The Birthmark Summary

Response to “The Birthmark”

The In story “The Birthmark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne he begins by introducing the main character whose name is Aylmer. Aylmer s a brilliant scientist and natural philosopher who has left behind his experiments to marry beautiful Georgiana. We are told Georgiana is blessed with a birthmark upon her face. The narrator explains that the birthmark on her cheek is a red mark in the shape of a tiny hand on her left cheek. The mark disappears when she blushes; male admirers love the birthmark, and would do anything just to kiss it.

However, One day, Aylmer asks his wife if she had ever thought about removing her birthmark on her cheek. She cheerfully says no but grows very serious when she sees that he was being serious.

Many people have told her the mark is a charm, and she has always thought maybe that they were right. Aylmer says that because her face is almost perfect, any mark is shocking. This makes Georgiana very angry at first, and then she weeps, asking how he can love her if she is shocking to him.
Aylmer begins to obsess about the birthmark. He can think of nothing else. One night she reminds him of a dream he had. He spoke in his sleep, saying they must take out her heart. Aylmer remembers dreaming that he had removed the birthmark with a knife, plunging down until he had reached his wife’s heart, which he decided to cut out. Georgiana says that she will risk her life to have the birthmark erased, and Aylmer agrees to try.
They then move to the apartments where Aylmer has his laboratory.

As the couple enters the laboratory, Aylmer shudders at the sight of Georgiana, and she faints. Aminadab, Aylmer’s assistant, comes out to help. He says he would not remove the birthmark if Georgiana were his wife.

He brings her a potion that he says cannot fail. He shows her how it cures a geranium of blots. She drinks the liquid and sleeps. Aylmer watches her with tenderness but also as if he is watching a scientific experiment unfold. Gradually the birthmark fades. Aminadab laughs. Georgiana wakes, sees herself in the mirror, and tells Aylmer not to feel bad about rejecting “the best the earth could offer.” Then she dies.

This whole story is all about foreshadowing, like when Aylmer dreams of cutting off Georgiana’s birthmark and finding that the roots plunge down into her heart, which he decides to cut out. Then Georgiana faints the first time she sees the laboratory, Aylmer gives her a beautiful, fast-blooming flower that he created withered and turned black as soon as she touches it. Over and over again, we see that Aylmer’s experiments usually go very wrong and have destructive, unintended consequences. Georgiana’s death, therefore, comes as no surprise to the

reader.