Blog #5 - The Birthmark

     Last week in class, we read The Birthmark by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The Birthmark is a story about a man named Aylmer and his wife, Georgiana. Aylmer is a scientist, and he is married to one of the most beautiful women who could, in a sense, be deemed as perfect. But to Aylmer, she is very much NOT perfect because of a birthmark that's on her cheek. The birthmark appears to be in the shape of a little hand, and shows up severely when Georgiana shows certain emotions. Over time, Aylmer cannot deal with the birthmark. Georgiana had always been alright with the mark and was shocked when Aylmer wished to remove it. Eventually, Georgiana could not stand the thought of the mark being on her cheek and decides to let Aylmer try his hand at removing it. Aylmer succeeds in removing the mark, but it kills Georgiana.

     In today's society, this theory of removing imperfections is still there and is even more involved. Over time, doctors and scientists have developed new ways to fix our physical imperfections. But why? Why can't people just be happy with themselves? Instead, we are constantly trying to change the way we look. We dye our hair, we remove pimples, we use colored contacts, and some people even have plastic surgery to more permanently change one (or more) of their body parts.

     For instance, let's take a look at Heidi Montag. She's undergone a ridiculous amount of plastic surgeries over the years and has been in the public spotlight for it. Here's Heidi's transition: 

     In 2006, Heidi looked perfectly normal. At least in my opinion she did. In 2011, she was barely recognizable as the person she was in 2006. I'm not exactly sure why she wanted all of these changes or who might have possessed her to make these changes. But as far as I'm concerned, Heidi Montag is a perfect example of the message Hawthorne was trying to make.

     According to John Schlismann, Hawthorne's story is just a relevant today as it was when he wrote it. We have been doing everything in our power to change the ways of Mother Nature and we do not like to fully accept who we are. Schlismann says that, "When man tries to accomplish what he was not intended to accomplish, disaster will be the ultimate result." This is true in the case of Heidi Montag. By changing herself drastically and not embracing who she was, she got a lot of crap from the media. The media's comments could have potentially damaged her reputation and the way she thinks about herself. Schlismann also says:

"This goes back to what makes us who we are; we are not pure flesh and blood, our psyches and our true selves go so much further beyond that. Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story The Birth Mark touches on philosophical and ethical issues valid in his time, as well as ours. His work makes us think about what is perfection and is it desirable in the physical state. In the end we discover that if we overstep our bounds and try to make perfect that which is imperfect, death will be the final result, for only in death through God, can we achieve perfection."

     Regardless of what changes we make in relation to our physical appearances, we are still the same person on the inside. Changes on the outside do not affect what's at our core. In the words of Lady Gaga, "There's nothing wrong with loving who you are, she said 'Cause He made you perfect.'" But unfortunately some people must change themselves on the outside in able to do that and think they are perfect.

     And on that note, I'll leave you all with this: