What is the mood of the birthmark?

The tone is ominous, as this passage in paragraph 8 indicates: “Aylmer's sombre imagination was not long in rendering the birthmark a frightful object, causing him more trouble and horror than ever Georgiana's beauty, whether of soul or sense, had given him delight.” The reader thus has a sense early on that the story ...

What is the theme of the birthmark?

'The Birthmark' focuses on the theme of obsession, particularly the moment when love becomes an obsession, making it dangerous—and even deadly, shown in Aylmer's obsession with the birthmark and Georgiana's obsession with Aylmer to the point of willing suicide by poison.

What is Hawthorne's birthmark about?

Aylmer is a brilliant and recognized scientist and philosopher who drops his focus from his career and experiments to marry the beautiful Georgiana (who is physically perfect except for a small red birthmark in the shape of a hand on her cheek).

What is the setting of the story the birthmark?

Aylmer's Laboratory in the late 1700s.

What is the conflict in the birthmark?

In the opinion of this reader, the central conflicts in the tale – the relation between the protagonist and antagonist usually (Abrams 225) – are the external one between Aylmer and Georgiana over the birthmark on her cheek, and internal ones within Georgiana between love and self-interest and alienation, and within ...

The Birth-Mark by Nathaniel Hawthorne Summary and Analysis

Is Georgiana a protagonist or antagonist?

Georgiana. If you like Aylmer as the antagonist, you may be tempted to assign Georgiana is the protagonist. She is wronged by the antagonist (her husband), she is basically innocent, and she suffers on no account of her own, which means our sympathies lie with her.

What is the climax in The Birthmark?

Climax. The couple moves to his apartment where he performs his scientific experiments. As Georgiana studies the various aspects of her husband's profession she finds herself captivated by what he can do. Although, she reads his journals and finds out that all his experiments never quite reach their full goal.

What does Aylmer represent?

By making Aylmer a symbol for the mind and then showing how dangerous it is when the mind operates independent of morality, Hawthorne warns us that unchecked ambition without regard for morality will result only in disaster and death.

Who is the protagonist in the birthmark?

Aylmer, the protagonist of Hawthorne's “The Birthmark,” undertakes to remove the blemish from his wife's cheek to satisfy his own spiritual strivings and to redeem what he sees as a failed career.

What was Aylmer's first love?

We know these things about Aylmer from the beginning of the story: that his love for science rivals his love for Georgiana, and he has devoted his entire life to scientific inquiry.

What is the irony in the birthmark?

The irony is that the elixir does remove her birthmark, but it also kills her. The elixir destroys her physical beauty in an effort to improve it. It is also ironic that Aylmer is a highly intelligent man, but has no wisdom. He does not see that his wife's inner beauty is what is really important.

What does the narrator say is the significance of the birthmark?

What does the narrator say is the significance of the birthmark? It is something that can't be erased, ineffaceably. The narrator says that Aylmer "selected" the birthmark as a symbol of his wife's sin.

How does Georgiana feel about her birthmark?

Although every other man she has encountered has swooned over her beauty and many would risk death for the privilege of touching her birthmark, Georgiana cares only about Aylmer's opinion of her. Because he is horrified by her appearance, she discards years of praise and becomes disgusted with herself.

What are two themes of birthmark?

What is the moral lesson of the story The Birthmark?

The moral to the story, then, is that a man cannot play God or attempt to alter nature; in addition, seeking perfection is a dangerous and deadly goal.

Is The Birthmark man vs nature?

"The Birthmark" is interested in Nature as the personified creator of all things. It tells the story of a man who challenges Nature in trying to become a creator of sorts himself, in trying to "repair" a "flaw" that Nature has left on another human being.

Who is the real antagonist villain in the birthmark?

Aylmer. Then again, in another reading of "The Birthmark," Aylmer is a superficial, obsessive perfectionist who kills his wife by dabbling in matters beyond his control in his blind attempt to play God. And that pretty much says it all as far as Aylmer-as-antagonist goes.

What do you see as aminadab role in the story?

Aminadab symbolizes man's earthly, physical half; Aylmer symbolizes man's lofty, spiritual half.

What is the reason Georgiana is willing to risk her life to get rid of the mark in the birthmark?

What is the reason Georgiana is willing to risk her life to get rid of the mark in "The Birthmark"? She knows that neither she nor her husband will have peace if the birthmark remains. Why does the speaker appeal to time and nature in "Concord Hymn"?

What is the meaning of the birthmark?

Definition of birthmark

: an unusual mark or blemish on the skin at birth : nevus.

What is the symbolism in the birthmark?

Georgiana's birthmark symbolizes mortality. According to the narrator, every living thing is flawed in some way, nature's way of reminding us that every living thing eventually dies.

What is Aylmer obsessed with?

Aylmer is an accomplished scientist, and Georgiana's husband. Although he has achieved many impressive scientific feats, he has also often failed to accomplish what he aimed to. He becomes completely obsessed with Georgiana's birthmark and the possibility of its removal.

How is envy personified in the birthmark?

Hawthorne also uses personification in his work. He posits, “Had she been less beautiful-if Envy's self could have found aught else to sneer at-he might have felt his affection heightened” (Lauter 1370). Here he personifies envy stating that 'he' (envy), could have 'felt his affection heightened'.

Which character is in the birth mark?

The two main characters, Aylmer and Georgina, are intertwined with the husbands need to get rid of his wife's flaw. His story, The Birth-Mark, explores the depth of human imperfection and a man need to play God. In the story, Aylmer is a man who aims for perfection. He is scientist when it comes to the physical world.

What is a foil character?

In literature, authors will sometimes highlight certain aspects of a character's personality by using a foil: a supporting character who has a contrasting personality and set of values. Putting the foil and main character in close proximity helps draw readers' attention to the latter's attributes.