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  • Essay / Excellence, Dread and Fear in Hawthorne's 'The Birthmark'

    In Nathaniel Hawthorne's gothic work, 'The Birthmark', the central character, Aylmer, expresses disgust at the ability of the mark to diminish the aesthetics of his wife. beauty, as well as betraying his mortal tendency to sin. The hand on Georgiana's cheek turns out to represent the "fatal flaw of humanity...to imply that they are temporary and finite" (2205). This obsession reveals his deep fear of death and mortality. He mistakenly believes that if he can rid his wife of this flaw, he will sever the connection between his wife and his mortality, thus creating the perfect woman. Hawthorne uses allusions, diction, and imagery to explore the divisions between beauty and horror in an effort to highlight Aylmer's aspiration to transform Georgiana into a beautiful work of art that transcends his own mortality . Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The diction exercised in the Eve of Powers reference reveals Aylmer's compulsion to transform Georgiana into a perfect sculpture while purifying her of its mortality. Additionally, Hawthorne's reference to Powers Eve reveals Aylmer's obsession with the purity and whiteness of marble. The language of Hawthorne's allusion defines Aylmer's irrational vision of perfect beauty. By likening Georgiana's birthmark to a “blot” on the “purest statuary marble,” he draws attention to the impurity that the mark suggests (Hawthorne 2205). While some would consider this irregularity beautiful, Aylmer perceives it as horrible. The presence of these blue veins would humanize the statue of Eve to the point that it appears like a monstrosity. This reflects Aylmer's view that the birthmark reveals Georgiana's mortality and, therefore, diminishes her beauty. The language of the work establishes the brand as a problem that Aylmer aspires to solve. By continually calling the mark “singular,” he reaffirms that this unique imperfection is so “deeply interwoven” that it ruins “the texture and substance of his face” (Hawthorne 2204). This symbolizes that flaws and mortality are so deeply intertwined with humanity that it is impossible to separate the two. While Aylmer should have been alerted and abandoned his work, his mania causes him to neglect the obstacle, ultimately extinguishing Georgiana's existence. The marble metaphor established in the quote from Powers Eve is repeated in the allusion to Pygmalion, where Hawthorne employs a mirror structure in order to juxtapose the motivations and results of Pygmalion's and Aylmer's efforts. Pygmalion's love inspires a god to bring to life his magnificent marble statue of the ideally beautiful woman. Conversely, Aylmer's disdain for the birthmark leads him to transform his beautiful wife into a work of art of statue-like perfection, thereby extinguishing his life. While the sculptor chisels the marble to produce the perfect woman, Aylmer hopes to use science to overcome his wife's flaws. In his quest to make Georgiana immortal, he unwittingly confirms her ephemeral nature. The disgust felt by Aylmer causes Georgiana to melt “into a deadly pallor” which makes “the crimson hand” stand out “like a ruby ​​bas-relief on the whitest marble” (Hawthorne 2206). The repeated fixation of a stain on pure white marble reinforces the idea that Aylmer believes that Georgiana's otherwise intact complexion and morality are marred by the birthmark. By comparing himself to Pygmalion, he expresses confidence that he shares the sculptor's ability to create the perfect woman. He competes by affirming that his joy will be..