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The Birthmark
The Birthmark
MAEL 205
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April 8, 2017
Destroying Galatea: A Critical Analysis of Nathaniel Hawthornes The Birthmark
He knows 'tis madness, yet he must adore, And still the more he knows it, loves
the more: The flesh, or what so seems, he touches oft, Which feels so smooth, that he
believes it soft. (Dryden, Pope, et.al, 1717) These lines were taken from the classic
Greek story Pygmalion and Galatea by Ovid in his book, The Metamorphoses. The love
of the sculptor to his creation became a love story adored by many. But contrary to this,
this story also shows Agalmatophilia, or the sexual attraction towards dolls, sculptures,
or other man-like objects which eventually led to Pygmalions obsession with his
sculpture, Galatea. Obsession in his case led to a happy ending as favoured by the
goddess Aphrodite, however, this is not true to the case of Aylmer in Nathaniel
Hawthornes short story entitled The Birthmark. His love for Georgiana did not equate
to the love of Pygmalion towards the perfect Galatea, thus no miracle happened.
Instead, his love for Georgiana led to her demise, thus can be described to as
writer writes about appreciation of beauty and nature. However in the case of
entitled, The Birthmark these inversions are greatly highlighted. The story revolves
around a scientist named Alymer who left the world of science to marry a beautiful
Georgiana. In this case, Alymer and Pygmalion are similar since both of them are
creators, one is a creator of science while the other is a creator of arts. Both of them fell
Galatea is described to be he carved a statute out of ivory that was so resplendent and
delicate no maiden could compare with its beauty, Georgiana is described as in the
centre of Georgiana's left cheek there was a singular mark, deeply interwoven, as it
were, with the texture and substance of her face. In the usual state of her complexion--a
healthy though delicate bloom--the mark wore a tint of deeper crimson, which
imperfectly defined its shape amid the surrounding rosiness. Georgianas beauty was
flawed however it did not mean that she is not perfect. This flaw served as her
uniqueness among others which charms the men and causes jealousy to breed in the
Alymer sees his wife Georgiana as perfect, but considers her birthmark to be
disturbing and wishes for it to be removed. He could not see that the mark in the cheek
of his wife makes her beauty shine more. He should have been grateful that Georgiana
had chosen him rather than others who appreciated even her imperfections. Instead,
Pygmalion on the other hand disliked women before creating Galatea. Upon her
completion, Pygmalion saw her beautiful beyond compare. Of course, beauty is in the
eye of the beholder as is perfection. There could have been many other beautiful
Alymer had sought to remove the birthmark of Georgiana. This became his
obsession. The mind is in a sad state when Sleep, the all-involving, cannot confine her
spectres within the dim region of her sway, but suffers them to break forth, affrighting
this actual life with secrets that perchance belong to a deeper one. Aylmer now
remembered his dream. He had fancied himself with his servant Aminadab, attempting
an operation for the removal of the birthmark; but the deeper went the knife, the deeper
sank the hand, until at length its tiny grasp appeared to have caught hold of Georgiana's
heart; whence, however, her husband was inexorably resolved to cut or wrench it
away. He dreams of removing the birthmark even in dreadful means. It was his
insecurity that had driven him to obsession. He also destroyed the positive disposition of
Georgiana by infecting her with his insecurity. Danger? There is but one danger -- that
this horrible stigma shall be left upon my cheek!'' cried Georgiana. ``Remove it, remove
With all the psychological torture, Georgiana gave in to the madness of Aylmer.
The deed was done and the life of Georgiana had withered like the flower Aylmer had
used in his experiment. In her final moments, she exclaimed, Do not repent that with so
high and pure a feeling, you have rejected the best the earth could offer. Aylmer,
dearest Aylmer, I am dying'' (Hawthorne). Unlike Pygmalion who had cherished the gift
of the goddess, Aylmer had shown discontent thus in the process had destroyed his
The Story of Pygmalion and Galatea. (n.d.). Retrieved April 05, 2017, from
https://cmes.arizona.edu/sites/cmes.arizona.edu/files/The%20Story%20of%20
Pygmalion%20and%20Galatea.pdf
Woodward, C. (n.d.). The Birthmark Literary Analysis - Hard Copy. Retrieved April 05,
http://www.online-literature.com/hawthorne/125/