(Student’s Full Name)
Georgiana perceives the birthmark on her cheek as a “‘charm’” that can bring fortune to her (as cited in Hawthorne 1021). For Aylmer, the birthmark is a sign of disfigurement or “imperfection” on Georgiana’s face (Hawthorne 1021). However, Aminadab sees the birthmark as a sign of beauty and would never want his wife to “part with that birthmark” (Hawthorne 1025).
The theme of married love is expressed through the relationship between Aymler and Georgiana. Aymler appears to love his wife to the point using every means within his power to rid her face of the birthmark so that she can be made to have beauty outside of the domain of human imperfections. Georgia shows her commitment to her husband by allowing herself to be perceived through the eyes of her husband by vowing to take “whatever risk” to get rid of it (Hawthorne 1024).
The traditional marital roles Georgiana and Aymler enact are the submissive, compliant wife and the dutiful husband who is willing to fix everything. These roles are still in evidence today in marriages and other committed relationships where the woman has to undergo plastic surgery to please the husband who might have a desire for his spouse or partner to follow the societal conventions of beauty.
The two examples from the story that illustrate what men and women find unattractive about each other is a birthmark on one’s face such as a “crimson” birthmark and a very pale complexion (Hawthorne 1022). In my personal life, I have found that the two things that make a person physically unattractive are an uneven complexion and a very slim figure with limited curves.
Works Cited
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. “The Birthmark.” University of Virginia Library. University of Virginia Library, n.d. Web. 25 June 2016.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. “The Birthmark.” Online Literature. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 June 2016.
