Like the scientist Rappaccini, who poisons his daughter to make her beautiful, Aylmer commits the Hawthornian unpardonable sin:
he allows his zealous desire for scientific perfect to overtake his humanity
.
What does Aylmer represent?
Aylmer’s journals reveal that he considers his greatest achievements worthless in comparison to his ambition, which is nothing less than to exercise a godlike control over life. Aylmer is a character, of course, but he also functions as a
symbol of intellect and science
.
What is the unpardonable sin the birthmark?
His vertical consciousness is dissociated from his heart and he commits the “Unpardonable Sin” defined in “Ethan Brand”: “
The sin of an intellect that triumphed over the sense of brotherhood with man and reverence for God
, and sacrificed everything to its own mighty claims!
How does the birthmark represent sin?
Obsession in “The Birth-mark” and “Ligeia”
He relates this imperfection to sin; “it was the fatal flaw of humanity… the symbol of
his wife’s liability to sin
, sorrow, decay, and death” (Hawthorne, 633). Aylmer believes that if he can remove this imperfection, Georgiana will be a perfect, sinless human being.
Does Aylmer possess the faith in man’s ultimate control over nature?
We
know not whether Aylmer possessed this degree
of faith in man’s ultimate control over nature. He had devoted himself, however, too unreservedly to scientific studies ever to be weakened from them by any second passion.
Why does Aylmer want to do that on his wife?
One day, Aylmer asks his wife whether she has
ever thought about removing the birthmark on her cheek
. … Aylmer obsesses about the birthmark. For him, it symbolizes mortality and sin and comes to tower over Georgiana’s beauty in his mind. He can think of nothing else.
Why is Aylmer so intent on removing the birthmark?
Aylmer reasons that the birthmark is
Nature’s way of showing Georgiana’s mortality and necessary humanity
. 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”).
What is the theme of the birthmark by Nathaniel Hawthorne?
The Birthmark’ focuses on the theme of
obsession
, particularly the moment when love becomes an obsession, making it dangerous—and even deadly, shown in Aylmer’s obsession with the birthmark and Georgiana’s obsession with Aylmer to the point of willing suicide by poison.
What is the setting of the birthmark?
The action takes place
in the late 1700s at an unidentified location in Britain
. Aylmer: Scientist recognized throughout Europe for his breakthrough achievements. He marries an extraordinarily beautiful woman whose only flaw is a tiny birthmark on her cheek.
What meaning does Aylmer finally assign to the birthmark?
What meaning does Aylmer finally assign to the birthmark? For him it
becomes the symbol of Georgiana’s flawed humanity.
What happens to Georgiana when Aylmer finally removes the birthmark from her cheek?
A potion is used
to remove Georgiana’s birthmark. As the birthmark fades and is nearly gone, Georgiana wakes up. She is very happy to almost be rid of burdensome birthmark, but once the birthmark, finally, completely fades, so does Georgiana.
What reason does Georgiana give Aylmer of why she has never thought of removing her birthmark?
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
.
Who does Aylmer refer to as a human machine?
Aylmer’s laboratory assistant or “under-worker” (43) is
Aminadab
, whose name is a reverse anagram for “bad anima.” He embodies man’s physical nature in its lowest form. Aylmer calls him “thou human machine … thou man of clay!” (51), and “Ah, clod!
How does Georgiana feel about Aylmer?
A beautiful and passionate woman, Georgiana
is undone by her allegiance to her husband
. The ideal wife—at least according to the ideals of a bygone era—Georgiana considers Aylmer to be her master. … Even though she submits to her husband’s demands, she is not simply the familiar and stereotypical downtrodden wife.
What has Aylmer kept from his wife?
As the story progresses, Aylmer becomes unnaturally obsessed with
the birthmark
on Georgiana’s cheek. One night, he dreams of cutting the birthmark out of his wife’s cheek (removing it like scraping the skin from an apple) and then, realizing that the birthmark is deeper, continuing all the way to her heart.
Does Aylmer really love Georgiana?
Throughout the story,
Aylmer proves that his love for her is unaccepting
, and on the other hand Georgiana shows a kind of admiring love that he cannot comprehend. She welcomes everything about him and in return all she gets is a husband who hates the very existence of her birthmark that is placed upon her cheek.
Why does Aylmer work so hard to fake his confidence regarding the procedure?
Why does Aylmer work so hard to fake his confidence regarding the procedure? When Georgiana is first hanging out in the boudoir, Aylmer tells her of a healing solution he has that
will make freckles disappear
. This won’t work on her, however, he says, because it is merely superficial.
What does Aylmer do when he brings Georgiana into the lab that cause her to faint?
As he brings her into the laboratory, Georgiana is pale with fright. Her pallor emphasizes the birthmark, causing Aylmer
to shudder when he looks at her
. Seeing her husband shudder at her appearance causes Georgiana to faint. Aylmer shouts for his assistant, Aminadab, who comes out to help.
What does Aylmer desire most strongly?
Aylmer’s desire to make his wife perfect is
doomed to failure
because perfection, Hawthorne suggests, is the exclusive province of heaven and can’t be found on earth. In fact, the very success of Aylmer’s perfection-inducing potion may doom Georgiana to death.
When Aylmer dreams about surgically removing the birthmark what happens?
Aylmer dreams of cutting off Georgiana’s birthmark and
finding that the roots plunge down into her heart, which he decides to cut out
; Georgiana faints the first time she sees the laboratory; the beautiful, fast-blooming flower Aylmer creates withers and turns black as soon as Georgiana touches it; a reflection of …
How does Georgiana feel about Aylmer after reading his folio of experiments?
When Aylmer leaves the room, Georgiana
peruses the folios containing his notes on his experiments
, and although she is shocked by his many failures, her admiration for him increases because of his devotion to his work. “It has made me worship you more than ever,” she tells him.
How does the birthmark relate to our society?
In our society people go to extreme lengths to achieve perfection. The ‘Birthmark’;, written more than a century ago, is an
early version of our modern obsession with physical perfection
. Society manifests its obsession with physical perfection by having surgical procedures done on daily basis.
How does Aylmer view the relationship between science and nature?
Aylmer himself is aware of the
tenuous relationship
between science and nature – he tells Georgiana that even though he probably could create an elixir of life, he doesn’t do so because it would go against nature. … In working to change nature, then, Aylmer also attempts to change God’s creation.
What happens to Georgiana’s birthmark at the end of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Birthmark?
At the end of “The Birthmark,” Aylmer both succeeds and fails.
He succeeds in that he finally rid his wife of her birthmark
. … As we discuss in “Symbols, Imagery, Allegory,” Georgiana’s birthmark is no ordinary splotch. For one, it represents man’s imperfections – the very imperfections that make her human.
How did Aylmer feel about the birthmark before the wedding?
Because
Aylmer thinks the birthmark is ugly
, she now thinks herself ugly, and both partners become increasingly unhappy in their marriage. In Aylmer’s mind, the birthmark becomes the symbol of human imperfection.
What kills the protagonist’s wife in the birthmark?
Although his intentions are good, Aylmer is a selfish and cruel man whose
delusions
ultimately kill his wife. Read an in-depth analysis of Aylmer.
What qualities does Aylmer have?
Aylmer is often identified with
godlike qualities
, including his high intelligence and his ability to affect the natural world. He certainly sees himself in a position of utmost power over Georgiana, Aminadab, and nature.
Who is the foil in the birthmark?
Aminadab and
Aylmer
Add to that the fact that Aylmer is obsessed with removing Georgiana’s birthmark, while Aminadab mutters to himself that he would never part with it. Again, at the end of the text, these two are contrasted; Aminadab’s laughter betrays a wisdom on his part that poor Aylmer clearly lacks.
Why is Aylmer trying to rid Georgiana of the birthmark if he succeeds What will it mean to him again Hawthorne tells you right in his story?
Other than being a vain jerk who wants a “perfect” wife, why is Aylmer trying to rid Georgiana of the birthmark? … -repulsed by the birthmark because “he saw her otherwise so perfect, he found this one defect grow more and more intolerable. If he succeeds in removing the birthmark, it will mean
she is perfect again
.
Who is the villain in the birthmark?
Aylmer
is depicted as the villain whereas Georgiana is a heroine (Nathaniel, n.d, para 14). This is because; she is obedient and submissive to her husband just like the way the society expects from her. However, the only reward she gets from her loyalty is death.
Why is Aylmer so obsessed with perfecting Georgiana?
Aylmer loves Georgiana, but he cannot stand this one aspect of her that falls short of perfection. … Aylmer becomes so obsessed with making
Georgiana absolutely perfect that her one supposed imperfection comes to blind him to everything else good about her
.
Do not repent that with so high and pure a feeling you have rejected the best the earth could offer?
Do not repent, that, with so high and pure a feeling, you have rejected the best the earth could offer. … Thus ever does the gross Fatality of Earth exult in its invariable triumph over the immortal essence, which, in this dim sphere of half-development, demands the completeness of a higher state.
What does Aylmer symbolize in the birthmark?
Georgiana’s birthmark symbolizes
mortality
. According to the narrator, every living thing is flawed in some way, nature’s way of reminding us that every living thing eventually dies. Aylmer’s revulsion for his wife’s birthmark suggests the horror he feels at the prospect of death. …
How does Aylmer get rid of the birthmark?
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. Georgiana says that she will risk her life to have the birthmark erased. … He kisses his wife’s unmarked cheek.
How is the central male character Aylmer described in this story?
Aylmer is
an intellectual run amok
, a man whose mind has overpowered his sense of decency. An incredibly skilled scientist, he has made many exciting discoveries about the physical world. His inquiries into the spiritual world, however, tend to be more disturbing.
