Sample Literature Essays on The Birthmark
The story uses various elements that make it captivating and interesting element that is so evident throughout the story is the element of the theme. This element is useful in sending the message of the story to its readers. One main theme of the story is the foolishness of working towards perfection
Aylmer strives to perfect his wife but eventually fails because perfecting what was originally made permanent is an impossible thing and in particular, perfecting nature is unattainable on earth. Even though Aylmer succeeds removing his wife’s birthmark, the result is an ideal and completely a perfect woman that can no longer exist on earth. The husband only achieves the removing of the birthmark but loses the wife who he was perfecting to see her goodness. In the story, Georgiana knows she is dying and tells her husband, “…you have rejected the best the earth could offer” (147).
Aylmer is well aware he married a beautiful woman, but with time he started focusing on the tiny mark on her face that he thinks ruined her beauty. His focus is eventually shifted on the birthmark and forgets the beautiful woman he married, and this issue takes away happiness in their marriage. The desire is so strong that he convinces his wife to removing the birthmark and the wife is ready to participate in the experiment by giving full trust to her husband. The strive for perfection ruins everything. Firth, their happiness and then marriage leading to death. This shows how foolish one can be striving to perfect something that can’t be compared with the potential loss.
The element is an important part of the story because it gives a wider view of the world from a simple illustration. It is educative and emphasizes on the universal idea. The idea of nothing is perfect is demonstrated in the story, and the emphasis is that you cannot make something perfect, so striving for perfection is foolish. The element of the theme also makes an interesting story compelling.
Notes
- Composition and Literature. McGraw-Hill Learning Solutions, 41791.