The Birthmark Literary Analysis

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“…[It] was not unusual for the love of science to rival the love of woman in its depth and absorbing energy.” (Hawthorne In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, “The Birthmark,” he describes how a love for science clashes with the love for women. The protagonist of the story, Aylmer, has a deep passion for science and creating potions. He strives to create the perfect image of a human, and his egocentric actions result in the death of Georgiana. Hawthorne uses this story to allow the reader to see how powerful the subconscious mind can be and regardless of how good a person is or how well their intentions may be, we all make selfish decisions that have negative, life-changing consequences.
The chief conflict of the story is the fact that Aylmer wants the birthmark removed from Georgiana’s face. He tries many things to remove it, and she continues to go along with it because of her deep love for him. Aylmer states that her birthmark is “the visible mark of earthly imperfection.” (Hawthorne 342) With this being said, Aylmer’s hate for Georgiana’s hamartia drives him to unconsciously portray a nefarious image of …show more content…
Georgiana, according to the narrator, is a visual of perfection, other than the birthmark. The blemish on her face disgusts Aylmer and he wants rid of it as soon as he can. Aylmer had a dream about removing the mark. “He had fancied himself with his servant Aminadab attempting an operation for the removal of the birth-mark; but the deeper went the knife, the deeper sank the hand, until at length its tiny grasp appeared to have caught hold of Georgiana’s heart;...” (Hawthorne 343). Hawthorne is suggesting that during this operation during the dream, Georgiana is approaching death and “going into the light.” Hawthorne strongly expresses the shadow of death and selfishness that can overtake one’s self, causing that person to do selfish things no matter what the consequences of those actions may
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