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Anything Less Than Perfection Will Not Do in Hawthornes The Birthmark
In The Birthmark, Hawthorne explores the theme of science vs. naturebut ultimately the story is about one mans inability to accept anything less than perfection from his spouse. The protagonist, Aylmer, is a scientist who is obsessed with perfection and sees the birthmark on his wifes cheek as a blemish that must be removed. He spends all of his time and energy trying to find a way to remove it, even though it inevitably ends up costing her life. He becomes a man obsessed with removing the symbol of imperfection, unable to see her as a human being; he sees only the birthmark, which doubles as a hideous symbol of Original Sin, in a spiritual sense. In contrast, his wife, Georgiana, is content with the way she looks and sees the birthmark as a part of her identity. The story suggests overall that the human condition suffers from a spiritual imperfection and that it is folly to try to remedy this situation through natural arts or sciences.
Hawthorne states clearly in the beginning of the story that Aylmer is more a man of science than a man of faith. Hawthorne states that Aylmer had devoted himself, however, too unreservedly to scientific studies ever to be weaned from them by any second passion (1)....…spiritual defect in him. He projects this defect onto his wife. He sees it in her birthmark that he tries to remove with his science and arts (Gatta).
In conclusion, Aylmers wife eventually does die because of Aylmers obsession. It drives him to use dangerous methods to try to remove the birthmark. Hawthorne suggests that obsession with perfection can cause spiritual blindness. It can cause people to do more harm than good. The story is about how people should accept the fact that human nature has a kind of spiritual imperfection at its heart. The way to transcend this imperfection is through virtue. It is not an imperfection that one can overcome through an attempt to…
Works Cited
Gatta, John. "Aylmer's Alchemy in" The Birthmark"." Philological Quarterly 57.3
(1978): 399.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. “The Birth-Mark.”
https://www.lonestar.edu/departments/english/hawthorne_birth-mark.pdf
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