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Cameron Carpenter

Advanced English 11

11/29/17

The Perfection of Imperfection

Society always strives for perfection. Perfectionists dread inefficiencies and refuse to

accept less than the best. This quality then becomes their downfall; it blinds them from their

priorities and ironically causes them to become imperfect, overlooking the beauty of the

uniqueness. Romantic author Nathaniel Hawthorne, does an impeccable job of illustrating this

concept in his short story “The Birthmark” when Aylmer attempts multiple experiments to make

his wife Georgiana his definition of perfect. This lack of appreciation for individuality and

diversity, unfortunately, leads to racism and prejudice in the present; luckily, this obstacle has

grown smaller and should diminish in the future through eventual societal acceptance.

For example, Aylmer in Hawthorne’s “The Birthmark” removes a birthmark from his

wife’s skin because he perceives perfection as having no individuality with a flawlessly whole

complexion as shown when Ayler says, “No, dearest Georgiana, you came so nearly perfect from

the hand of Nature that this slightest possible defect, which we hesitate whether to term a defect

or a beauty, shocks me, as being the visible mark of earthly imperfection.” (Hawthorne 1)

Therefore, he conducts experiments to remove her birthmark and ultimately finds a cure that

removes the mark on her face. Unfortunately, this solution also had a costly side effect of killing

her in the process when stated as, “As the last crimson tint of the birthmark -- that sole token of

human imperfection -- faded from her cheek, the parting breath of the now perfect woman passed

into the atmosphere, and her soul, lingering a moment near her husband, took its heavenward
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flight.” (Hawthorne 12) In the end, the stride for perfection, although with the utmost intention,

inevitably lead to Georgiana’s extinction.

Not only has the endeavor for perfection caused devastating occurrences in prior eras, but

it causes disputes now, especially when considering racism. During the Civil War, Southerners

viewed African Americans as inferior slaves, which caused many Americans to view other races

as imperfect. Although the government outlawed slavery, it cannot control societal judgments.

This predicament has allowed the root obstacle of racism to linger. For instance, the riots in

Charlottesville, Virginia, have proven racism causes harm presently. The controversy of tearing

down a statue of Robert E. Lee, representing Confederacy, has lead to violent protesting because

some rioters view the statue as condoning slavery and racism; others view it as Southern

heritage. If both sides could learn to move on from prior mistakes and accept each other’s view

and opinion, then the tragic death of a person did not have to happen. This section of a news

article reports a violent act affiliated with the statue as “...a car bearing Ohio license plates

plowed into a crowd near the city’s downtown mall, killing a 32-year-old woman” (Rosenthal

and Stolberg). Regrettably, innocent victims still succumb to violence due to ignorant individuals

that have yet to learn how to accept others and restrain from judging their peers who look and act

differently than themselves. Overall, people do not have to agree with others, but they at least

have to tolerate their culture and agree to disagree in order to avoid unnecessary violence

because no two individuals have the exact same ideology.

Hopefully, racism will cease to exist by the end of the 21​st​ century, and society can learn

to accept one another. Looking at the progress of the past, the extinction of prejudice and hatred

shall occur over time. America progressed from slavery and now works on overcoming the
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prejudice of race and other current discrepancies. As a graduate of Stanford, David Broockman

stated, "We don't bombard them; it's better they talk about their lives. If they say something

discriminatory, you ask, 'Well, has anyone ever treated you like that?” (Rafaeli), and humans

should do this because, with prejudice, it can happen unconsciously, which makes it important to

address it when it happens. Once everyone learns to put him or herself in each another’s shoes,

then society can truly accept one another. Society has seen more incorporation of different races

and gender equality in the workplace than ever before, according to the United Nations. This

type of trend will only grow into the future and the dispute will eventually cease to exist.

Clearly, the lack of appreciation for individuality has been a dilemma for centuries as

shown through “The Birthmark” and the riots in Charlottesville. Hopefully, the

misunderstanding will grow minuscule in the future through the progression of people trying to

understand one another, leading to the realization of each individual’s differences and unique

characteristics. Once Americans remember that the incorporation of individuality and different

cultures built their country, then they can truly come together as a nation. Ultimately, they can

spread the newly found wave of acceptance to the rest of humanity and finally attain world

peace.