Krinhop 1 Grace Krinhop Carey English 1302 11 February 2024 The Dangerous Consequences of Artificial Beauty In Nathanial Hawthorne’s, “The Birth-Mark”, themes of human perfection are explored throughout the story. The story is told through the characters Aylmer and his wife Georgniana who has the birthmark which Aylmer is obsessed with the idea of getting rid of, believing that she will be in her most perfect form without it. Through the symbolic birth-mark, Hawthorne dives into the intracity of perfection, imperfection, and human nature that ultimately can lead to tragedy. Aylmer is a scientist who views the world in a more empirical way, so trying to find a way to perfect his wife displays his flaws despite his intellectual achievements. His obsession to remove the birth-mark was an experiment, and something he could achieve if he got rid of it. Aylmer is first described as noble and “he had devoted himself, however, too unreservedly to scientific studies ever to be weakened from them by any second passion” (Hawthorne 366). This character trait shines throughout the story as Aylmer prioritizes science and perfection over understanding that people cannot achieve perfection. Through the imagery to the birthmark, it is described as a symbol of Georginiaa’s humanity, something that happens naturally, but is contrasted with Aylmer’s goal of ideal beauty and perfection. It is further found as a “visible mark of earthly imperfection" (Hawthorne 367). Hawothrone uses Aylmer’s unapproval for the birthmark to show the societal obsession with physical perfection, especially with women. Aylmer cannot stop seeing the birthmark as Krinhop 2 something so ugly which reflects how beauty can be distorted and prioritizes an impossible ideal overall natural qualities. This is illustrated when Aylmer dreams of removing the birthmark, only to discover that it is connected to Georgiana's heart, symbolizing the intrinsic link between her imperfections and her humanity: "The deeper the knife went, the deeper sank the hand, until at length its tiny grasp appeared to have caught hold of Georgiana's heart" (Hawthorne 369). This dream foreshadows the terrible outcome of Aylmer's obsession, highlighting the dangers of attempting to alter one's state from how they looked before for artificial beauty. Moreover, Hawthorne critiques the flaws of science and its practices through Aylmer's character. Aylmer represents the Enlightenment scientist, who is confident in the power of human reason and science to overcome what was limited in science prior to this. However, his failure to accept Georgiana's birthmark, and by extension what makes her human, illustrates the limitations of science and how it is ok that life is not perfect nor should people have almost robotic features. Hawthorne suggests that some aspects of the human experience, such as beauty and imperfection, are beyond the means of scientifically manipulating it. This is evident when Aylmer's assistant, Aminadab, who represents nature and the physical world, laughs at the scientist's failure, symbolizing hiding obvious arrogance: "Upon the rejection of his scheme, Aminadab laughed more heartily than ever" (Hawthorne 337). The story's tragic conclusion serves as a powerful example of the obsession with perfection. Georgiana's death, a direct result of Aylmer's attempt to remove the birthmark, undermines the fatal consequences of valuing superficial standards of beauty over care for human life. In her final moments, Georgian gets to a state of perfection in Aylmer's eyes, but at the cost of her life: "My poor Aylmer!" she repeated, with a more than human tenderness, "you have aimed loftily; - you have done nobly. Do not repent that, with so high and pure a feeling, Krinhop 3 you have rejected the best the earth could offer" (Hawthorne 377). Hawthorne suggests that the pursuit of perfection, especially when it involves changing one's natural state, is not only foolish, but proves to have destructive consequences. Georginiaa was so adamant at fulfilling her husband's request, she does not think about the dangers and ignores warning signs to the procedure for the sake of perfection. The tale "The Birth-Mark" by Nathaniel Hawthorne offers a persuasive example of the problem with fixating on appearances. Hawthorne examines the dangers of placing an unachievable ideal above the beauty of nature and the standard human needs through the character of Aylmer and his selfish attempt to rid Georgiana's birthmark. The narrative is a warning against the limitations of science and trying to overcome the imperfections of nature, further emphasizing to readers the worth of themselves without needing to artificially remove perceived flaws. Krinhop 4 Works Cited Hawthorne, Nathaniel. Norton Ebook Reader, nerd.wwnorton.com/nerd/218126/r/goto/cfi/228!/4. Accessed 11 Feb. 2024.
