The Birthmark Case

This extract from The Birthmark by Nthaniel Hawthorne is a very intense piece of writing. Hawthorne delicately depicts a 'fatal flaw of humanity' that so troubles Aylmer that it distorts his entire image of his wife. The author also portrays how perception varies 'according to the difference of temperament in the beholders.' The passage begins 'very soon after their marriage' when Aylmer is brooding over his wife with 'trouble in his countenance.' So in the very beginning we are aware of the anxiety that is present throughout the passage. The fact that Aylmer is so troubled as he looks at his wife not long after marrying her tells us that the marriage may already be doomed. Georgiana's birthmark is so irritable to him that he needs to confront her about how much he dislikes it. The 'seriousness of his manner' 'deeply hurts' his wife as he calls it a 'defect' and a 'mark of earthly imperfection.' Georgiana becomes so overwhelmed by what he says that she first reddens with 'momentary anger' and then 'bursts into tears' out of frustration. Her reaction clearly portrays the genuine distress that her husband's words cause her. And she claims, 'you cannot love what shocks you!' The author tactfully describes the different perspectives on the birthmark. Georgiana's lovers were accustomed to say that it was a fairy's hand, imprinted upon her cheek as the symbol that gave her such 'sway over all hearts.' The narrator even says that many of her desperate lovers would have 'risked life' to have the privilege of kissing the 'mysterious hand' on her cheek. But he goes on further to say that not everybody thought of the birthmark as an addition to her beauty but rather 'a crimson stain upon the snow' with almost 'fearful distinctness.' And in this way the author shows us how there can be contrary perceptions of everything. Women chose to call the birthmark a 'bloody hand' that may even render Georgiana's face 'hideous'. The words used may even depict jealousy that other women feel over her beauty. The narrator further describes Georgiana to the Eve of Powers and how even a tiny blue stain upon that beautiful marble would convert it 'to a monster.' The men who observe Georgiana either admire her more for her birthmark, or condemn it. And this condemning perception of the birthmark is the one Aylmer adopts and discovers after they are married. Hawthorne then tries to describe the philosophy behind Aylmer's perception. He personifies envy, that if it 'could have found aught else to sneer at', then Aylmer might have been more admirable of the 'mimic hand'. The narrator tells us that if Georgiana 'had been less beautiful' and not 'otherwise so perfect' then he might have found a