Essay about Analysis of quot;The Birthmarkquot; - 963 Words

Some say that beauty is only skin deep and believe that inner beauty, is a whole lot more important. They are a small minority. Most of us strive for perfection in appearances--it may be our own personal appearance defined by the perfect clothes and the perfect look, the perfect home we live in, or the perfect car we absolutely must have. People today are no different today than they were in the 19th century, and we get an in depth understanding of the obsession with being perfect in Nathaniel Hawthornes The Birthmark. This short story is about a devoted scientist who marries a beautiful woman with a single physical flaw; a birthmark on her face. Aylmer becomes obsessed with the imperfection and needs to remove it, to be†¦show more content†¦As he said, nature, in one shape or another, stamps ineffaceably on all her productions. Georgiana was a pretty lady; Nature has to bear a birthmark on her face in order to keep the balance, any attempt to remove it should and would res ult in disaster - that lead us to another conclusion - Nature can not be changed or altered, without significant consequences. Hawthornes sentiments are very relevant in todays world where the obsession with perfection often back fires with unfortunate results. To get the perfect house, the perfect car, or even the perfect look we go to extraordinary lengths. Do we ever stop to think if it is all worth it? Just for a little while longer, we think, and then well have enough money to get that nose job, or be able to pay for liposuction, or that implant that will remove Natures imperfection and make life perfect. Just as Aylmer said of his wife, 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, shock me, as being visible mark of earthly imperfection, we harp on our imperfection in the same way, blame our parents for not getting us braces at the right time, or contacts when