Comparison of “The Birthmark” and “Rappaccini’s Daughter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne : Women, Science, Beauty and Nature

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Other essays and articles in the Literature Archives related to this topic include :   Full Plot Summary and Analysis of "The Birthmark" by Nathaniel Hawthorne   •   Analysis and Plot Summary of "Rappaccini's Daughter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne  •   Nathaniel Hawthorne : An Overview of the Author and Thematic Analysis of Works   •   Full Summary and Analysis of "The Minister's Black Veil" by Nathaniel Hawthorne       Analysis and Plot Summary of "Young Goodman Brown" by Nathnaiel Hawthorne    •     The Use of Allegory in The House of Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne    •    Puritan Influences on Modern American Culture and Thought  

 

This same victimization of feminine perfection at the hands of men (and more specifically, science) is also present in “The Birthmark” (full summary here). In this story, just as in  "Rappaccini's Daughter" (full summary and plot analysis here) there is a beautiful woman who is marred by one imperfection, although this one is not quite so deadly to others. Also, like Beatrice, Georgiana is highly sought-after because of her beauty and is seen as exotic and thus desirable. The narrator describes her, stating, “Georgiana's lovers were wont to say that some fairy at her birth hour had laid her tiny hand upon the infant's cheek, and left this impress there in token of the magic endowments that were to give her such sway over all hearts” (Birthmark 1021). She is unearthly and possesses a magical “imperfection” that seems more like a supernatural gift has been bestowed upon her yet the man in her life is unable to leave this perfection and, as stated in this story by Nathaniel Hawthorne, “Since the birthmark blemishes his ideal conception of her, he must eradicate it.

 

In other words, once The Birthmark is removed in this short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne, it becomes clear that Aylmer cannot escape this animosity, need to waste, absorb and annihilate her natural spirituality “ (Cervo 20). Just as in the case of Beatrice, there is a woman who would otherwise be an icon of feminine perfection but due to the interference of science at the hands of a man, she is ultimately destroyed rather than perfected. This is yet another case where Nathaniel Hawthorne presents readers with perfect nature destroyed by male desire (as opposed to the author’s cruel wish to see women torn down for the sake of that alone) and in Georgiana’s case, it is almost more tragic because many found her beautiful despite the birthmark and in fact, found the birthmark of this story by Nathaniel Hawthorne to be charming rather than an aberration of nature.

 

Man’s desire to perfect a woman to suit his own tastes thus become a theme throughout these works where women are built up as the ideal woman, only to be torn down and ultimately destroyed. Both stories by Nathaniel Hawthorne take great care cultivating the reader’s understanding of just how beautiful, perfect, and kind they are, which adds to the tragic effect of each tale. What renders each of these Hawthorne stories horrifying rather than simply tragic, however, is the fact that their destruction is the result of selfish aims by men hoping to perfect the woman of their choice. In the case of “The Birthmark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, it Aylmer’s maniacal interest in science, just as with the case of Beatrice’s father, blinds him to the true beauty and humanity of the woman before him.

 

The reader of the short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne, “The Birthmark’ is given a clue to Aylmer’s motivations early in the store when the narrator states in one of the important quotes from "The Birthmark" by Nathaniel Hawthorne, “His love for his young wife might prove the stronger of the two; but could only be ny intertwining itself with his love of science, and uniting the strength of the latter to his own” (1020). While the most clear connection here is to Beatrice’s father who lacked all sense of humanity and saw humans as experimental subjects, it also applies to Giovanni. Like Aylmer, he obsesses for a time over the sheer beauty of the woman of his desire until finally he is driven to hateful language as her flaw (although in this case it has a direct effect on him) consumes him. When Giovanni mocks Beatrice for being holy and making the sign of the cross, the same hateful and frustrated tone of Aylmer shines through as he wonders how to make his love whole again.

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