The Birth Mark by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Nathaniel Hawthorne's essay The Birth-Mark

Nathaniel Hawthorne's essay The Birth-Mark tells the story of Mr. Alymer. He is a philosopher as well as a scientist with an emphasis on nature and chemistry. Mr. Alymer marries his lovely Georgian bride. The lovers, like all other family members, love their married life to the fullest. The encounter is pleasant when the husband notices a faint and odd mark on one of the Georgian checks. The location disappoints him because it is something he did not expect from her and has never seen before. As a result, the husband is disturbed and thoroughly tormented. On the other hand, the wife is also troubled by the reaction of the distressed husband. Therefore, she comes forward for an experiment that would result in the removal of the birthmark.

Agreement for Birthmark Removal

They agree with removing the mark, but the question that lives them perturbed is that "who will do the operation best than Mr. Alymer himself?" This situation takes them to a crossroad, and because of the love they have for one another, the potential husbands decide to take the responsibility of removing the mark without the realization of the public. Despite the openness of birthmark, they secretly schemed for its treatment. The significance of the phenomenon is that love is beyond any deformity one might be having. In addition, it is important to realize that no human being is perfect. In as much as one might be beautiful or handsome, he or she must have a weakness. In the fault, we should accept the little imperfections and change them to perfections for the happiness of our marriages.