Symbolism in The Birthmark

The Birthmark is a short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne that was first published in 1843. The story’s protagonist, Aylmer, is a scientist who is obsessed with eliminating all imperfections from his life – including his wife Georgiana’s birthmark, which he sees as a blemish on her otherwise perfect skin. Aylmer’s obsession leads him to experiment … Read more