Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
This is an interesting point-of-view about Aylmer and it works with his character. Others identify Georgiana's birthmark as something that is essentially hers and therefore, should remain with her. Shakinovsky goes even further to say that it is a "metaphor for her identity, her sexuality, her being" (Shakinovsky). Aylmer is blind to this fact altogether. He cannot see that "in removing the mark, he removes all there is of her" (Shakinovsky). He could not accept the fact that he could not just remove a portion of her -- it was all or nothing.
Shakinovsky reinforces the point that all of the characters in "The Birthmark" realize that Georgiana cannot be separated from her birthmark, except Aylmer. However, as the story progresses, the birthmark becomes "Aylmer's object, and since, as the sign of her subjectivity, it represents Georgiana, it becomes she who is his object" (Shakinovsky). Again, we see how Aylmer's love of science overwhelms the love he feels for his wife. He is foolish enough to risk her entire life on what happens when he pours the elixir on a geranium. It is important to note that the geranium was covered with "unsightly blotches" (Hawthorne 611) because it illustrates Aylmer's impression of the birthmark. Georgiana's death is the final indication that her birthmark was a beautiful part of her life that should have never been removed.
In conclusion, Nathaniel Hawthorne's story, "The Birthmark," is a frightening account of what can happen when human desire is allowed to run out of control. Blind desire knows no danger and Aylmer proves that attempting to perfect nature. This becomes his fatal mistake. Aylmer chooses to put his love for science above his love for his wife, which...
Rosenberg says that Aylmer's tale "proposes that human nature is a compound -- a sacred mystery. The only way to effect a celebration of the body is not through distillation -- separateness, voyeurism, science, etc. -- but through unification, sympathy and love" (Rosenberg). Indeed, Aylmer's attempt to perfect something that nature deemed already perfect illustrates that mankind should recognize his place in the universe and live within the bounds that are set for him.
Works Cited
Eckstein, Barbara. "Hawthorne's 'The Birthmark: Science and Romance as Belief.'" Studies in Short Fiction. 1989. 26.4. EBSCO Resource Database. Site Accessed November 17, 2004. http://www.searchepnet.com
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "The Birthmark." The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction. Cassil, R.V., ed. 1981 W.W. Norton and Company. pp. 600-13.
Henry James. "Nathaniel Hawthorne." Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism. 1879. GALE Resource Database. Site Accessed November 18, 2004. http://www.infotrac.galegroup.com
Rosenberg, Liz. "The best that earth could offer: 'The Birth-mark," a newlywed's story.'" Studies in Short Fiction. 1993. EBSCO Resource Database. Site Accessed November 17, 2004. http://www.searchepnet.com
Erich S. Rupprecht. "Nathaniel Hawthorne." Supernatural Fiction Writers. 1985. Scribner's Resource Database. Site Accessed November 17, 2004. http://www.infotrac.galegroup.com
Shakinovsky, Lynn. "The Return of the Repressed: Illiteracy and the Death of the Narrative in Hawthorne's 'The Birthmark.'" ATQ. 1995. 9.4. EBSCO Resource Database. Site Accessed November 18, 2004. http://www.searchepnet.com
Works Cited
Eckstein, Barbara. "Hawthorne's 'The Birthmark: Science and Romance as Belief.'" Studies in Short Fiction. 1989. 26.4. EBSCO Resource Database. Site Accessed November 17, 2004. http://www.searchepnet.com
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "The Birthmark." The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction. Cassil, R.V., ed. 1981 W.W. Norton and Company. pp. 600-13.
Henry James. "Nathaniel Hawthorne." Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism. 1879. GALE Resource Database. Site Accessed November 18, 2004. http://www.infotrac.galegroup.com
Rosenberg, Liz. "The best that earth could offer: 'The Birth-mark," a newlywed's story.'" Studies in Short Fiction. 1993. EBSCO Resource Database. Site Accessed November 17, 2004. http://www.searchepnet.com
Erich S. Rupprecht. "Nathaniel Hawthorne." Supernatural Fiction Writers. 1985. Scribner's Resource Database. Site Accessed November 17, 2004. http://www.infotrac.galegroup.com
Shakinovsky, Lynn. "The Return of the Repressed: Illiteracy and the Death of the Narrative in Hawthorne's 'The Birthmark.'" ATQ. 1995. 9.4. EBSCO Resource Database. Site Accessed November 18, 2004. http://www.searchepnet.com
English Literature - Flowers for Algernon Though Flowers for Algernon is a fictionalized account, it addresses genuine issues, many of which are universal. Published in 1966, the novel reflects the less sensitive treatment of mentally disabled people during that time period. Allowing a unique perspective through the eyes of a man who lacks, gains, then loses genius, the novel is both tragic and inspirational, making definitive statements about high intelligence's great
White Collar Crime Theories, Laws and Processes Explain white collar crime in terms of various theories related to criminology and crime. A white collar crime is an illegal and unethical act that violates public trust (Friedrichs, 2010). Common examples include misrepresentation, stealing, misappropriation, self-dealing, and corruption (Echols & Richardson, 2011). Most are crimes of opportunity and hold similar characteristics to corporate crime -- fraud, insider trading and other illegal acts of a
Tao In Chapter 29 of the Tao te Ching, Lao-tze raises an issue that is central to Taoism but which a modern American might find difficult to understand. This issue is non-interference. Americans like to be in control. This is not just an American feature, but a feature of the modern world. People have become used to instant answers to their questions, and instant gratification that patience is completely elusive. If
classical conditioning by Pavlov and its current use in treating anxiety The paper focuses on the development of classical conditioning being used, as suggested by Pavlov, in treating anxiety through using fear-induced techniques. The paper talks about the past experiments that were done on animals and human, those who were suffering from anxiety and those who weren't, and highlights how anxiety is treated through fear induced conditioning. Combination of neutral stimulus
Runaway Jury -- a 2003 legal thriller based on a John Grisham novel -- does not necessarily enhance the viewer's knowledge of the law, but it certainly offers an expansive view of one way of breaking the law. The film is concerned with the rise of the contemporary "jury consultant," most often used in large-scale consumer liability lawsuits such as the one depicted in the film. The legal case in
TRIFLES by Susan Glaspell In "Trifles" by Susan Glaspell, the characteristics of the women and the attitudes to their men and their own roles in life are gradually illuminated. The intensity of the situation, in effect two women judging the life of the third, absent party, provides a context in which Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peter grow significantly, in character, strength and importance. The principle characters in the play are effectively the