Perfection In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Birthmark

The Unattainability of Perfection: A Critical Analysis of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Birthmark” Perfection is one of the most sought-after qualities in society. People are willing to shell out large sums of money for dieting plans, training regimens, and plastic surgery – all in an attempt to be perfect, whether that means having a slim waist, a defined core, or a more attractive nose. However, nobody is flawless. Even if an individual alters their physical appearance to what they believe to be “perfect,” they will nonetheless have other, non-physical faults that will limit their ability to attain perfection. Nathaniel Hawthorne, a 19th century American writer, expressed his feelings about the attainability of perfection in his fiction.
For instance, Aylmer dreams of “attempting an operation for the removal of the birthmark, […] [whose] tiny grasp appeared to have caught hold of Georgiana’s heart […]; [Aylmer] was […] resolved to cut […] it away” (15). Even in Aylmer’s dream, it appears difficult to achieve perfection – and the dream world is not reality. As a result, Hawthorne is commenting on the fact that, in the real world, it is virtually impossible to attain flawlessness. Later on, Aylmer insists that Georgiana touch the “perfect and lovely flower […] [which] no sooner […] suffered a blight, its leaves turning coal-black as if by the agency of fire” (18). From this, Hawthorne makes the point that perfection is unattainable. The moment Georgiana touches the otherwise perfect flower, the plant dies – foreshadowing Aylmer’s impending failure. This failure, in addition, is foreshadowed when Georgiana, reading through her husband’s folio of past experiments, discovers that “his most splendid successes were almost invariably failures” (20). This example of foreshadowing Georgiana’s death, again, indicates that their intention for perfection is not a fruitful