Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Birthmark” displays the irrationality of attempting to form a flawless being, and by doing so, interfering upon the land of the divine. Hawthorne carries this message over the story of the scientist Aylmer and his elegant wife, Georgiana, who has a tiny, hand-shaped birthmark on her left cheek. Aylmer is fixated with this mark that retains his wife from being flawless and is determined to remove the mark by using his experiments. Throughout the telling of “The Birthmark”, Hawthorne uses codes to further show the selfishness of man, the symbolism of women, and the imagery of heaven and God. First, in article one Nancy Bunge’s argues about the selfishness of Aylmer. Aylmer is a gifted scientist that seeks divinity
…show more content…
Georgiana’s birthmark symbolizes mortality. Every living thing is blemished in some way, nature’s way of reacting to us that every living thing ultimately dies. However, Fetterley stresses that a woman’s identity is well-defined by how men reply and respond to them. Those who love Georgiana see it as a mark of charm and loveliness, and to others, it is a sickening sight to see (Fetterley 2). Georgiana’s birthmark reveals the consequences to women of being imprisoned in the laboratory of man’s mind, the object of relentless inspection, investigation, and testing (Fetterley 3). Fetterley argues that Aylmer also wrongly believes that the birthmark symbolizes Georgiana’s ethical weakness and divine flaw even though she is not a woman inclined to sin at all. Since Aylmer’s handling of her is total disdain and disgust, the result is frequent self-consciousness that leads to a lasting self-dislike that caused Georgiana’s willingness potentially lose her life over one small mark (Fetterley 3). Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote The Birthmark to be an explanation of women 's rights, and how the way women view themselves is directly exaggerated by the way the men in their lives. It is clear that this article argues about The Birthmark in a female perspective to American …show more content…
However, my own interpretation would be that “The Birthmark” also focuses on marriage. This short story uses the example of a newly-married couple to ask questions about the nature of love and the lively of marriage. Georgiana is so loyal to Aylmer that she expresses herself completely through his idea of her. “Do you remember, my dear Aylmer,” said Georgiana, with a feeble attempt at a smile, “have you any recollection of a dream last night about this odious hand? (Hawthorne 687) Here this explains that Georgiana knew that her Husband dreamed about her birthmark, she knew that he was unhappy. Georgiana just wanted to satisfy Aylmer, she was not an average woman. In marriage, loyalty is the key to keeping a happy home. Sometimes we find ourselves questioning what it means to love, to trust and to commit to another person. I feel that Aylmer should have appreciated his wife more, and not be so concerned about her birthmark that God beautified her
Georgiana’s birthmark symbolizes mortality. Every living thing is blemished in some way, nature’s way of reacting to us that every living thing ultimately dies. However, Fetterley stresses that a woman’s identity is well-defined by how men reply and respond to them. Those who love Georgiana see it as a mark of charm and loveliness, and to others, it is a sickening sight to see (Fetterley 2). Georgiana’s birthmark reveals the consequences to women of being imprisoned in the laboratory of man’s mind, the object of relentless inspection, investigation, and testing (Fetterley 3). Fetterley argues that Aylmer also wrongly believes that the birthmark symbolizes Georgiana’s ethical weakness and divine flaw even though she is not a woman inclined to sin at all. Since Aylmer’s handling of her is total disdain and disgust, the result is frequent self-consciousness that leads to a lasting self-dislike that caused Georgiana’s willingness potentially lose her life over one small mark (Fetterley 3). Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote The Birthmark to be an explanation of women 's rights, and how the way women view themselves is directly exaggerated by the way the men in their lives. It is clear that this article argues about The Birthmark in a female perspective to American …show more content…
However, my own interpretation would be that “The Birthmark” also focuses on marriage. This short story uses the example of a newly-married couple to ask questions about the nature of love and the lively of marriage. Georgiana is so loyal to Aylmer that she expresses herself completely through his idea of her. “Do you remember, my dear Aylmer,” said Georgiana, with a feeble attempt at a smile, “have you any recollection of a dream last night about this odious hand? (Hawthorne 687) Here this explains that Georgiana knew that her Husband dreamed about her birthmark, she knew that he was unhappy. Georgiana just wanted to satisfy Aylmer, she was not an average woman. In marriage, loyalty is the key to keeping a happy home. Sometimes we find ourselves questioning what it means to love, to trust and to commit to another person. I feel that Aylmer should have appreciated his wife more, and not be so concerned about her birthmark that God beautified her