The Theme of The Birthmark

                  In the story of The Birthmark, many themes could be interpreted, and one of the concrete themes that I found is the foolishness to compete with nature to fix an imperfection. The story generally shows the significance in the idea of perfection, but in contrast, it also points out how confronting against unattainable ideology would turn out to be a foolish thing to do.

            As story depicts, Aylmer’s desire for fixing a small imperfection of Georgiana’s birthmark on left cheek leads to her death. His obsession of perfection is a failure, backfiring towards the worst outcome it could possibly occur. His foolish action in striving to get rid of imperfection, or birthmark portrays the idea that human imperfection cannot be separated out of our humanity. Following this idea, the important text reads, "The crimson hand expressed the ineludible gripe in which mortality clutches the highest and purest of earthly mould, degrading them into kindred with the lowest, and even with the very brutes, like whom their visible frames return to dust. In this manner, selecting it as the symbol of his wife's liability to sin, sorrow, decay, and death, …” (Hawthrone 86). This means that it is part of human nature to be imperfect. It is an impossible task to gain absolute perfection by human hand. Thus, perfection is something not attainable except in spiritual shape, which makes only God could create it by their hand.

            Knowing that humanity is comprised of imperfect and mortal, Aylmer is a part that strives for immortality and perfection. Essentially, his scientific approach to fix a small imperfection fails, turning out to kill Georgiana. As a reader, we can identify that Aylmer’s action is clearly part of his foolishness. His action is a reflection of dissatisfaction for Georgiana’s birthmark, though, his pursuit causes destruction; his discontent with Georgiana’s birthmark ruins the most perfect thing in his life.