Journal "The Birth Mark"

Imperfections make a person unique and different from others in the world. Flaws are not necessarily always a negative feature in a human being. However, to some individuals something imperfect can drive them to a fatal obsession about the imperfection. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story "The Birth-Mark," Georgiana, a beautiful and almost perfect woman is willing to change her imperfection on her cheek to please her husband, Aylmer, to become his ideal wife. Aylmer continuously points out Georgiana’s disturbing birthmark and will do everything in his power to get rid of the flaw that lies upon her pale cheek. Georgiana tragically relents to her husband’s pressure and this destroys happiness that both of them could have shared.

            Georgiana is the type of wife that will do whatever it takes to please her husband. Aylmer believes she has an odd looking birthmark and is devoted to persuade her to remove it. It is in the center of her left cheek that is a singular mark that is deeply interwoven with texture and substance of her face. It is similar to a handprint many people would say. Georgiana also has very nice complexion; however, when she gets nervous her eye-catching birthmark disappears, then reappears once she turns pale again. Georgiana’s lovers say that a fairy laid their tiny hand on her cheek as a baby; that is why it is so special. Men are drawn to her: “...desperate swain would have risked life for the privilege of pressing his lips to the mysterious hand”. Her birthmark is something special to her and she has gone her whole life without thinking of it as something she should feel shame or regret about. But unfortunately, her husband whom she loves so much, decides to pester her about the situation. Georgiana has grown to please her husband, so she knows she must do something about her birthmark for it to be fixed.