English Essay: The Birthmark, Imperial Dreams, and Societal Evils

This essay provides a critical analysis of Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story, "The Birthmark," exploring its themes of societal pressures, body image, and racial profiling. The essay delves into how the story reflects contemporary issues, particularly the impact of racial profiling on women and the obsession with physical perfection. It examines the symbolism used by Hawthorne to depict imperfections and the consequences of striving for an idealized image. The analysis extends to include comparisons with the film "Imperial Dreams," highlighting similar themes of societal acceptance and the struggles faced by individuals due to racial biases. The essay concludes by emphasizing the importance of recognizing and appreciating natural beauty, arguing against the negative impact of societal expectations on self-esteem and identity.

Running head: ENGLISH ASSIGNMENTS
English Assignments
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Outline
The outline of this essay will be given in this section. The main topic of this essay is
about the birthmark on the body of the human beings. It is assumed that numerous women have
suffered from body image issues in the contemporary times. These issues had been prevalent
during the time of writing this text as well. It is very evident that all social, cultural and racial
issues are very much prevalent in the contemporary contexts as well. Some current issues can be
discussed in the light of this text by Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Many imperfections have been noticed in the human beings and they are quite necessary
also so the good things in nature can be perceived properly. In this short story, the author has
discussed about the obsession of people regarding perfections in their body image. The central
topic of this story revolves around the birthmark of a beautiful girl of Georgiana in the form a
hand of red color on her cheek.
Therefore, it is quite obvious this spot or birthmark could ruin her beauty and her
courtship with Aylmer who is an established philosopher and scientist. Therefore, it is very much
evident that these birthmarks are present on the bodies of many people in the world. This issue
has several added contexts regarding the identities of the human beings. Racial profiling has
become one of the most crucial facts for women for both their skin colors and birthmarks on
their bodies. The critical analysis of this paper is extremely crucial to underline how people can
get over this social evil named racial profiling, most especially the women.

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Rough draft
In this section, a rough draft will be presented to depict how racial profiling is evident in
the contemporary society. Many people, especially women have become victims of this social
evil since they do not have the voice to make the protests. In this short story, the author has used
several images and symbols to depict the imperfections among the human beings.
It has been seen that many people try to perfect nature by continuous attempts. If people
carry on with this thing, it will be problematic for their existence and this might also ruin their
natural beauty as well. In this short story, Hawthorne has used some specific symbols by which
he seems to show the ‘earthly imperfections’. One aspect of this natural imperfection is the racial
issues within the society. Therefore, it is quite evident that social and cultural issues have gone
on to create divisions among human beings.
The context of the movie Imperial Dreams can also be drawn on in this issue while the
protagonist of the movie comes back from imprisonment and wants to return to his old society
and neighborhood. A man might have done some mistakes in his earlier life but it is not all good
to blame him for his entire life for that mistake. If the society does not the reformed gangster in
the movie, his later life will be ruined and he will never be recognized in the society in a good
manner. Bambi was a gangster who was taken into jail for his activities as a gangster but he was
refined after his imprisonment. His skin color also worked as a barrier to sustain in the society.
Here the issue of racial profiling comes to prominence.

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Final Essay
It has to be mentioned in this essay that social and cultural evils have worked as big
barriers for human beings to leave peacefully. In this text named The Birthmark by Nathaniel
Hawthorne, the author has brought about the negative role of racial profiling within the society
(Hawthorne, 2018). The difference between black and white skin colors has been clarified in this
short story. The protagonist of the story Aylmer is a very well known scientist and philosopher.
He has been attempting to delete the boundaries between science and nature as much as
he can. This short story is filled with issues of whiteness of body image, purity of body image
and physical appearance of Georgiana. The scientist Aylmer is hard to understand these things
are only given to her by nature and she must be perceived by others in only the way how she is.
This is why it is not at all good to change her appearance in a forcible manner (Melville, 2018).
Apparently, these body image issues completely break down the self-esteem of girls and
women of all ages. If they are not respect for what they are, it will surely be de-motivating and
sometimes they will feel embarrassed as well. In the contemporary times of writing this essay,
women also suffer from racial profiling as well (Hawthorne, 2018). While women choose their
professions for betterments in their careers, it is this racial profiling i.e. harmful for their
progression. Sometimes, the ways they look and behave in a particular manner are not respected
by anyone. In this society, beauty is sold and the use of cosmetics is encouraged by several lady
professionals. This is done only to look more attractive in this patriarchal society (DeMello,
2012).
Many feminists have raised their voices in this context but it is of no use. Therefore,
women’s reputation is belittled if they are of black skin color and bear aa negative body image

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like birthmarks or scars. The society does not understand that it is a kind of thing that they have
from their birth only (DeMello, 2012). Therefore, it will be a matter of insult if they are told to
remove it from their face or any other organs of their body. A negative body image can be a
woman’s excessive fat as well. It might be because the woman likes to eat a lot or she is not
bothered about going to gym. It does not mean that she can be insulted time and again for this.
This is completely unethical from the side of organizations who want women employees with
poor and negative body images (Glaser, 2015).
According to many surveys, it has been found that around 97% of women suffer from
negative body images all around the world. There are very few women who are satisfied with
body postures they possess (Withrow & Dailey, 2012). The terms like ‘obese’, ‘skinny’, ‘ugly’
and such others reflect a negative body image among women. So, everyday racial profiling has
become one of the most corrupted factors in the society right now. The results of this racial
profiling can really be dangerous in some contexts (Glaser, 2015). The current issue of the film
Imperial Dreams has portrayed social issues when the gangster named Bambi was not accepted
in the society (Davis, 2013).
The police continue to make racial profiling against that man. Here, the need for
education is highlighted since people should always be aware that a reformed man after
imprisonment will not be the same again because he has been to hell and back. The rehabilitation
process of these people is not very easy at all. This is definitely a social evil. Women of countries
from Africa suffer in this situation most (Horrace & Rohlin, 2016). White skinned women are
generally not much disturbed or affected by this racial profiling until they have poor body
images and visible scars on their bodies.

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This is how racial profiling in the society has come a long way and it is regarded as a
negative issue. People who suffer from racial profiling do not seem to get recognition in the
society properly (Horrace & Rohlin, 2016). This is why Georgina, the woman in the story
becomes self-conscious and tries desperately to remove that natural birth mark of hers. The
diversity in the society regarding body and beauty cannot be accepted since it destroys the
natural identity of human beings. In this short story, Nathaniel Hawthorne has proposed that
there can be only one identity of beauty and i.e. the natural one. The tampering of natural beauty
is not good because it hampers their identity (Horrace & Rohlin, 2016).
The simplicity of women can be perceived in the most natural and original ways.
Therefore, this contemporary society that seeks perfection in beauty does not conform to the
naturalness, Thus it is quite a debatable fact whether human beings should be perceived from
natural manner or an artificial manner.
In the concluding section, it must be said that sense of beauty has to be observed among
human beings within natural boundaries (Withrow & Dailey, 2012). If the natural beauty is not
recognized or appreciated, it would be derogatory for people since everyone likes to be
appreciated in their actual form.
This short story The Birthmark by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a fantastic text that deals with
this theme and brings out how this social and cultural evil is very much present in the
contemporary times. The comparison has been made with the movie Imperial Dreams that also
deals with the natural identity of the protagonist. Thus, it seems that these themes are correlated
and its implications on society and lives of individuals are very crucial as well.

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References and Bibliography
Cochran, J. C., & Warren, P. Y. (2012). Racial, ethnic, and gender differences in perceptions of
the police: The salience of officer race within the context of racial profiling. Journal of
Contemporary Criminal Justice, 28(2), 206-227.
Davis, A. J. (2013). In search of racial justice: The role of the prosecutor. NYUJ Legis. & Pub.
Pol'y, 16, 821.
DeMello, M. (2012). Faces around the world: a cultural encyclopedia of the human face. ABC-
CLIO.
Glaser, J. (2015). Suspect race: Causes and consequences of racial profiling. Oxford University
Press, USA.
Hawthorne, N. (2007). Mosses from an old manse. Modern Library.
Hawthorne, N. (2018). The birthmark. Charles River Editors via PublishDrive.
Horrace, W. C., & Rohlin, S. M. (2016). How dark is dark? Bright lights, big city, racial
profiling. Review of Economics and Statistics, 98(2), 226-232.
Lawson, K., & Shakinovsky, L. (2012). Marked Body, The: Domestic Violence in Mid-
Nineteenth-Century Literature. SUNY Press.
Mangham, A. (2014). Fantasies of identification: disability, gender and race.
Marsh, C. (2016). Hawthorne’s Distillery: Time and Temperance in “The Birth-Mark” And
Other Tales. American Literature, 88(4), 723-753.
Melville, H. (2018). Hawthorne and his Mosses. Charles River Editors via PublishDrive.

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Withrow, B. L., & Dailey, J. D. (2012). Racial profiling litigation: Current status and emerging
controversies. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 28(2), 122-145.