The Birthmark by Nathaniel Hawthorne
"The Birthmark" by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a short story that explores themes of obsession, perfection, and the human condition through the relationship between a scientist named Aylmer and his wife, Georgiana. The narrative begins with Aylmer's obsession with a small birthmark on Georgiana's cheek, which he perceives as a flaw in her otherwise flawless beauty. While the birthmark is viewed differently by others—some finding it charming, while Aylmer's fixation leads to a growing horror in Georgiana—the story delves into the psychological implications of this obsession.
As Aylmer's desire to eliminate the birthmark intensifies, he envisions a surgical solution, symbolizing humanity's struggle against nature and mortality. The story takes a darker turn as Georgiana, willing to sacrifice her life for the sake of her husband's ideal of perfection, ultimately succumbs to the consequences of Aylmer's ambition. The birthmark thus becomes a poignant representation of mortality itself, illustrating the tension between the pursuit of unattainable ideals and the acceptance of human imperfections. Through this tale, Hawthorne critiques the quest for absolute perfection, reflecting on the inherent beauty and tragedy of human existence.
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The Birthmark by Nathaniel Hawthorne
First published: 1843
Type of plot: Allegory
Time of work: The late eighteenth century
Locale: New England
Principal Characters:
Aylmer , the protagonist, a scientistGeorgiana , his beautiful wifeAminadab , his beastlike lab assistant
The Story
The protagonist of this tale, Aylmer, is a scientist "proficient in every branch of natural philosophy." The plot is set in motion when he marries a beautiful young woman, Georgiana, who bears a curious birthmark on her cheek in the shape of a tiny crimson hand. Envious women sometimes say it spoils her beauty, but most men find it enchanting. Aylmer, however, becomes obsessed with the birthmark as the one flaw in an otherwise perfect beauty. When Aylmer involuntarily shudders at the appearance of the birthmark, which waxes and wanes with the flushing or paling of the lady's cheek, Georgiana also develops a horror of her supposed blemish. Aylmer has a prophetic dream in which he seeks surgically to remove the mark, but it recedes as he probes till it clutches at her heart. In despair, Georgiana encourages Aylmer to try to remove the mark, even if it endangers her life to do so.
He secludes her in a lovely boudoir and entertains her with enchanting illusions and captivating fragrances. He and his gross, shaggy-haired assistant, Aminadab, labor mightily in Aylmer's laboratory to produce an elixir that will irradicate the imperfection of his nearly perfect bride. The laboratory's fiery furnace, its soot-blackened walls, its gaseous odors, and its test tubes and crucibles contrast grimly against the ethereal boudoir where his wife waits.
Meanwhile, Georgiana finds and reads Aylmer's journal, which records his scientific experiments. Her admiration and understanding for her husband's aspirations and intellect increase, even as she recognizes that most of his experiments are magnificent failures. Though she no longer expects to outlive the experience, she gladly and lovingly accepts the draft from her husband's hand. The birthmark does indeed fade, leaving her a vision of perfect beauty, a spirit unblemished in the flesh, but Georgiana is dead. The birthmark is mortality itself.
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