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The Birthmark. February 13, 2007 Analyzing Hawthorne's The Birthmark What is perfection? ...
Those of her own sex called her birthmark "bloody hand" (1131). ...
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The Birthmark--wicked good essay. Earthly Imperfections ... The shape of the birthmark
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Submitted by Bavaria on April 10, 2007
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February 13, 2007
Analyzing Hawthorne's The Birthmark
What is perfection? Can perfection be explained? In "The Birthmark," Hawthorne uses the birthmark to explain that Nature is perfection. The birthmark symbolizes a living breathing part of the body, and, although to some is a blemish or blight, it is necessary for continued life. And while this "blemish" may cause pain, suffering, or disfigurement, it is a required part of Nature's perfection--for Nature is perfection.
To have a fuller understanding of the birthmarks import, one needs to know and understand Aylmer. Aylmer is a man of science and spiritualism. Hawthorne describes him as a man who is "an eminent proficient in every branch of natural philosophy" (1130). Aylmer also "handled physical details as if there were nothing beyond them; yet spiritualized them all, and redeemed himself from materialism by his strong and eager aspiration towards the infinite. In his grasp the veriest clod of earth assumed a soul" (1137). Aylmer can not separate the physical from the spiritual. They are intertwined and in his hand, the inanimate begin to live. To Aylmer, this joining of science and spiritual lends itself to perfection. Hawthorne further explains that although Aylmer has a "slender figure, and pale, intellectual face" he is "no less apt a type of the spiritual element" (1134). It is important to remember that Aylmer's duality, being both physical! and spiritual, is what allows him success in his experiments (although he often does not see his results as successes). As we review the symbolic significance placed on the birthmark, one realizes the irony that in seeking perfection in Georgiana, Aylmer goes against his own nature and separates the physical and spiritual. This ultimately causes her death. Hawthorne uses Aylmer's duality to bring the birthmark to the forefront.
Hawthorne personifies the birthmark by making it a living and breathing part of...
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