The Birthmark Symbolism

Symbols are heavily used throughout "The Birthmark". One of the most significant symbols is the birthmark itself. Hawthorne makes it obvious that the birthmark is a symbol by telling us that it is. The birthmark is, as the passage says, "deeply inwoven" with his wife's aspect. Its visibility changes with the color of Georgiana's face. The birthmark would be clearly visible when she was "in the usual state of her complexion", but when she blushed, it would "vanish amid the triumphant rush of blood." Note that the birthmark is red, or crimson-- the color of blood and the color of passion. In the third paragraph, Aylmer refers to the birthmark as a simple "mark", which is a neutral term that indicates no judgment. However, in the next paragraph, …show more content…
This is one interpretation, where Aylmer is uncomfortable with his wife's sexual power and wants to remove it to keep himself in control. Women would see the birthmark as a blemish that destroys Georgiana's beauty. The narrator is suggesting that they are driven by envy. Ironically, the claims that the birthmark ruins her attractiveness actually clarifies just how charming she actually is. The shape of the mark, which is hand-like, suggests a grip “holding” onto Georgiana in two different ways: it is holding her down, saying that it is connecting her to life on earth, and also holding her back, saying that it separates her and perfection. An interesting article, "Speaking of the Unspeakable: Hawthorne's 'The Birthmark.'" by Jules Zanger, suggests that the birthmark is actually about the menstrual cycle. Zanger believes that "...the particularizing of Georgiana's 'imperfection' by the image of a 'crimson stain' is linked to Hawthorne's response to the menstrual aspect of woman's biological