The Birth-Mark: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 16:42, 23 February 2007

Revision as of 02:12, 24 February 2007

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Georgiana, the beautiful woman in the story has a single hand-shaped [[birthmark]] on her cheek. Men are invariably attracted to Georgiana, and many find the birthmark attractive. However, her husband Aylmer, a scientist, is revolted at the sight of the birthmark. He views it as the sole flaw of his otherwise perfect wife and becomes obsessed with it.

Eventually Georgiana comes to share his obsession, and the couple decides to try to remove the birthmark. Aylmer takes Georgiana to his laboratory, where he is assisted by his assistant [[Aminadab]]. Aminadab helps with the operation, although he mutters to himself that if Georgiana were his wife, he would not want the birthmark removed. Aylmer takes several days to perform tests on Georgiana and analyze her "condition", but only prepares one liquid for her consumption. Once she drinks this, the birthmark, which is referred to as the bond that tied together her heavenly spirit with her near-perfect body, fades, --because butGeorgiana's soface doesis hergrowing spiritpale, because of the potion that was give to her. Aylmer achieves his one moment of perfection, which Hawthorne had alluded to by centering Georgiana's thoughts about how Aylmer could only have one moment of perfection, because in the next moment he would already be striving for "something that was beyond the scope of the instant before" (Hawthorne)

==Analysis==