There is a famous proverb in China that states, “Gold cannot be pure, and people cannot be perfect.” This proverb symbolizes human imperfection, which just so happens to be the moral of “The Birth-mark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne. This symbolism pervades almost the entirety of the text which is why we should try to interpret this text through its symbolism.
In the story, Georgiana’s blemish was the sole object of imperfection for Aylmer. Aylmer the mighty scientist thought he could get rid of it. On page 268 he said that the “Alchemists… spent so many ages in quest of the universal solvent, by which the Golden Principle might be elicted from all things vile and base.” Well if the Alchemists failed, surely that failure was a symbol of the general failures that occur in the field of science. As the proverb says, gold cannot be pure, and clearly according to that idea, science cannot solve all problems.
Another symbol in the story which related to the Chinese proverb is the flower Aylmer brought out to show to Georgiana. He said “The flower will wither in a few moments, and leave nothing save its brown seed-vessels—but thence may be perpetuated a race as ephemeral as itself.” The flower withered way too quickly and it lived a short life, as did Georgiana, as a result of Aylmer’s experimentations.
Another important symbol in the story is Aylmer’s folio, which Georgiana finds in his book collection. “It was the sad confession, and continual exemplification, of the short-comings of the composite man…” (271). This folio is a representation and documentation of Aylmer’s failures throughout the years, and served as a symbol for the failure he would make by not accepting his wife for the person she was, rather than for how she looked. Aylmer realized that he was not perfect, but why couldn’t he realize that about his wife?
Beauty, just like flowers, withers away as time passes by. No beautiful thing lasts forever, and as such, we go back to the central idea that people are not perfect. Pursuing perfection in a human being is like pursuing pure gold or a flower that lives for eternity: it’s just impossible.
