Hawthorne,+Nathaniel


 * The Birthmark**

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Aylmer is scientist **that** has devoted himself to the science world. He is married to Georgiana who is almost perfect, except for the **hand shaped** birthmark she has on her cheek. Aylmer despises his wife’s imperfecti**on** **, it is** small enough to be covered by the tips of two of her fingers. However, Aylmer is the only one **that** places so much attention on her imperfection. When she is pale, the mark is very noticeable. When she is flushed, the mark blends in with her red complexion. He hates the mark more and more each day. He notices that all his focus is set on the mark and deems it intolerable. Georgiana confronts Aylmer about having a dream about the mark. Aylmer confesses to having a dream about removing the mark. G agrees and says either to take the mark off or to take her wretched life. A comes up with a plan to remove the mark, but when G is in the lab she faints. Aminadab, the assistant, says he would never remove the mark. G wakes up and says the room is nice. Aylmer is testing different potions on G while she is in the room, but none of them seem to work. A has a lot of potions in his lab that can do “miraculous things”, but also have the potential of killing someone. G abhors her birthmark more than her husband now. G finds A‘s portfolio of all his past experiment. She notices that for him to succeed he also had to fail. She notices a sensation in her birthmark, but does not tell A. She follows him to the lab. Besides all the equipmen**t; s**he is drawn to the aspect of A himself. A tells G that there is “danger”. Instead of becoming frightened by this, G demands that the mark be removed. A comes up with a concoction and says, “Unless all my science has deceived me, it cannot fail”. A tries to prove it will work by pouring some into the pot of a blotchy geranium. After she takes the concoction, nothing happens at first. Later they notice the birthmark has faded from her cheek. The birthmark is connected to her heart. G dies as the last tint of her birthmark disappears. A hears a laughter when G’s soul leaves towards heaven.=====

"Perfection must be wrought by toil and pain". I think there are a few themes Hawthorne tries to portray through **the Birthmark. First, the idea that no human being is "perfect"FRAGMENT! .** Although Georgiana appeared to be physically beautiful, the birthmark on her cheek "made sure she was not perfect". I think the laughter at the end of the story was coming from nature. Nature was laughing at Aylmer for trying to tweak what Nature had given Georgiana. Nature creates man, not to be **mended- wrong word** with.
 * Theme**

" Unless all my science has deceived me, it cannot fail".
 * Second, the idea that mankind tend to become cocky with knowledge - FRAGMENT! .** I think Aylmer throughout the story gives off an arrogant vibe. He boasts about having "powerful" potions. I think he feels confident using science to alter what Nature had given his **wife, in the** end his plan deceives him. A person with knowledge is powerful, but should not be too overconfident.

"Masculine observers, if the birthmark did not heighten their admiration, contented themselves with wishing it away, that the world might possess one living specimen of ideal loveliness without the semblance of a flaw. After his marriage,--for he thought little or nothing of the matter before, --Aylmer discovered that this was the case with himself." Lastly, I think acceptance is an important part of the story. I think Georgiana is affected by Aylmer's failure to accept her "imperfection". She does not seem to think much of it at first, but in the end she despises her mark more than her husband. If Aylmer could have just accepted his wife's uniqueness, instead of comparing her to perfection, she would not have died.

I enjoyed this story a lot. I could relate the different themes to different situations in the world today. The idea that no human being is "perfect" and acceptance reminds me of plastic surgery today. These days more people are getting cosmetic surgery to alter their "flaws". Surgery is a dangerous procedure which could possibly result in death. However, if the person **accpets** what nature has given them, they would not think about getting the surgery. I do not think people should undergo plastic surgery just because they are not satisfied with their appearance. The fact that Georgiana's opinion toward her birthmark was affected by Aylmer reminded me of peer pressure. In the beginning, Georgiana thinks of her birthmark as a charm. She says, "To tell you the truth, it has been so often called a charm, that I was simple enough to imagine it might be so." However, Aylmer's daily ridiculing lowers her self-esteem. In the end, she abhors her birthmark even more than Aylmer does. She demands that the birthmark br removed. Today, I think many people give in to peer pressure. I think it is important to stand up for what you believe and not to let others opinions drive your beliefs.**I agree!**
 * Reflection**

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