Brithmarks and Bioethics

The article "Birthmarks and Bioethics" by Nick Gillespie challenges the role of "The Birthmark" by Nathaniel Hawthorne by insinuating that the short story is a mere scratch of the surface for more important bioethical issues. Gillespie argues that Hawthorne's approach to bioethics remain in the interest of what was available and known at the time of his life, but that by today's standards more depth should be expected of a piece before it becomes used as an example of bioethics. Gillespie is interested in bioethical advances that may better human life by treating diseases and serious genetic mutations rather than the views of his predecessors who were interested in bioethics as a solution for mere cosmetic imperfections. It may be true that Hawthorne was interested in writing about the use of bioethics for perfecting the human race but when the research is done it becomes apparent why. It seems that Hawthorne was, as most of us are, a creature of his surroundings, mimicking the culture in which he was raised, (and eventually condemning it) and abiding by the wishes of the government that ruled at the time "The Birthmark" was written.

Born on July 4, 1808 into the "race of the c

Aylmer realizes the danger associated with the procedure. However, it is the determination and drive of Hawthorne to reject his heritage that persuades him to create this driven protagonist, Aylmer. Eventually Aylmer leads Georgiana to the point of no return. She realizes that her husband can no longer be with her if she has this imperfection and she begins to think of the birthmark as often as her husband. She decides to allow Aylmer to move this horrid imperfection when she says, "'It is resolved then, And Aylmer, spare me not, though you should find the birthmark take refuge in my heart at last'" (180). It is clear that Georgiana loves her husband, and that she will do anything to make herself desirable to him. Aylmer is pleased by the fact that he has persuaded his wife to allow him to remove the birthmark for he knows that this procedure will fail, and once and for all free him from all Puritan restraints.

Hawthorne spends the years from 1825 to 1837 in his mother's Puritan Salem household, and it is said that "he looked back upon these years as a period of dreamlike isolation and solitude, spent in a haunted chamber, where he sat enchanted while other men moved on" (Biography Research Center). It is during this time, previous to the publication of "The Birthmark," that Hawthorne begins to reflect on his heritage. Hawthorne realizes that not only does he disagree with the Puritan belief system, but that others do as well. He quickly sees that those who have left Salem have "moved on." (Biography Research Center). These "solitary years" were, however, Hawthorne's literary apprenticeship, during which he learned to write tales such as "The Birthmark" (Biography Research Center). When Hawthorne returns back to Salem and the Puritan structure of his mother's home, he begins thinking of ways to openly condemn his founding fathers along with their beliefs. He no longer desires to follow in the footsteps of other respected members of his Puritan family. This attitude is reflected in the response Aylmer has to his wife's imperfection. If he can change Georgiana, and make her perfect, he will be respected by his mother and fellow Puritans as a continuation of the success in their family. However, if he cannot remove the birthmark he will have succeeded in his missi

Some topics in this essay:
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