Comparative Essay Example: "The Birthmark" by Nathaniel Hawthorne and "You Want Me White" by Alfonsina Storni

The shared theme between this story is that both characters want to find someone who can accept and love them for their natural identity instead of imperfections; they perceive others to be attracted to and accept themselves when people focus on the negative aspects rather than the positive ones. In "You Want Me, White," Storni is searching for a man who will love her for her personality, not her appearance, but she finds it difficult because she does not have the typical physical attributes men want. In "The Birthmark," Aylmer is so fixated with Georgiana's birthmark on her face that he cannot stand the possibility of her having it removed. Georgiana learned how to acknowledge herself when people focus on the negative perspectives rather than the positive ones. Aylmer and Georgiana loved each other, but Aylmer did not love Georgiana's birthmark.

The setting in "The Birthmark" by Hawthorne is around the scientist Aylmer and his new wife Georgiana in his laboratory. He has a garden in which he grows plants that are dying. His new wife is beautiful but has a small birthmark on her cheek that ruins her beauty. She loves him and does not mind the birthmark. His experiments take up most of his time, and he almost forgets about her. Georgina also notices this, so she suggests that he remove the birthmark as a surprise to make up for thinking about himself too much. Aylmer agrees to this and does work hard on it. Aylmer states, "I have already given this matter the deepest thought—thought which might almost have enlightened me to create a being less perfect than yourself. Georgiana, you have led me deeper than ever into the heart of science. I feel myself fully competent to render this dear cheek as faultless as its fellow; and then, most beloved, what will be my triumph when I shall have corrected what Nature left imperfect in her fairest work! Even Pygmalion, when his sculptured woman assumed life, felt not greater ecstasy than mine will be" (Hawthorne, 102). Alymer is not attracted to Georgiana because of her birthmark, but Georgiana is attracted. Georgiana learns that beauty comes from the inside and that Aylmer loved her for more than just beauty. However, Alymer did not love Georgiana's birthmark because he would not want anything to change if he truly loved her. The details of the setting, such as the garden and laboratory, give the reader a clear understanding of where they are. The narrator describes the setting in a way that shows how complex it is because it starts in Aylmer's house. The author uses these elements to build up the intense action that occurs in the laboratory.

Both stories possess symbols, making use of how people perceive them, which makes the central theme of acceptance. Hawthorne's use of imagery is masterful. Many images depict the scientific nature of Aylmer and the feminine beauty of Georgiana. The reader can almost see the ghostly, pale-faced Aylmer meticulously analyzing Georgiana from head to toe, trying to find her flaw. People perceive the birthmark as a negative feature, but Aylmer sees it as a positive feature. Aylmer has to prove that he is a perfect scientist, and Georgiana is obsessed with Aylmer and willing to do anything for her husband to make him happy, whether it be sacrificing her own life. Even after Georgina drinks Aylmer's potion and slowly dies, Georgina is not angry at him for killing her. Instead, she is happy he worked hard. Georgiana states, "let the attempt be made at whatever risk. Danger is nothing to me; for life, while this hateful mark makes me the object of your horror and disgust, either remove this dreadful hand or take my wretched life!" (Hawthorne 102). His obsession with her beauty is reflected in how he sees her birthmark. The quote is relevant to the theme because it shows Georgiana is willing to drink poison if asked by her husband. She will do anything to make Alymer happy and be perfect for him, even if she dies as a result. When the birthmark disappears, he is overcome with great joy. 

In "You Want Me White," Storni is looking for happiness and true love, but her fear of rejection makes it difficult for her to find someone who would not focus on the negative aspects of her natural identity rather than the positive ones. The metaphor used in this poem as she is not pure shows her being rejected and adds more emotion to the tone poem throughout. The simile of the poem uses "Seaspray" to describe the ocean. Similes are used in poetry to describe two things with like characteristics. This simile's use of sea spray perfectly describes the men asking for this unrealistic condition of being daisy, chaste, and White. The genre of the poem is the use of madness. The poet shows us how men are not willing to accept women of their natural identity through the lens of society. Personification is personifying words and descriptions with other things such as the daisy, seaspray, and snow. Storni used this to create a tone of herself and the men as if they were arguing back and forth. The way this poem is written makes it easy to follow what direction the poems are going in with all the descriptions. The stanza used in this poem is irregular and uses onomatopoeia. The other stanzas are very repetitive and fit in with the poem throughout. The alliteration used in this poem was great because it helped express emotion. The poet shows us that she is a woman of her natural beauty, which causes her to be disliked by others in society's eyes. She is not a perfect woman.

In "You Want Me White," the narrator, who is coming to terms with being White in Argentine society, states, "You ask that I be White (May God forgive you)" (Storni 181). In this poem, Storni realizes that she is not who society has made her out to be. She is Black, and she should be accepted for it. The narrator feels that those who ask from her are hypocritical and ignorant of the true meaning of natural identity in society. "You want me to be the dawn, You want me made of seaspray, Made of mother-of-pearl" (Storni, lines 1-3). She uses the term "mother-of-pearl" to compare herself to something beautiful and pure, which she says she is not. The narrator tries to show that men want her to be perfect and White so she does not get rejected. Storni states, "When your flesh has returned to you and when you have put into it the soul that through the bedrooms became entangled then, good man, ask that I be white" (Storni, lines 48-55). The quote is relevant to the theme because it shows how society wants perfection and wants her to be White to be accepted. She feels liberated when she comes to these conclusions after accepting her own natural identity.

Hawthorne and Storni discuss women accepting their beauty; both poems use the idea of nature versus civilization to talk about how women must accept themselves. Society has placed so many restrictions on women that it makes them unnatural and keeps them from expressing their true selves. The stories are similar due to their ironic endings but differ because the ending of "The Birthmark" is tragic, Georgiana's experiments with her husband, Aylmer. Georgiana, who has sacrificed everything for her husband and made herself look ugly by drinking a potion that does not work, dies because she realizes that Aylmer does not love her for who she is. Georgiana says, "You have aimed loftily; you have done nobly. Do not repent that with so high and pure a feeling, you have rejected the best the earth could offer. Aylmer, dearest Aylmer, I am dying!" (Hawthorne 110). The quote is relevant to the theme because it shows Georgiana is willing to do anything for her husband, even if it kills her. The irony is an essential part of the story's message because it shows how Georgiana has learned a lesson and accepts the flaws with her beauty. According to the context of the story, it can be understood that man's obsession with perfection is a "pity." Aylmer is a flat character because he stays the same throughout the story. The story begins with Alymer being obsessed over his wife's beauty and perfection, with no indication showing that he will change. The tone of both fictions is similar because they both want the reader to feel bad for the characters, Georgiana and Storni. They both use poetry to help create an atmosphere within their stories. In "The Birthmark", the tone can be described as dark and sad, as it portrays a woman who feels completely alienated from her husband because of the birthmark he views as a flaw that he obsesses over. Hawthorne's choice of tone and diction helps convey his message that people should not be judged by their appearance. In "You Want Me White", the ending is triumphant. Storni uses her own experiences of being rejected because of her natural self to show how she is proud of who she is. The narrator realizes that she does not need to change for anyone else. In "You Want Me White," the tone can be described as angry/sorrowful. Storni's choice of tone and diction helps convey his message that people in society want perfection and when they do not get it, they become spiteful and may even hate them for it; It implies that she has experienced much pain and hurt in her life been rejected because she is not white. She is petitioning for people to focus on the positives in life rather than the negatives.