The Crucible & The Birthmark

The Birthmark by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a short story about a scientist named Aylmer who has a superficial way of thinking about his wife, Georgiana. His wife is almost perfect except for the small birthmark that she had on her cheek. This is the only imperfection that Aylmer sees and tries to convince Georgiana to allow him to remove the birthmark, even though it has never bothered her. Well it never bothered her until Aylmer pointed it out. However, Aylmer becomes obsessed with the removal of the birthmark, he even was going as far as to risk his wife's life for it. Eventually, Aylmer gives Georgiana a substance that causes the birthmark to disappear, but it also kills her in the process. This story is an example of natural human flaws and obsession. In both The Crucible and The Birthmark, human flaw is the evident theme. In The Crucible, Abigail demonstrates the human flaw of jealousy by accusing her former lover's wife of witchcraft. All that Abigail knows is that she wants John Proctor for her self and will do anything that she thinks is necessary to do so. In The Birthmark, Aylmer demonstrates the human flaw of conceit by attempting to rid his wife of a simple little birthmark because he sees it as an imperfection. In both cases though, the ultimate goal is not achieved. Abigail does not end up with John Proctor and Aylmer ends up alone, both having lost the ones that they love so dearly.