Perfection In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Birthmark

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Nathaniel Hawthorne ranks among one of the best authors of American literature. Although he did not win any awards or prizes, he won fame. One of his most famous short stories was The Birthmark. In this story, the talented scientist who is also Georgiana’s husband, Alymer, is obsessed with perfection for his wife, a goal that is not worth conquering. Our society is always working towards the obsession of physical perfection while trying to twist nature by going to the extreme of procedures, surgeries, etc. Perfection doesn’t exist on planet Earth, but Alymer is convinced that without the hand shaped spot on her cheek, she will be the leading definition of perfect. In the end, Alymers attempt to try and fix what nature has already made, using science, ends in death and unhappiness.…show more content…
They’ve told her that it actually makes her lovely so she’s grown up her whole life not seeing it as a flaw. But with Alymer, it’s all he can see when he looks at her. She begins to hate it herself because he does. Perfection is not a goal worth pursuing because nothing is perfect on this planet. If Alymer truly loved her, he would see past it while knowing that it’s the way God created her. He would see it as a beautiful mark that made her different and more beautiful than any other woman. Trying to do the impossible to a human being, takes away the essence of that
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