What is the main theme of the birthmark?
What is the main theme of the birthmark?
‘The Birthmark’ focuses on the theme of obsession, particularly the moment when love becomes an obsession, making it dangerous—and even deadly, shown in Aylmer’s obsession with the birthmark and Georgiana’s obsession with Aylmer to the point of willing suicide by poison.
How is the birthmark dark romanticism?
The birthmark and the painting may represent the flaws of human nature — sinfulness, evil, and corruption (“Dark Romanticism”). In this case, as the birthmark fades and as the painting is perfected, the women are cleansed of their innate flaws that make them human and therefore cannot live.
What is the lesson in the birthmark?
The moral to the story, then, is that a man cannot play God or attempt to alter nature; in addition, seeking perfection is a dangerous and deadly goal.
Why did Georgiana die in the birthmark?
Although she is very beautiful and much admired by men, she has a small, reddish, hand-shaped birthmark on her left cheek. Ultimately, she dies when the birthmark disappears because it was the only imperfect part of her, and thus her only link to the mortal world.
What does the removal of the birthmark signify?
As her “sole token of human imperfection,” the mark allows her to continue living on the earthly plane. Its removal kills her because she becomes too perfect for the world of flawed humans.
What was Aylmer’s real motive for change?
His real motives were to rid Georgiana of her imperfections to make her perfect, given that the birthmark represented human imperfection. The obvious would be to make the birthmark that he dislikes greatly on his wife’s face disappear.
Why does Aylmer talk with Georgiana about her birthmark?
Aylmer obsesses about the birthmark. For him, it symbolizes mortality and sin and comes to tower over Georgiana’s beauty in his mind. He can think of nothing else.
What was Aylmer’s dream?
Plot summary As the story progresses, Aylmer becomes unnaturally obsessed with the birthmark on Georgiana’s cheek. One night, he dreams of cutting the birthmark out of his wife’s cheek (removing it like scraping the skin from an apple) and then continuing all the way to her heart.
What happens to Georgiana at the end of the story?
A. Georgiana dies as the birthmark fades, and Alymer is left to grieve over his mistake. Georgiana’s birthmark is removed, and she and Alymer live out their lives in peace.
What happens to Georgiana’s birthmark at the end of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Birthmark?
At the end of “The Birthmark,” Aylmer both succeeds and fails. He succeeds in that he finally rid his wife of her birthmark. As we discuss in “Symbols, Imagery, Allegory,” Georgiana’s birthmark is no ordinary splotch. For one, it represents man’s imperfections – the very imperfections that make her human.
How does Georgiana respond to Aylmer’s dream?
In the dream, he wanted to keep cutting through her heart to get it out. Georgiana is so upset by this dream that she tells Aylmer to figure out a way to get rid of the birthmark.
Did Aylmer learn anything by the end of the story?
Did Aylmer learn anything by the end of the story? The only thing that Aylmer learned was that the potion he gave Georgiana was not stable and did not work. He did not recognize nor acknowledge what he had just lost until it was too late.
Do birthmarks mean anything?
Others fade away completely. Most birthmarks are harmless, but some indicate an underlying medical condition. In some instances, birthmarks may be removed for cosmetic reasons.
What is an angel’s kiss birthmark?
Sometimes called stork bites or angel kisses, salmon patches are reddish or pink patches. They are often found above the hairline at the back of the neck, on the eyelids or between the eyes. These marks are caused by collections of capillary blood vessels close to the skin.
Can family members have the same birthmarks?
Hereditary – Some people have birthmarks due to their genes. For example, a child may have the same type of birthmark as a father, mother, grandparent, aunt, or uncle. In some cases, the birthmark appears in the exact same spot as the relative!
Are Birthmarks permanent?
Most birthmarks are permanent, but a few types fade as a child grows. Birthmarks are common and usually harmless. But some may require treatment for cosmetic reasons or because of rapid growth. Still others may be a sign of an underlying disease.
Do birthmarks grow with age?
Some birthmarks show up soon after a baby is born. Most birthmarks are obvious at birth. Some kinds of birthmarks fade or go away as a child gets older. Others stay the same or get bigger, darker, or thicker.