The Spiritual and Physical Dimensions in The BirthmarkFred Allen Wolf observes in Taking the Quantum Leap that only in the 20th century did scientists realize that “to observe is to disturb, because observing breaks the integrity of nature.” If observation is disturbing, then when a scientist tampers with and tries to perfect nature the result can only be disastrous. The goal of most scientists is to observe and understand the mysteries of nature. Nathaniel Hawthorne realized that 19th century scientists were beginning to challenge traditional views of science and man. The traditional view of man holds that man is both material and spiritual. Advances in science led some scientists to begin to think that man was only material and therefore with sufficient enlightenment science could control all of nature, including man himself. Hawthorne, however, opposed the idea of ​​man's ability to totally control all aspects of human life. Hawthorne, in his short story "The Birthmark", uses imagery and character to show that man has both a spiritual and material dimension that are deeply intertwined and incapable of being fully controlled. Hawthorne presents the prevailing thought of the man of science with the introduction of Aylmer who typifies the man of science who thinks he can "ascension from one step of powerful intelligence to another, until the philosopher lays his hand on the secret of the creative force" (Hawthorne 1). Hawthorne implies that Aylmer believes he can possess “final and total control of Nature” (1). Hawthorne uses the birthmark on Georgiana's cheek to represent the spiritual or non-material aspects of man. Initially, when Hawthorne describes the birthmark, he simply sees it as a physical defect. He defines it as “the visible sign of earthly imperfection” (1). As Aylmer continues to dwell on imperfection, it begins to take on a deeper meaning. He begins to see it as “humanity's fatal flaw” that comes from the hand of Nature (1). Later, he sees it as “the symbol of his wife's responsibility to sin, pain, decay, and death” (1). Hawthorne uses Georgiana as a representative of all mankind by saying that Nature places a defect in "all her productions" (1). When Aylmer begins to recognize the flaw in connection with her immortality, he begins to recognize that there is something deeper than matter... in the middle of the paper... never understanding the reality he denied, isn't it . sure, but the narrator's final comment suggests that Georgiana's death resolves the question of the reality of the natural and spiritual worlds and the intertwining of the two. He explains that “the fatal hand had grasped the mystery of life and was the bond by which an angelic spirit maintained itself in union with a mortal structure” (7). The angelic spirit and the mortal structure were inseparable and one could not exist without the other. This was what Aylmer could not believe, for he was a man of science, in fact, and one who could not grasp the idea of ​​a spiritual dimension of an individual. Through the birthmark and Aylmer, Hawthorne illustrates that an individual has both physical and physical appearance. body seen by all and an invisible spirit. Aylmer believes first and foremost, like other scientists, that all things are merely physical. But Georgiana's birthmark is used to symbolize the spirit that grips all human beings. Georgiana's death occurs when her spirit is removed from her physical body. Hawthorne uses the intertwining of the birthmark with the body to reveal that man has a spiritual dimension and a physical dimension, both intertwined.