Pub 4: Idealism

    Idealism is constructing one’s views based on what could be than what really is. Idealists focus on things that they are hopeful will happen that are often unrealistic or unattainable, not for things that are happening at the present moment that are right in front of them. Idealists believe they can change imperfections and make them perfect. Nathaniel Hawthorne demonstrates the concept of idealism in his work The Birthmark creatively through the characters he beautifully constructed in order to display the dangers of believing everything must be perfect. Hawthorne uses his characters to show the detrimental dangers that encircle idealism. 
         In the world today, idealist views are embedded in many aspects of the society we live in. The cosmetic surgery industry uses aggressive ads and promising phrases to draw in customers and pray on the idealist beliefs of many. These plastic surgeons believe they can fix all imperfections and believe they hold some sort of power because they can do so. Aylmer says "There is no taint of imperfection on thy spirit. Thy sensible frame, too, shall soon be all perfect.”. When Aylmer says this, he is essentially saying that just by removing that one imperfection, her birthmark, he will make her perfect himself. In essence, she could never be perfect because perfection is not real. In an article on Points of View Reference Center titled Counterpoint: Cosmetic Surgery is a Dangerous and Costly Trend, it says “People have become obsessed with appearance, as shown by their use of cosmetic surgery despite its high cost and the health risks it poses, instead of improving their physical appearance through diet and exercise” The Plastic surgeons put the lives of their patients at risk in order to make their patients perfect as did Aylmer with his wife. The world we live in today is obsessed with obtaining an impossible perfection, whatever that may be at whatever cost it may have. Women get breast augmentations,people get nose jobs and botox, face lifts and tummy tucks all in order to look younger, skinnier, better and to become perfect. Our society is obsessed with the thought of being perfect and having no flaws. Once Almer gives her the concoction to remove the birthmark and it starts to slowly fade Georgiana says “You have rejected the best the earth could offer. Aylmer, dearest Aylmer, I am dying!”. Georgiana now realizes that perfection is not something that can be achieved and that the cost of trying to achieve it has now caused her life and her husband has killed her. Her husband killed her trying to make her perfect.
Idealism goes against the very essence of a transcendentalist spirit by believing perfection exists in anything. Transcendentalists believe nothing is perfect and idealists spend their time believing that perfection can be created. A transcendentalists would have embraced Georgiana’s birthmark and said that that is her very nature and it makes her beautiful. While the idealist, Aylmer, did just as expected and remove that birthmark at all cost so his wife could be perfect.

Sexton, Jennifer, and Rosalyn Carson-Dewitt. "Counterpoint: Cosmetic Surgery Is A Dangerous And Costly Trend." Points Of View: Cosmetic Surgery (2015): 3. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 22 Apr. 2015.