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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
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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,
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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.
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Works Cited
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. Norton Ebook Reader, nerd.wwnorton.com/nerd/218126/r/goto/cfi/228!/4.
Accessed 11 Feb. 2024.