Theme of Perfection in The Birthmark by Nathaniel Hawthorne Literary Analysis Essay

“The Birth-mark” is a short strory wherein Nathaniel Hawthorne expresses the quintessential conflict of humanity. That is to strive for perfection or to embrace the humanities of mortallity. So it is that Hawthorne illustrates that perfection can not be reached by man through science. 

Aylmer wants to become God and make his wife perfect. Aylmer compares his wife Georgianas birthmark to sin. “Fatal birthmark” (3) her birthmark represents mortality and Aylmer sees her birthmark as death and his horror of death is connected to the birthmark. “The symbol of [Georgiana] to sin, sorrow, decay, and death” (2) he wants to remove his wife of sin which is symbolized by her birthmark. Aylmer also wants authority and control over nature which God has total control over. “Nothing less than perfection” (10) Aylmer wants to be better than God and he strives for nothing but perfection. Aylmer sees the birthmark as an imperfection but also as mortality. According to Aylmer, every living thing has imperfection and its nature's way of reminding us that everything dies. “Earthly imperfection” (1) her birthmark is yet again imperfect which is what the world is and what humans are. “ I shall have corrected what Nature left imperfect” (4) Aylmer wants the authority of God and to correct everything he deems as not perfect and this shows his desire of perfection and wanting to become God. 

Aylmer loses his happiness in his strive for perfection. He failed to love the birthmark and just be able to deal with it. His imagination and the way he viewed the birthmark caused his more trouble than love. “Causing him more trouble and horror” (2) he becomes obsessed which causes him all of this trouble and happiness is lost trying to make perfection. Aylmer not only lost the “love of his life” but also himself. “Slender… pale intellectual face” (5) pale has a negative connotation, he is losing himself over the obsession of the birthmark.  “Dream...the removal of the birthmark” (3) he is so obsessed with her birthmark that he dreamed of removing it. He is constantly thinking and dreaming about getting rid of the birthmark. “Rejected the best the earth could offer...I am dying” (12) Aylmer lost Georgiana by trying to make her perfect. The birthmark heloed keep her spirit attached to herself. Aylmer lost the one thing from earth that brought him happiness. “[Aylmer] reaches a profounder wisdom….flung away happiness”(12) he failed to appreciate the birthmark and mortality. Instead Aylmer focused and obsessed over the negative things in life.