essay about the birthmark

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Birthmark” Short Story Essay

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Introduction

The brief basic plot of the story, works cited.

During Nathaniel Hawthorne’s lifetime, there was a tremendous advancement in science and technology. People began believing that all of life’s unanswered questions would soon be answered in the laboratories of the scientists if they would just have the patience to wait long enough. It was felt that with just a little time, all the evils of society would be ironed out and all imperfections would be cured. These are the issues examined in Hawthorne’s short story “The Birthmark.”

The story is essentially the story of a scientific man who cannot stand a small birthmark visible on his wife’s cheek and which she agrees to attempt to remove in a process that eventually kills her. In this story, Hawthorne illustrates through the symbolism of the birthmark science’s approach toward ‘perfecting’ society, society’s acceptance of this approach and the true nature of this type of imperfection.

Hawthorne uses the symbol of the birthmark as a way of illustrating science’s approach to the aberrations of nature as a problem that needs to be fixed. Aylmer’s wife Georgiana has a tiny hand-shaped birthmark on her face that shows most clearly when she is pale and upset and tends not to show at all when she is happy and rosy. As Hawthorne points out, there were generally two approaches taken toward this small defect in her otherwise perfect face. “Georgiana’s lovers were wont to say that some fairy at her birth hour had laid her tiny hand upon the infant’s cheek, and left this impress there in token of the magic endowments that were to give her such sway over all hearts.”

On the other hand, “some fastidious persons – but they were exclusively of her own sex – affirmed that the bloody hand, as they chose to call it, quite destroyed the effect of Georgiana’s beauty, and rendered her countenance even hideous.” This was the approach taken by Aylmer to such a degree that his only consideration of it was to find a means of removing it, regardless of the dangers this process might present to his lovely wife’s ultimate health or future. Aylmer feels the wife of a scientist as prestigious as himself should be absolutely free of any perfections nature might have bestowed upon her. Because he is unable to accept her ‘imperfections’ as signs that she is a natural and very human woman, he is unable to enjoy the life of happiness the couple should have otherwise enjoyed.

It is through the actions of Georgiana that the attitudes of society toward science are reflected in this short story. When Aylmer first suggests that Georgiana could have the birthmark surgically removed, she is shocked and reluctant to even consider the possibilities. “To tell you the truth it has been so often called a charm that I was simple enough to imagine it might be so,” she tells him. However, his continued horror at the sight of the mark works on her spirit as does the continued calls of science, shocked and dismayed at the rest of society’s reluctance to experiment where it is perceived only God should go, work on society itself.

Finally, Georgiana gives in to Aylmer’s suggestion, passively agreeing to participate in whatever form of experiment he might choose to present to her and asking few, if any, questions as to what he’s been doing. “Georgiana began to conjecture that she was already subjected to certain physical influences, either breathed in with the fragrant air or taken with her food.” Finally, when she finally perceives the danger involved in the experiment, she confronts Aylmer with a desire for more knowledge, but when he refuses to give her any details, she readily agrees to do whatever is asked of her again.

Finally, Hawthorne illustrates that not all natural imperfection is necessarily something evil that must be cured by science as the fading of the birthmark results in the death of the lady. Its shape and the suggestion that it is the loving result of a fairy touch indicate that the birthmark has some sort of spiritual connection to the lady.

This is emphasized in Aylmer’s dream: “He had fancied himself with his servant Aminadab, attempting an operation for the removal of the birthmark; but the deeper went the knife, the deeper sank the hand, until at length its tiny grasp appeared to have caught hold of Georgiana’s heart; whence, however, her husband was inexorably resolved to cut or wrench it away.” This foreshadows the destructive task he has embraced as well as the purity and tenderness externally represented in the form of the mark.

The essential nature of the mark to the lady’s person is again brought forward when Aylmer finally comes partially clean to Georgiana, just before administering the final draught: “Know, then, that this crimson hand, superficial as it seems, has clutched its grasp into your being with a strength of which I had no previous conception. I have already administered agents powerful enough to do aught except to change your entire physical system.” When he does give her the drink to change her system, she is perfected and can no longer remain on earth in human form.

Through this short story, which sees very little in the way of actual action, Hawthorne is able to criticize the aims of science and to question its relative merits. Through the symbolism of the birthmark and its wearer, Hawthorne manages to illustrate how science remains fixated on fixing things that may not need to be fixed or that should be appreciated for their own intrinsic value. By focusing on the behavior of the wearer of the birthmark, and thus its guardian and protector, Hawthorne demonstrates the less than ideal reaction of the public toward the more outlandish scientific ideas as well as illustrates how the public is eventually won over to these ideas.

Finally, by showing his readers that the birthmark is valuable in protecting the life of this lady, that it is a necessary part of her humanity, Hawthorne indicates how science has the power to destroy something special and irreplaceable without bringing any benefit to mankind in its place.

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. “The Birthmark.”

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IvyPanda. (2021, August 16). Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Birthmark” Short Story. https://ivypanda.com/essays/nathaniel-hawthornes-the-birthmark-short-story/

"Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Birthmark” Short Story." IvyPanda , 16 Aug. 2021, ivypanda.com/essays/nathaniel-hawthornes-the-birthmark-short-story/.

IvyPanda . (2021) 'Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Birthmark” Short Story'. 16 August.

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Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Birthmark” Short Story." August 16, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/nathaniel-hawthornes-the-birthmark-short-story/.

The Birthmark

Nathaniel hawthorne, ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Birthmark . Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.

The Birthmark: Introduction

The birthmark: plot summary, the birthmark: detailed summary & analysis, the birthmark: themes, the birthmark: quotes, the birthmark: characters, the birthmark: symbols, the birthmark: literary devices, the birthmark: theme wheel, brief biography of nathaniel hawthorne.

Historical Context of The Birthmark

Other books related to the birthmark.

• Full Title: The Birthmark
• Where Written: Massachusetts
• When Published: 1843 and 1846
• Literary Period: Romanticism, the American Renaissance
• Genre: short story
• Setting: late eighteenth century, possibly in Europe
• Climax: the disappearance of the birthmark, coinciding with Georgiana’s death
• Antagonist: mortality, nature
• Point of View: third person

Extra Credit for The Birthmark

Friendship through vegetables. When Hawthorne and his wife moved into their house, the Old Manse, in Concord, Massachusetts, transcendentalist writer Henry David Thoreau planted a vegetable garden for them.

Digging up bodies. Hawthorne’s wife and daughter were buried in London for 129 years, until 2006, when their bodies were dug up and moved to Massachusetts to rest beside Hawthorne’s own.

Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Nathaniel Hawthorne — Literary Devices In The Birthmark: Analysis Of Symbolism

Literary Devices in The Birthmark: Analysis of Symbolism

• Categories: Nathaniel Hawthorne

About this sample

Words: 829 |

Published: Dec 16, 2021

Words: 829 | Pages: 2 | 5 min read

• Hawthorne, Nathaniel. 'The Birthmark.' Mosses from an Old Manse and Other Stories. 1846, edited by Charles Keller, Project Gutenberg, 2008.

Should follow an “upside down” triangle format, meaning, the writer should start off broad and introduce the text and author or topic being discussed, and then get more specific to the thesis statement.

Provides a foundational overview, outlining the historical context and introducing key information that will be further explored in the essay, setting the stage for the argument to follow.

Cornerstone of the essay, presenting the central argument that will be elaborated upon and supported with evidence and analysis throughout the rest of the paper.

The topic sentence serves as the main point or focus of a paragraph in an essay, summarizing the key idea that will be discussed in that paragraph.

The body of each paragraph builds an argument in support of the topic sentence, citing information from sources as evidence.

After each piece of evidence is provided, the author should explain HOW and WHY the evidence supports the claim.

Should follow a right side up triangle format, meaning, specifics should be mentioned first such as restating the thesis, and then get more broad about the topic at hand. Lastly, leave the reader with something to think about and ponder once they are done reading.

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The Birth-Mark

By nathaniel hawthorne, the birth-mark is "the birth-mark" a feminist text.

On a surface level, Georgiana seems to adhere to the standard gender norms of the late 18th century. As a submissive and dutiful wife, she is faithfully loyal to Aylmer, whose obsession with physical perfection dominates their marriage and destroys their chances of happiness together. However, in her essay “Women Beware Science: 'The Birthmark,'” literary scholar Judith Fetterley asserts that Georgiana’s insubordinate position in the text criticizes pervasive male entitlement and traditional sexual politics. By featuring a character like Aylmer who desires “to perfect his wife,” Hawthorne illustrates how unchecked male obsession and idealism can only result in the punishment of a female victim (Fetterley 485).

Aylmer places all of his emotional investment concerning his marriage on Georgiana’s birthmark. As Fetterley notes, Aylmer “is absorbed in her physical appearance, and perfection for him is equivalent to physical beauty” (486). Aylmer never expresses any acknowledgment of—much less admiration for—Georgiana’s personality; to him, she exists as a purely physical, beautiful object. Hawthorne makes a point to extend Aylmer’s preoccupation with Georgiana’s body to all of her previous male admirers. Notably, Georgiana’s self-confidence depends on the opinions of men around her. When her admirers praised her birthmark, she viewed it in high regard. However, once Aylmer communicates his disliking toward the mark, her self-image crumbles, and she claims she would rather die than fail to satisfy her husband. As a result of her demeaning experiences with her admirers, Georgiana is completely powerless and submissive to all men—not just Aylmer—because their entitlement to her body informs her notions of identity and provokes self-hatred.

Meanwhile, Aylmer chooses to “redeem” Georgiana and remove her birthmark, rather than accept it as an organic, physical blemish. Because of her feelings of powerlessness, Georgiana readily submits to Aylmer’s experiments and endures her subsequent dehumanization as one of his subjects. Secluded in Aylmer’s laboratory, Georgiana cannot protest her circumstances or submission—the discourse encircling her physical appearance has already prevented her from retaining any form of agency. In other words, she has no choice but to succumb to his desires and outright worship his scientific mind and inquiries, even though they often fail. Aylmer’s gross ambition and entitlement thus remain uncontrolled, which results in Georgiana’s unjust and ill-fated death. Because of this, Fetterley notes, “‘The Birthmark’ demonstrates the consequences to women of being trapped in the laboratory of man’s mind, the object of unrelenting scrutiny, examination, and experimentation” (492). “ The Birth-Mark ,” thus, does not fall victim to traditional gender dynamics—rather, it pointedly dismisses them.

The Birth-Mark Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for The Birth-Mark is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

How is the conflict between Georgiana and Aylmer resolved over the course of the text

Like most of his inquiries, Aylmer’s quest to perfect Georgiana ultimately fails. His solution erases the mark, but Georgiana dies as a result—without her birthmark, she is too much of an ideal being to occupy earth. Through the failed experiment,...

the birthmark

I don't think their ages are ever stated. I might guess that Aylmer is middle age and Georgiana is much younger than him.

You can check out the characteres below:

https://www.gradesaver.com/the-birth-mark/study-guide/character-list

Study Guide for The Birth-Mark

The Birth-Mark study guide contains a biography of Nathaniel Hawthorne, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About The Birth-Mark
• The Birth-Mark Summary
• Character List

Essays for The Birth-Mark

The Birth-Mark essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Birth-Mark by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

• Alchemy and Morality in ‘Rappaccini’s Daughter’ and ‘The Birthmark’?
• Fragility of the Intellectual Male Psyche and Permanence of Humanity In The Birth-Mark
• What is Happiness Worth?: "The Birthmark" and "Wakefield"
• Beauty, Horror and Morality in Hawthorne's "The Birth-Mark"
• Science turns into Catastrophe

Wikipedia Entries for The Birth-Mark

• Introduction
• Plot summary
• Publication history

The Birthmark

32 pages • 1 hour read

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Story Analysis

Character Analysis

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Discussion Questions

Many of modern medicine’s goals can be contextualized as the pursuit of human perfectibility. What do you think Hawthorne would suggest are the ethical implications of this sort of work? 

Explore the gender dynamics of love and marriage as presented in “The Birthmark.” Through the negative example of Aylmer and Georgiana’s relationship, what do you think Hawthorne’s ideal marriage would look like?

Identify one moment in the short story that might inspire a sense of revulsion in the reader and analyze the setting of this moment. How do the environmental details of the setting enhance the gothic reading experience?

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