Comparative Essay
Theme in “The Birth Mark” and “Girl”
In “The Birth Mark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne and Jamaica Kincaid “Girl”, the theme gives a sense of meaning and importance in the two short stories. The theme of striving for perfection is what shapes the characters and makes them act in different ways. In “The Birth Mark”, Aylmer, being the main character, wants his wife, Georgiana, to be viewed as flawless so he does everything in his power to remove the birth mark that she is possessed with. In “Girl” , the mother is teaching her daughter how to be the perfect women in society. In order to fully understand how both short stories incorporate the same theme, female stereotypes, persuasion and visual imagery must first be examined. Once this has been done, it will be clear that perfection is the main theme in the stories. In today’s society, the ‘ideal look’ is an image that women strive to accomplish and fulfill. Perfection becomes an idea that all women feel like they need to become to receive simple things such as recognition, acknowledgement and most importantly love. This is evident in “The Birth Mark” where Aylmer, a natural philosopher, is intrigued and even obsessed with a birth mark on his wife’s face. Although he is very much in love with his wife, it becomes clear that his love and appreciation of her would increase with the removal of her birth mark. He believes that his wife is “nearly perfect” (CITE) if it not for her “visibly mark of earthly imperfection” (CITE). Through this quote, we are able to see that Aylmer is fixated on this one birth mark that he believes to be a flaw. Moreover, the birth mark he considers to be a flaw causes him not to appreciate or recognize that his wife is beautiful. This is significant because it shows that Aylmer’s wife does not conform to Aylmer’s idea of perfection which ultimately prevents him from acknowledging the beauty that his wife is. Through this we see that the female stereotype of perfection is an
In “The Birth Mark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne and Jamaica Kincaid “Girl”, the theme gives a sense of meaning and importance in the two short stories. The theme of striving for perfection is what shapes the characters and makes them act in different ways. In “The Birth Mark”, Aylmer, being the main character, wants his wife, Georgiana, to be viewed as flawless so he does everything in his power to remove the birth mark that she is possessed with. In “Girl” , the mother is teaching her daughter how to be the perfect women in society. In order to fully understand how both short stories incorporate the same theme, female stereotypes, persuasion and visual imagery must first be examined. Once this has been done, it will be clear that perfection is the main theme in the stories. In today’s society, the ‘ideal look’ is an image that women strive to accomplish and fulfill. Perfection becomes an idea that all women feel like they need to become to receive simple things such as recognition, acknowledgement and most importantly love. This is evident in “The Birth Mark” where Aylmer, a natural philosopher, is intrigued and even obsessed with a birth mark on his wife’s face. Although he is very much in love with his wife, it becomes clear that his love and appreciation of her would increase with the removal of her birth mark. He believes that his wife is “nearly perfect” (CITE) if it not for her “visibly mark of earthly imperfection” (CITE). Through this quote, we are able to see that Aylmer is fixated on this one birth mark that he believes to be a flaw. Moreover, the birth mark he considers to be a flaw causes him not to appreciate or recognize that his wife is beautiful. This is significant because it shows that Aylmer’s wife does not conform to Aylmer’s idea of perfection which ultimately prevents him from acknowledging the beauty that his wife is. Through this we see that the female stereotype of perfection is an