the birthmark
Nothing in this world is perfect. Our flaws are what make us the beautiful and unique people that we are. They give us our personality, and allow us to stand out from the crowd. Without them, our world would be boring. Perfection is a standard that no one could ever live up to, and the more “perfect” someone may be, the less of a personality they may have. “The Birthmark’’, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a story about a young, beautiful woman with a minor flaw that leads to the destruction of her life. “…in the center of Georgiana’s left cheek there was a singular mark, deeply interwoven, as it were, with the texture and substance of her face” (Hawthorne, 278), Hawthorne writes about the woman’s crimson, hand-shaped birthmark. This simple flaw leads to her husband’s and her own deadly obsession with perfection. In reading “The Birthmark”, and the two commentaries: Judith Fetterley’s, “!;A Feminist Reading of ‘The Birthmark’”, which explains how this story is about physical perfection, obsession, sexism, and acceptance; and James Quinn and Ross Baldessarini&
This story also displays the concept of idealism. Georgiana was the “perfect” woman, despite her flaw. Aylmer wanted to create this ideal person, and in some ways, tried to play the role of G-d. Fetterley writes, “To those who love Georgiana, her birthmark is evidence of her beauty; to those who envy or hate her, it is an object of disgust” (Fetterley, 314). Did Aylmer really love his wife, or was he just so involved in He wouldn’t even kiss the cheek where the birthmark was. He was so disgusted with her imperfection, and was so involved with transforming her into the ideal woman, that there is no way that he loved her, especially in the way that she loved him. #8217;s, “A Psychological Reading of ‘The Birthmark’”, a psychologists’ view of the story as being about obsessive-compulsive behavior and sexuality, I have decided that I agree with Fetterley’s interpretation. Fetterley and I agree that “The Birthmark” displays the ideas of sexism and power, idealism, and obsession. 2
Some common words found in the essay are:
G-d Fetterley, Psychological Reading, Judith Fetterley’s, Nathaniel Hawthorne, , Introduction Literature, St Martin’s, Feminist Reading, “the birthmark”, Fetterley Judith, Hawthorne Nathaniel, bedford/ st martin’s, boston bedford/ st, meyer boston bedford/, bedford/ st, edition ed, martin’s 2000, st martin’s, fifth edition, meyer boston, michael meyer boston, introduction literature, michael meyer, boston bedford/, ed michael meyer,
Approximate Word count = 1286
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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