Perfection In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Birthmark

The Birthmark on Mortal Perfection Hawthorne writes about a subject that is still very prominent now. He examines the obsession with human perfection. The story tells of a very successful scientist and philosopher, Aylmer, and his very beautiful wife Georgiana. Aylmer is obsessed with perfection, as are most scientists. He makes sure he experiments with all possible options to conclude the best results for a perfect solution. Now Aylmer is very much in love with his wife Georgiana, and she with him. Yet he begins to start to obsess over this tiny hand-shaped mole on the left cheek of Georgiana. Most other men have claimed to like the birthmark, one as to even saying, “…some fairy at her birth hour had laid her tiny hand upon the infant’s cheek, and left this impress there in token of the magic endowments
She knew it would not be longer than one moment for she knew the second Aylmer found a cure he was looking for the next imperfection to solve.
Aylmer returns with a clear elixir and has Georgiana consume it. Almost immediately after doing so she falls asleep. As she sleeps Aylmer sits and takes note on her actions. It is important to note that as she sleeps Aylmer has a sudden strange and unaccountable impulse, and he kisses Georgiana’s birthmark. Before his eyes the hand slowly begins to fade away. Shade by shade it fades away. Yet as the hand begins to disappear her skin becomes more and more pale. Aylmer and Aminadab’s excitement wakes Georgiana. She sees in the mirror that the mark is now gone and shows a faint smile. But she gives Aylmer a face showing trouble and anxiety. She tells him that, “…you have rejected the best the earth could offer”(1140). She is saying that she was the closest thing Nature produced to perfect and because Aylmer could not stand imperfections or flaws he has now given her the cure that will make her perfect and take her