Themes.
Striving for Perfection- Throughout the story, Alymer wants Georgiana to be a perfect version of herself. He is unable see her for the beautiful woman she really is due to one insignificant flaw. She comes to find her identity in the one fault she has and feels like she has no self worth if she is not perfect in her husband's eyes. Alymer's insane quest for perfection is the main conflict of the story. The author argues that true perfection cannot and should not exist in this world, as when Georgiana is finally rid of her birthmark, she dies because she has become too perfect for the flawed world.
Science's Attempt and Ultimate Failure to Control Nature- Georgiana's birthmark is in her nature and Alymer seeks to control it through experiments. He is trying to use science to change who she is. The untouched nature of Georgiana's birthmark is more powerful than any experiment Alymer could ever dream up. It is captivating, intoxicating, and enchanting in a way cold, clinical science could never be. Science can't control how Georgiana feels, and it is the cause of her ultimate death. This emphasis on the power and wonder of nature over science is consistent with Romantic sentiments as they shared a love of nature.
Evil- Evil in The Birthmark is characterized by Alymer. He does not seem inherently evil at the beginning of the story; he is described as a fantastic scientist, and it is obvious he loves his wife. He becomes the antagonist of the story when he begins to forget how beautiful Georgiana is and instead only focuses on her birthmark, cringing anytime he sees it. His constant undermining of her self esteem is pure evil disguised as loving criticism. His foolishly evil experimentation on her body cause her ultimate death.
Superstition/Intuition- The heavy foreshadowing in the story leads the reader to believe that Georgiana has an inkling of what will eventually happen to her. She hears Alymer muttering in his sleep about cutting out her heart and the reader is led to believe she knows that it is an eventual possibility. She interprets all the signs correctly: Alymer's dream, the dead flower, the burned metal plate with her image on it, and journal upon journal full of Alymer's failed experiments. She knows removing the birthmark could lead to her death, yet she displays incredible courage and lets her husband proceed with the experiments in order to make him happy. When she eventually dies, the reader can tell she knew it was coming.
- Emily Fishman
Science's Attempt and Ultimate Failure to Control Nature- Georgiana's birthmark is in her nature and Alymer seeks to control it through experiments. He is trying to use science to change who she is. The untouched nature of Georgiana's birthmark is more powerful than any experiment Alymer could ever dream up. It is captivating, intoxicating, and enchanting in a way cold, clinical science could never be. Science can't control how Georgiana feels, and it is the cause of her ultimate death. This emphasis on the power and wonder of nature over science is consistent with Romantic sentiments as they shared a love of nature.
Evil- Evil in The Birthmark is characterized by Alymer. He does not seem inherently evil at the beginning of the story; he is described as a fantastic scientist, and it is obvious he loves his wife. He becomes the antagonist of the story when he begins to forget how beautiful Georgiana is and instead only focuses on her birthmark, cringing anytime he sees it. His constant undermining of her self esteem is pure evil disguised as loving criticism. His foolishly evil experimentation on her body cause her ultimate death.
Superstition/Intuition- The heavy foreshadowing in the story leads the reader to believe that Georgiana has an inkling of what will eventually happen to her. She hears Alymer muttering in his sleep about cutting out her heart and the reader is led to believe she knows that it is an eventual possibility. She interprets all the signs correctly: Alymer's dream, the dead flower, the burned metal plate with her image on it, and journal upon journal full of Alymer's failed experiments. She knows removing the birthmark could lead to her death, yet she displays incredible courage and lets her husband proceed with the experiments in order to make him happy. When she eventually dies, the reader can tell she knew it was coming.
- Emily Fishman