32 pages 1 hour read

Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Birthmark

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1843

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Character Analysis

Aylmer

Aylmer is one of Hawthorne’s many “mad scientist” protagonists in his short stories; these literary figures served as forerunners of this particular character type in American literature. Aylmer is defined by his love of science; he reluctantly puts his studies on hold to secure a wife, but the narrator notes that he would be happiest if he could somehow combine his love for science and his love for his wife, foreshadowing the horrific experiments he will conduct on Georgiana. In the realm of learning, Aylmer’s capacity for love is great, but he extends little emotional sensitivity to his wife. To her, he is openly critical and he does not hesitate to point out her flaws; he displays little concern for her reactions to his judgments or for her well-being. Above all, Aylmer values perfection though he claims multiple times that he has no desire to play God; he does, however, compare himself to the mythological figure Pygmalion, who carves a wife for himself from an ivory block. Like Pygmalion, Aylmer wants Georgiana to be entirely of his making.

Ironically, Aylmer might have dedicated himself to science, but Aylmer is a man defined primarily by his failures. He is quick to identify a minor flaw in Georgiana, but he is unable to turn that critical lens on himself.

Related Titles

By Nathaniel Hawthorne

Study Guide

logo

Dr. Heidegger's Experiment

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Dr. Heidegger's Experiment

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Study Guide

logo

Ethan Brand

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Ethan Brand

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Study Guide

logo

My Kinsman Major Molineux

Nathaniel Hawthorne

My Kinsman Major Molineux

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Study Guide

logo

The Ambitious Guest

Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Ambitious Guest

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Study Guide

logo

The Artist of the Beautiful

Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Artist of the Beautiful

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Study Guide

logo

The Blithedale Romance

Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Blithedale Romance

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Study Guide

logo

The Hollow of the Three Hills

Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Hollow of the Three Hills

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Study Guide

logo

The House of the Seven Gables

Nathaniel Hawthorne

The House of the Seven Gables

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Study Guide

logo

The Marble Faun

Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Marble Faun

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Study Guide

logo

The Maypole Of Merry Mount

Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Maypole Of Merry Mount

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Study Guide

logo

The Minister's Black Veil

Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Minister's Black Veil

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Study Guide

logo

The Wives of the Dead

Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Wives of the Dead

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Study Guide

logo

Young Goodman Brown

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Young Goodman Brown

Nathaniel Hawthorne