Ramos 1
Rory Ramos
Dr. Amanda Duncan
Expository Writing
September 20, 2016
The Image of Imperfection
Is perfection possible? If so, how far will we go to obtain it? Aylmer, a scientist in
Nathaniel Hawthorn’s Birthmark, is willing to do whatever is necessary to achieve perfection.
No matter how challenging this task may be; Aylmer is determined to achieve his goal of
complete perfection. Because of this, Aylmer becomes distraught when unknowingly his own
imperfections begin to manifest themselves in the form of complicated— even violent—
emotions regarding the birthmark on his wife’s cheek.
First off to see psychoanalytic themes throughout “The Birthmark” you must understand
the concept of Psychoanalytic frames. Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory is the base of
teaching about the human mind and its motivations. Throughout the birthmark we see Aylmer
have a series of mixed motivations. The reason being for these mixed motivations is due to the
different parts of Aylmer’s mind which are the ego, superego, and the ID. These are all separate
parts of his mind that all act on different principles. The ID is the part of Aylmer’s mind that
would try to avoid conflict with his wife so that he could prolong pleasure and peace between
them. The Superego is what made up a huge part of Aylmer’s obsession with perfection as this is
the part of the mind that runs on the perfection principle. Finally, the Ego is the part of Aylmer
that would try to make Aylmer realize that Georgina was as perfect as she was going to get,
sadly this part of Aylmer’s brain seems to grow weaker as the story progresses. When in balance
these parts can complement each other but when out of balance it can lead to person’s insanity.
Ramos 2
When out of balance the line between consciousness and unconsciousness begin to blur causing a
split subject such as Aylmer who is battling between his conscious and unconscious desires.
Now we have understanding of the subject we can successfully apply these frame and see what
was really going on in Aylmer’s mind.
Aylmer loved three things in life— science, perfection, and his near perfect wife
Georgina. Aylmer loved his wife so much he repressed his powerful unconscious desire for
everything around him to be perfect. However, one night early in their marriage, his
unconscious desires overwhelm his love and make an appearance in his conscious mind.
“Aylmer sat gazing at his wife, with a trouble in his countenance that grew stronger until he
spoke.”(pg.6, Birthmark) In this moment, Aylmer’s unconscious gets some input through a
Freudian slip (when a subconscious desire slips through into your conscious unbeknownst to
