One could argue that perfection is the essence of being human. Constantly and constantly we as humans are trying to achieve perfection. That is the ultimate goal in anything and everything we do. Not only do we want to achieve perfection ourselves, but we typically expect perfection from others. This can be seen in our grading system, for example. We are always graded against perfection, against a A+ or a 100%. Yet as the saying goes “we are only human”, and it is impossible to achieve perfection. The act of approaching perfection only increases the difficulty of reaching perfection or creates imperfection. This drive for perfection and its ultimate outcome is seen in Nathaniel Hawthorn’s The Birthmark.
In this short story, the main character Aylmer is a man of science, who believes that science is more powerful than nature itself. Aylmer believes this because science, according to Aylmer, can fix and correct mistakes unlike nature. This is seen when Aylmer says “…what will be my triumph when I shall have corrected what Nature left imperfect in her fairest work!” (Hawthorne, 88). It through these fixing of mistakes that Aylmer tries to reach perfection. We not only see this in Aylmer’s need and desire to remove the birthmark on his wife’s face, but in the areas of science he explores, alchemy and a potion of immortality. Both of which would be ways to fix major “mistakes” of nature, the premature and untimely death of humans and all organisms, as well as the inability to shape fundamental elements into more desirable substances. Yet as Aylmer attempts to reach perfection and fix the mistakes brought on by nature, he instead creates only imperfection. This can be seen in the following passage. “He more than intimated that it was at his option to concoct a liquid that should prolong life for years, perhaps interminably; but that it would produce a discord in Nature which all the world, and chiefly the quaffer of the immortal nostrum, would find cause to curse” (Hawthorne, 91). The imperfection Aylmer is risking to create by attempting to reach perfection would “produce a discord in Nature” and throw the world into chaos.
Aylmer is not only trying to create perfection, but his willing to throw everything away to achieve perfection. He is willing to risk his wife’s life to create pure beauty as well as throw the entire world into chaos. Its this reaching perfection but at a price that I believe is inherently apart of human nature. To risk everything to obtain something, anything.
From what Kyle had pointed out regarding of perfection, I can highly agree its undeniable fact. That is, we typically aim for perfection, yet it is something that we can never reach to that point. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Birthmark has been interpreted as a story about the approach towards perfection by Aylmer, the scientist, conflicting over the preference for an idea beyond a human being. Despite the striking diversity of the story, as a reader, we can agree upon a significant point, which is that it underlies the obsessive nature of Aylmer’s perfection to the small crimson mark on Georgiana’s cheek, or the birthmark.
ReplyDeleteAylmer’s desire to make his wife perfect is essentially failure because perfection is the exclusive province of heaven and doesn’t exist on Earth. As Aylmer sees, Georgiana is targeted as an ideal being, and his ideology would fulfill by removing her small imperfection. Eventually, his scientific approach leads to her death. His desire for perfection not only kills Georgiana, it also ruins Aylmer himself because his desire to create the ideal woman becomes a fixation that prevents him from seeing the good in his wife. The result turned out to be a chaotic matter. Essentially, his strive towards perfection backfired, leading to such terrifying outcome.
Following Aylmer’s failing attempt to acquire the perfection, we can see that no approach could possibly complete the state of perfection by human hand. Taking risk to gain perfection would lead to corrupt in its own. Essentially, the idea of the perfection is a conflicting issue of duality of its state of nature.
I am going to have to agree with both of you. The desire for perfection is a basic need. But as humans, what does perfection mean? Many young girls struggle with this question on a daily basis and many of them would tell you the same thing. But looking back, there is a side of myself that is screaming, “you’re perfect just the way you are!” The need of humans to be perfect is much stronger in today’s society than previously represented in other centuries. Going back to the story, Aylmer’s definition is Georgiana without her birthmark. Hawthorne even goes as far as comparing her birthmark to sin. This may be why Aylmer is so desperate to have the darned thing gone. An excellent point was brought up in class of how there is a possibility that the birthmark could represent domestic violence, so there could be the fact that the sins of the man need to be removed, so attempt to do it, but something bad might happen.
ReplyDeleteAs Kyle points out, it is truly human nature to do anything to reach perfection, no matter what the costs. I cannot express how much I feel that this is true. In life today, we can see so many examples of this statement: celebrities changing themselves through surgeries, young girls starving themselves to reach unreasonable weights, the list can go on. Perfection is something that is impossible to obtain, so the entire concept of it should be held to a personal standard. Why would someone attempt to change someone when that someone already finds their self perfect? Georgiana didn’t want the birthmark removed until her husband was so repulsed with her that he couldn’t look at her. The peer pressure that is allowed to happen is unacceptable. The ability for an individual to define their own level of perfection should be simple enough.