The Birth Mark

Aylmer has found love. His bride is beautiful and everything he could want and need.

Nothing could go wrong, right?

That's where the theme of this short story by Hawthorne comes in-the human obsession for physical perfection. Aylmer's beloved wife is not entirely perfect, and this idea begins to fester in his mind. The hand-shaped birthmark on Georgiana's cheek was overlooked entirely until Aylmer began entertaining the idea of its ugliness.

Even though this story was written in 1843, the theme is very much in line with important themes in our culture today. Media and other outlets suggest that beauty is physicial perfection and only perfection. Some people will go to great lengths to reach that goal while putting themselves or others at physical and emotional risk. This is what I believe is clearly symbolized in The Birth Mark that concludes with the death of Georgiana. The saddest part of the story for me was the gradual decline of Georgiana's self-confidence and image. She begins by admitting she has never considered having the mark removed and stating that "it has been so often called a charm, that I was simple enought to imagine it might be so." I feel she did believe it a charm right up until the moment her husband, her love and desire, questioned it. Realizing his disdain for her appearance (which she probably took pride in before), she is willing to forfeit her life to obtain that favor her husband placed on her before.

Therefore, it can be said that this obsession for perfection is not a new idea to this age. But one should ask, why do we as humans have this obsession? Does obtaining physical perfection result in an untimely death of some part of ourselves?

Nathaniel Hawthorne