The Birthmark

In Nathan Hawthorne's The Birthmark a well-to-do scientist (Aylmer) gives up his preoccupation to take on a wife (Georgiana) and lead a normal life. Georgiana was an incredibly beautiful woman who displayed one minor flaw; a birthmark on her left cheek shaped like a small hand. Rather than loving his wife and her flaw, or even just ignoring or seeing past the birthmark, Aylmer soon becomes obsessed with it. He acknowledges the fact that his wife is physically attractive, but proceeds to make negative comments about her birthmark. When she tries to defend the mark as more of a charm, Aylmer makes such statements as "Ah, upon another face perhaps it might, but never on yours. No, dearest Georgiana, you came so nearly perfect from the hand of Nature that this slightest possible defect, which we hesitate whether to term a defect or a beauty, shocks me, as being the visible mark of earthly imperfection." Aylmer's refusal to accept his wife's blemish could perhaps be compared to modern day societies compulsion to constantly judge women (often times beautiful women) in terms of outward appearances alone. It is impossible for a woman, or even human in general, to be completely immaculate. Every person has defects and faults that they work with or even emphasize to create their own unique persona. A perfect example of this is Cindy Crawford, an undeniably gorgeous woman who has a mole between her upper lip and cheek.

http://www.sheknows.com/beauty-and-style/articles/967917/celebrity-body-flaws

Rather than allowing people to criticize her for her imperfection, she has done a rather good job of turning it into her trademark.

As the story progresses, it is not only Aylmer that becomes infatuated with the removal of this mark, but Georgiana herself soon becomes engulfed with the idea. When Aylmer is speaking of the possible danger of his last experiment, Georgiana exclaims "Danger? There is but one danger—that this horrible stigma shall be left upon my cheek! Remove it, remove it, whatever be the cost, or we shall both go mad!”. At this point she is becoming increasingly illogical about her self consciousness that is suffering because of her birthmark. Again, this bares a striking similarity to a situation in modern society. There are people that obsess about every feature being so perfect that they subject themselves to plastic surgery time and time again until they resemble nothing close to a cartoon character or Muppet (Melanie Griffith and Donatella Versache both come to mind).

http://www.thedayafteryesterday.co.uk/2011/10/plastic-surgery-gone-wrong.html

It is rather paradoxical that in the effort to achieve the ideal form of human perfection that one can end up looking completely in-human.

In the end of the story, Aylmer becomes so possessed with ridding his wife of her blemish that he ends up poisoning her. As she is dying she tells her husband, “My poor Aylmer, you have aimed loftily; you have done nobly. Do not repent that with so high and pure a feeling, you have rejected the best the earth could offer. Aylmer, dearest Aylmer, I am dying!” Only as the life is slipping from her does Georgiana's birthmark finally fade. In many ways this is reflective of the lengths people are willing to go to to shed what they perceive as deficiencies in themselves. In ridding ourselves of these defects are we losing ourselves (essentially dying)? Why is it that we are willing to risk our well being to gain the admiration of others instead of fulfilling our own personal happiness?