Paper #2- Road to perfection

Road to perfection Perfection is a pursuit toward being infallible. In the short stories, “White Woman of Color” and “The Birthmark” by Julia Alvarez and Nathaniel Hawthorne respectively, they discuss perfection. The pursuit of perfection is seen through the main characters of Julia and Aylmer. Julia’s pursuit of perfection entails finding her self-identity, while Aylmer pursues the perfect wife. Perfection is intertwined with “Saved by the Bell” A show directed by Sam Bobrick, which encompasses the pursuit of perfection through Jessie Spano, who attempts to attain perfection through straight A’s on tests. Julia eventually realizes the importance of her identity, while Aylmer’s pursuit of perfection deepens. Jesse, Julia, and Georgiana attempt to achieve perfection but get strayed by external forces. They all face the struggle of acceptance, identity, and confidence. In the short story, White Woman of Color by Julia Alvarez, Julia faces the conflict of being accepted in America. Foreigners face the struggle of being social accepted from peers when they come to America. In the case of Julia, her family was accustomed to American principles. “People of color were treated as if they were inferior, prone to violence, uneducated, untrustworthy, lazy--all the “bad” adjectives we were learning in our new language” (Alvarez 58). Julia felt generalization was only expressed in her family, but it happens in America. “My values, the loss of my Catholic faith, my wardrobe, my hippy ways, and my feminist ideas separated me from my native culture (Alvarez 59). When foreigners come to America, they compromise their ideas to adapt to American culture, which is what Julia did. Throughout her life in America, Julia insisted on finding a way to stay connected with her roots. Julia found a coping mechanism through books. “Thank goodness for the occasional creative writing workshop where I could bring in the multicultural authors I wanted. I was clueless about where to start. (Alvarez 59-58). Julia was clueless about where to start because Julia felt she lost her identity. School as a social institution changes people’s perception of their identity, which Julia experienced through reading books. Books gave Julia the confidence to express her differences from American culture. “What I came to understand and accept and ultimately fight for with my writing is the reality that ethnicity and race are not fixed constructs or measureable quantities. (Alvarez 59). In the beginning of the short story, Julia was uncomfortable in America, but eventually Julia gained confidence of her self-identity. Julia realized being Afro-Dominican was different, but made Julia unique. Writing was Julia’s confidence builder and coping mechanism of her identity. Although Julia has confidence in her identity, Aylmer does not. Georgiana craves acceptance from her husband. “We know not whether Aylmer possessed this degree of faith in man’s ultimate control over nature. He had devoted himself, however, too unreservedly to scientific studies ever to be weakened from them by any second passion” (Hawthorne 218- 219). Georgiana felt secondary to Aylmer and his thoughts of science because of her birthmark. “To tell you the truth, it has been so often called a charm, that I was simple enough to imagine it might be so” (Hawthorne 219). Georgiana believes her birthmark is a beauty mark, a mark that makes her unique. “Ah, upon another face it might; but never on yours. 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 219). Aylmer uses reverse psychology on Georgiana to have her receive the surgery, and uses science as a shield to hide his true emotions. Furthermore, Aylmer views science as a part of his identity and not his wife. “In the latter part of the last century there lived a man of science, an eminent proficient in every branch of natural philosophy, who not long before our story opens had made experience of a spiritual affinity more attractive than any chemical one” (Hawthorne 218). This quote personifies Aylmer, he was a man who loved his wife, but loved science more. Science is Aylmer’s identity, which through science he tries to alter his wife. As a scientist, Aylmer is unaware of what perfection is because he always tries to fix someone, in this case his wife, Georgiana. Through the operation made successful by Aminadab, Aylmer comes to accept Georgiana’s identity, her imperfect identity. “Do you remember, my dear Aylmer”, said she with a feeble attempt at a smile, “have you any recollection of a dream last night about this odious hand” (Hawthorne 221). “None! None whatever!” replied Aylmer, starting; but then added, in a dry, cold tone, affected for the sake of concealing the real depth of his emotion. “I might well dream of it; for before I fell asleep, it had taken a pretty firm hold of my fancy” (Hawthorne 221). Aylmer is masking his feelings toward Georgiana because he loves her, but loves fixing her birthmark, thus feeding Aylmer’s ego. Aylmer uses reverse psychology to make Georgiana have the surgery. “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm” (Ralph Waldo Emerson). The surgery was perfect, but Georgiana was not happy with result. In addition, Aylmer gained confidence after the surgery of the birthmark, while Jesse Spano gained confidence through friends. In the TV show, Saved by the Bell, the character Jesse Spano has confidence issues. Jesse was negative about how tall she was, and the pursuit of perfection. In one of the episodes, Jesse uses a caffeine pill to stay awake, so she could achieve having more time. Perfection is often chased for but rarely achieved. Perfection was her ultimate goal, and her admiration for success was found through friends. Jesse’s friends helped her cope with her struggles, while Julia figured out life on her own. Perfection is the theme through the short stories “White Woman of Color”, and “The Birthmark” by Julia Alvarez and Nathaniel Hawthorne. Julia reaches perfection through her struggles and experiences through life. Georgiana and Jesse try to achieve perfection through relationships. The difference is Georgiana dies for becoming perfect, while Jesse and Julia achieves perfection gracefully. Whether it be through fitting in, self-discovery, or bravery.