t want to uncover. When he is finished the procedure he is sitting __intently__ by her side and records all of her movements. When she awakes from her sleep she tells him that the mark was connected to her soul and has that disappears and her soul slowly slips away.

Reflection: When I think of what Aylmer thought about his wife and her appearance I thought he was a cruel and uncaring person. When I thought about it a little more, what he thought about her not being perfect reminds me of our American society. The birthmark was a minor imperfection that his wife had that annoyed him greatly. He wanted her to be perfect, who doesn’t. Boys want to look their best so they can get their dream girl and likewise for girls. It can be generalized that nobody wants to think they are ugly. We all strive for perfection and want to be perfect within the eyes of our peers. We all look at celebrities and say, geez, I wish I looked like that, or they wish that a certain feature of theirs wasn’t that big, or too fat, etc. The truth is even celebrities aren’t perfect. In order to aim for perfection in their eyes they have the money to indulge in countless plastic surgeries to make their nose thinner, get implants, reductions, botox, etc. I think it has become a never-ending cycle, and nobody can truly be perfect. Even those who particularly don’t have the money to get the operations have their own method of hiding imperfections. Woman, girls, and even some men use make-up every day to cover up what hey believe to be their “birthmark.” My mother takes hours putting on make-up to look what she believes to be presentable. I am glad I am not a woman a woman when it comes to that. Am I perfect? Of course not. Do I have my own “birthmarks?” We all do. Part of the reason for this thinking on our part may be due to the pressure of our surrounding. Models and celebrities are the perfect models for many people. Everyone wants to be perfect like them. Georgiana was influenced by Aylmer to get the birthmark removed. Georgiana thought her relationship would be better if the mark was detached from her face. To some degree it may have been true, but there is a time when people should accept themselves and others for who they are because nobody is perfect. Consequently, Aylmer figured that out the hard way when his endeavor for perfection led to the death of his wife.

Correlation: The main theme that the story revolves around is science; and to the extent that it may be taken. Aylmer who is a proficient scientist works during of time of new inventions that include electricity. He loves what he does and basically lives in his lab trying to create unimaginable concoctions. He has created potions that could make plants come to life and die just as quickly. It is sorcery and he has crossed the line from ordinary science to trying to be God. There is a potion that he calls the elixir of life that can bring about immortality with just the right amount; and take life away just as easily. Even Georgiana tells him “It is terrible to posses such power, or even to dream of possessing it.” All the time science moves to a different level like today when it comes to cloning. There is always the discussion of where science begins and should end. Another theme that really only relates to Aylmer is selfishness. Aylmer was being selfish when he wanted Georgiana to get the birthmark removed because she was no longer perfect to him in his eyes. His constant distaste for it left her no choice but to get it removed. All other men thought of the mark as a charm unlike Aylmer. Georgiana says “Danger is nothing to me; for life, with this hateful mark makes me the object of your horror and disgust, life is a burden which I would fling down with joy.” Everything was about Aylmer. Georgiana wanted to alter her appearance so Aylmer could feel better; which in turn would make her feel better. This selfishness in Aylmer was the cause of the death of Georgiana who wasn’t good enough for him any longer.