"The Birthmark" uses the example of a newly-married couple to ask questions about the nature of love and the dynamic of marriage. Reacting to this remark from a feminist perspective, Fetterly argues that Aylmer’s “lofty talk [about wanting Georgina to be perfect] is but a cover of his central emotion of revulsion [at her feminine nature].” She adds that Georgiana’s innate flaw is not the birthmark but the female sexuality that the birthmark represents. Beyond the birthmark, she represents divine perfection, as Aylmer himself goes so far as to say, "There is no taint of imperfection on thy spirit" (430). He wants to remove the mark, then, not because he doesn't like the way she looks, but because of what the symbol represents to him (see "Symbols, Imagery, Allegory"). Beauty. Scientists have discovered much about the size, majesty and precision of the universe, but they cannot discover the way to peace and 3) “Technology cannot solve the problem of death.” One of the greatest surprises in our lives is the brevity of life, in which mankind does not possess the power over.…, Mary Shelley demonstrates Victor’s responsibility of the creation by saying “[he] have finished the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart” signifying that Victor does not want anything to do with the horrendous monster he created, but his shows some of the responsibility. Why does Georgiana agree to allow Aylmer to try to remove her birthmark? The narrator introduces Aylmer as a brilliant scientist and natural philosopher who has abandoned his experiments for a while to marry the beautiful Georgiana. He therefore appreciates the birthmark, as do several of Georgiana's other suitors. The analysis we offer here explores that last question and in so doing reveals the complexity of … Discuss the relationship between Aylmer and Georgiana in \”The Birthmark.\”. Aylmer uses Georgiana’s love and trust for him against her, turning her into a scientific experiment, and taking away her life. The ideal wife—at least according to the ideals of a bygone era—Georgiana considers Aylmer to be her master. A few hours later, Georgiana goes to the laboratory to find Aylmer. One night she reminds him of a dream he had. She cheerfully says no but grows serious when she sees that he asked the question seriously. At the mention of the birthmark, Georgiana, as usual, shrank as if a red-hot iron had touched her cheek. Mercy that Leopold and Loeb did not give Bobby…, Billy Graham speaks, “about science and technology and that despite its many advances it has not been able to solve the problems of evil, suffering, and death,” (Graham 2008). Otherwise, his message and warning of the dangers of technology could have never been expressed in such a way that makes the reader realize its true significance in the modern world. Mankind has harnessed the power of computers to help process vast amounts of information, but human beings cannot correctly process their personal problems. Gradually the birthmark fades. Does Georgiana truly want her birthmark removed? Then he gives her a fast-growing flower that dies as soon as she touches it. Aylmer is terrified of nature and possibly the fact that he is unable to control Georgiana. 400. Between experiments, Aylmer tells Georgiana about alchemy. Aylmer tells Georgiana about his displeasure with her birthmark. D. Georgiana's birthmark ties her to the natural world, and Aminadab represents the physical aspects of man. Aylmer’s objective is to get rid of the birthmark and if he was successful that in turn would mean he is able to overcome nature. She does this for a couple of reasons. He believes that he could turn base metal into gold and create a potion that would grant eternal life if he wanted to, even though he says he knows that doing so would be wrong. For him, it symbolizes mortality and sin and comes to tower over Georgiana’s beauty in his mind. In her room, Georgiana thinks about how noble it is that Aylmer refuses to love her as she is, insisting instead to create his ideal version of her. No. More arguments in the speech that Darrow includes, is his plea of mercy for Leopold and Loeb “with judgment, understanding and faith all life is worth saving, and that mercy is the highest attribute of man” however; Leopold and Loeb are not worthy of this mercy. It hard to say it any other way, but this truly was the only way Max Barry could write what he really wanted to write about. In the end Georgiana was just another failed "experiment" of Alymers'. Soon, the birthmark caused him more pain than Georgiana's beauty had ever given him pleasure. Why does Georgiana drink the potion when she has come to doubt Aylmer’s skill? In some ways Aylmer fears the power of nature and the fact that he has absolutely no control over anything. “Darkness had no effect upon my fancy...:”, the reason being that without know, it was already ingrained in him (shelly 58).This one necessary idea lead victor to deprive himself “...of health and rest” (shelly 67). Her husband, Aylmer, is a scientist. Aylmer, the protagonist of Hawthorne’s “The Birthmark,” undertakes to remove the blemish from his wife’s cheek to satisfy his own spiritual strivings and to redeem what he sees as a failed career. Thrilled, Aylmer agrees to try. How is Aylmer attempting to "play God?" He says he would not remove the birthmark if Georgiana were his wife. Mary Shelley’s main protagonist, Victor Frankenstein, in Frankenstein, David Gow from Geoff Brumfiel’s article “Replaceable You”, and Dr. Rosen from his interview, “Dr.…, This is especially important to this work in particular because of its dealings with Charles’ own body. Still, the accounts of his studies make her worship him. Some women think the mark ruins her beauty, but the narrator says this is nonsense. He has already made stunning discoveries about volcanoes, fountains, mines, and other natural wonders. Early on in the story, Aylmer has a dream about Georgiana's birthmark and how "it is in her heart now" (422). ... wants her birthmark on her face to be removed and dies at the end of the story. They decide to move to the apartments where Aylmer has his laboratory. Aylmer, however, tells her that he can’t stand the birthmark because it’s the only imperfect aspect of an otherwise perfect being. Georgiana’s male admirers love the birthmark, and many would risk their lives just to kiss it. In response to her husband’s habit of shuddering whenever he beholds the birthmark, Georgiana grows to loathe it as much as he does, referring to it as "this odious hand" (39) and begging Aylmer to remove "this hateful mark" even if it kills her in order to prevent her from going insane (41). Hurt and angry, Georgiana questions why Aylmer agreed to marry her if … Although every other man she has encountered has swooned over her beauty and many would risk death for the privilege of touching her birthmark, Georgiana cares only about Aylmer’s opinion of her. Aminadab, Aylmer’s grotesque assistant, comes out to help. What does chapter three of "Nature" talk about? She realizes that his achievements always fall short of the goals he originally sets. Georgiana trusts his work as a scientist. He can think of nothing else. Georgiana learns to shrink from her … Aylmer's obsession with Georgiana's birthmark makes her feel ugly. When he sees her, he grows angry, accuses her of prying, and tells her to go away. All of Aylmer’s work would be nothing compared to getting rid of the birthmark. Aylmer now sees Georgina as an experiment, a patient whom he needs to help and save from an imagined monstrosity rather than his wife that needs support and unconditional love. She finds a journal of his experiments and as she reads it she is taken by his work. Aylmer comforts her with some of his more magical creations: “airy figures, absolute bodiless ideas, and forms of unsubstantial beauty.” He shows her moving scenes that mimic real life. (neverminIf a person is impractical and does everything without thinking, the outcome could be detrimental. Georgiana realizes that Aylmer has been doctoring her food or making her inhale something in the air. Aylmer grows to detest Georgiana's birthmark, shaped like a tiny hand in the center of the left side her face, because he believes it mars her otherwise perfect beauty: No, dearest Georgiana, … Why did she give in? Georgiana is appalled, but Aylmer says the poison is more good than bad. He thought that if the removal becomes successful, he would be celebrated as one of the most intelligent creatures in the world. Paragraph 5 [1] “Ah, upon another face perhaps it might,” replied her husband; “but never on yours. To be able to relay such vital feelings and decisions Nuemann feels and makes through any other point of view would be not only exhausting, but also inefficient and, realistically, impossible. Some women think the mark ruins her beauty, but the narrator says this is nonsense. 300. Georgiana’s birthmark has the “power” of nature to destroy everything who sees it. The Birthmark is no different the conflict is between Aylmer and Georgiana who are husband and wife. During a period that should have been their happiest, Aylmer … Because, when we read "The Birthmark" carefully, we find that Georgiana is devoted, which is not the same as being weak. “The Birthmark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne tells the story of a couple who are torn apart by a physical flaw on Georgiana, the wife’s cheek. According to Freud’s The Uncanny Aylmer is actually repressing many of his actual fears. Remember your paper must be at least 1200 words.1. The obvious would be to make the birthmark that he dislikes greatly on his wife’s face disappear. Aminadab. The beautiful Georgiana tries to get a flawless flower thinks "'It is magical!' If a person is sagacious and pragmatic, they will be successful. One night she reminds him of a dream he had. After an initial shocked reaction, Georgiana quickly changes her mindset to agree with her husband and lets him know: “I know not what may be the cost of both of us to rid me of this fatal birthmark. The secret that he treasured so much was his ultimate end, for no human should be able to wield and posses such information without the consequences of science. Frankenstein was so obsessed with creating a being that he didn't care about the changes that came his way. Georgiana says that she will risk her life to have the birthmark erased. These three ideas of the collective society block all innovation and research from the majority of the population so nobody can help improve the society with their ideas, which is why the society still uses things like candles when the past societies were clearly more technologically advanced. He kisses his wife’s unmarked cheek. Innovations are made every day because people are never satisfied with their current lives and they strive for improvements. Once they over focus on their dreams, they push their loved ones and friends in the process, like for example in Frankenstein; Victor pushes his family away before he felt as if his dreams were more important. The reader can see the… Aylmer obsesses about the birthmark. Now he will resume his studies of the creation of life. His desire to remove the birthmark creates a great chasm, and his wife, is frightened by the things he tells her..... his dreams. ...or sitting around the fire at night, Aylmer always sees the birthmark and remembers that Georgiana is human rather than divine. Georgiana wakes, sees herself in the mirror, and tells Aylmer not to feel bad about rejecting “the best the earth could offer.” Then she dies. By removing something that God has given her. Aylmer is convinced that the birthmark is not only a physical flaw but symbolizes a deeper spiritual flaw as well. Georgiana lets Aylmer attempt to remove the birthmark, despite the terrible danger, because she loves her husband so much and he is so troubled by the mark. The leaders in Anthem clearly do not want…, These are the events that supposedly taught Leopold and Loeb how not to value human life, but this argument becomes invalid because, both were incredibly intelligent, so there’s no way that any of them would be influenced by a war that they were too young to experience. Although, they may seem like a wonderful couple there is one flaw that Aylmer is obsessing over and it proves to be the downfall to their marriage. When the word ‘Nature’ comes to mind, people think of the environment, trees, birds, a set of ecosystems, etc.…, What does the world of Anthem imply about the nature of technological progress? The main character, Aylmer, works desperately in his laboratory in hopes of finding a cure. The only difference might be the amount of effort each respective person puts into their work.…, A lot of thinkers and scientists find it easy to differentiate the natural from the artificial especially with the innovative technologies invading our lives these days. Both deserve the worst punishment possible for taking the life of Young and Innocent Bobby Franks. His wife Georgiana is so committed to her husband that she defines herself utterly through his vision of her. Aylmer obsesses about the birthmark. Aylmer watches her with tenderness but also as if he is watching a scientific experiment unfold. In this paper I will be discussing the importance of nature and the significant moral status it has over the artificial. And then there is perhaps the most intriguing question of all: why does Aylmer undertake to eradicate the birthmark? His plan goes awry when the potion ends his wife’s life. Georgiana is angry at first, and then she weeps, asking how he can love her if she is shocking to him. Language. 1) “Technology cannot solve the problem of human evil.” Our world is filled with so many problems disease, pollution, poverty, ignorance, religious confusion, war, terrorist act, crime, violence, hunger, immorality, slavery, oppression, political upheaval and much more; 2) “Technology cannot solve the problem of human suffering.” Men have created many amazing technological inventions, but they cannot create solutions to their problems. Another is a poison that, depending on the dose, would allow Aylmer to kill someone instantly or after a long period of time. Aylmer, however, finds it repulsive. You can view our. She trusts in him implicitly, which shows incredible faith and certainty on her part. Many people, she says, have told her the mark is a charm, and she has always thought maybe they were right. cried Georgiana. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Birthmark, is a short story from the gothic genre. As the couple enters the laboratory, Aylmer shudders at the sight of Georgiana, and she faints. She promises to drink whatever he tells her to drink. Aylmer asks her to pluck a flower and “the whole plant suffered a blight, its leaves turning coal-black as if by the agency of fire”(220). Furthermore, intelligence can also be achieved through hard work and perseverance. Science is very important to the development of the human species; however, science may never be able to surpass nature. Eventually Georgiana's vision of her birthmark was distorted by Almyer's distate of it. Moreover, Georgiana represents nature and her birthmark is the perfect example of how every human is unique and that no one has control full control of how they look or how tall they grow to be. In reality, having only intelligence would not guarantee success, as there are other factors that are needed such as leadership and communication skills. Aylmer represents science and everything that deals with overcoming the natural world and life. Typically gothic short stories take place within the home and the conflict is mainly around family members. Is Aylmer, in inventing this elixir, trying to play God? Evident in every “I” or “my” printed, the first person viewpoint chosen in Machine Man is easily the most significant choice Max Barry had to take when it came to writing his tale.…, However, the idea that inserting intelligence genes would guarantee success and that only natural-born intelligent individuals would be educated is not completely true as this idea depends on the stereotypes that people hold. She reads the books in his scientific library, as well as his accounts of his own experiments. Again Aylmer applied himself to his labors. Why was Georgiana so weak and vulnerable to her husband's need to change her? Georgiana has a birthmark on her cheek that is shaped as a hand, although it may seem trivial to Aylmer this birthmark represents much more. Again I ask why should we show them mercy? The narrator explains that the birthmark in question is a red mark in the shape of a tiny hand on Georgiana’s left cheek. It is amazing how curiosity arises questions that could lead to progress but it is also dangerous since there are potential risks that could happen. ... What does chapter two of "Nature" talk about? He shows her how it cures a geranium of blots. The mark disappears when she blushes. In society, individuals get too caught up in trying to make their dreams come true, but once they achieve them may times it is not always want they imagine it to be. Therefore, to remove the birthmark completely from Georgiana's cheek, he believes that he needs a much more potent solution. Georgiana wakes up in sweet-smelling rooms that have been made beautiful for her. Aylmer reasons that the birthmark is Nature's way of showing Georgiana's mortality and necessary humanity. Geogiana shares Aylmer’s opinion about the birthmark on her cheek. Marriage. Aylmer says that because her face is almost perfect, any mark is shocking. Next he tries to create a portrait of her with a metal plate, but when the plate shows a hand, he throws it into acid. He shows her another potion that can wipe away freckles, but he says her birthmark needs a much deeper cure. Georgiana is a beautiful, intelligent woman who is also a wife to Aylmer. Aylmer remembers dreaming that he had removed the birthmark with a knife, plunging down until he had reached his wife’s heart, which he decided to cut out. Not only was he risking himself mentally but also physically.…, The Way One Achieves a Goal He brings her a potion that he says cannot fail. The cosmetic also foreshadows Georgiana's death. Did Aylmer love Georgiana as much as he loved science? He disappears for hours and then shows her his cabinet of wonders. For him, it symbolizes mortality and sin and comes to tower over Georgiana’s beauty in his mind. Scientists such as Aylmer are innovators, but not everything that one sets their mind to is attainable and that is Aylmer’s ultimate, The Conflict Between Aylmer And Georgiana In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Birthmark. Moved, Aylmer says the mark goes deep into her body, and its removal will be dangerous. Moreover, Georgiana represents nature and her birthmark is the perfect example of how every human is unique and that no one has control full control of how they look or how tall they grow to be. How a person goes about achieving that goal determines the outcome. Georgiana replies that she has not, and admits that she always thought it a “charm” of her appearance. Yet we still find it impossible to value nature and the infinite resources it has provided us since the beginning of mankind. If someone works hard enough to learn, they would eventually reach a point where they have the same abilities as a natural-born intelligent person. 3. Choose one of the topics below to write your literary research paper. Aylmer watches and rejoices as the birthmark fades little by little. She stands her ground and refuses, saying he should trust her and not try to hide his fears. Her body feels strange. She subordinates the possibility of her own dying to the possibility that Aylmer’s love for her will die if the birthmark continues to exist on her … Why did Georgiana die from not having the birthmark? He spoke in his sleep, saying they must take out her heart. Aminadab laughs. Georgiana submits to Aylmer and only cares about what he thinks of her, and she becomes the subject of one … The collective society of Anthem does not allow for innovation because they reject new ideas, frown upon independent thinking, and restrict people from doing what they want. This act showed how men of ancient times were misogynistic and thought little of women, only thinking of themselves and the pride that their work will bring them.…, He believed that the knowledge he so desperately sought after was his without consequence, but he was sadly mistaken. When she feels her husband is wrong, she challenges him (see the scene in the laboratory). Dr. Graham had three key points that he spoke on. Did Aylmer's obsession with the birthmark reflect his obsession with science or his his wife? Soon after, Aylmer brings her the potion, which he demonstrates as effective by rejuvenating a diseased plant with a few drops. All Victor wanted in his life was to show the world that he could create a creature that nobody has ever seen before, in a way nobody has ever seen before. [2] No, dearest Georgiana, you came so nearly perfect from the hand of Nature that this slightest possible defect, which we Nowadays individuals do not want to accept the fact that when they desire their dreams so much there main focus is just that.…. Protesting that she doesn't need proof to trust her husband, Georgiana drinks the concoction and promptly falls asleep. She sings to him, restoring his spirits. Georgiana cooperates with Aylmer’s scheme to remove her “flaw” and even encourages him to proceed after he detects a life-threatening risk and makes her aware of it. As a result, she practically begs him to rid her of something that never before bothered her, and in the end, his elixir ends her life. As the bearer of the birthmark, Georgiana is the embodiment of human imperfection and mortality, at least in her physical form. Because she expresses an utmost allegiance to her husband, Georgiana begins to resent her appearance and birthmark just as Aylmer does. The society in the beginning of Anthem is a collective society with no room for any independence and it is a society that is very technologically primitive. 300. Does she see it in a positive or negative light? But most certainly there was a time where the natural was the only thing that existed and dominated all forms of lives. How did Georgiana really die? Aylmer is hard working scientist who is always in his laboratory desperately trying to perfect his craft. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Georgiana’s birthmark represents everything that Aylmer wants to overcome so the birthmark becomes a challenge. His real motives were to rid Georgiana of her imperfections to make her perfect, given that the birthmark represented human imperfection. How does Georgiana interpret the birthmark in paragraph 4? He professes complete confidence in his own abilities, likening himself to Pygmalion. One such wonder is a vial that holds a powerful perfume. One day, Aylmer asks his wife whether she has ever thought about removing the birthmark on her cheek. She drinks the liquid and sleeps. And since Aylmer is a man of science, curiosity is what fuels his whole being. Aylmer catches her crying over his journals, and although his words are kind, he is angry. In fact, she's actually a pretty tough lady. Scientist Aylmer seems to love his wife in so far as he can perfect her into something entirely outside the realm of human imperfection. By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from SparkNotes and verify that you are over the age of 13. Aylmer's Dream Sequence Aside from minor instances of foreshadowing in the story (such as the subtle but repeated reference to Georgiana's mark as "the fatal birthmark), there is only one major occurrence of this device. Aylmer is terrified of nature and possibly the fact that he is unable to control Georgiana. He can think of nothing else. Do you think Georgiana would have eventually wanted to remove her birthmark without Aylmer's influence?