A Rhetorical Analysis of Hawthorne’s The Birthmark

Christofer Smith • August 15, 2025 • 508 Words

Introduction

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Birthmark, a main message of the danger of obsessing over human perfection is iterated through an array of methods, including the symbolism embedded into the literature, the tone of the narrative, and foreshadowing to display the progression of perfectionism to futility and eventually, destruction.

Symbolism

The birthmark upon Georgiana, the wife of brilliant scientist Aylmer, is among many of the symbols contained within Hawthorne’s work. It represents imperfection and humanity, which is ultimately demonstrated upon its removal from her cheek — erasing the mark resulted in the end of Georgiana’s life. Within her life, however, are moments where the birthmark mirrored her emotions, with concealment of it when she blushed and emphasis when she turned pale. This can be understood as a mimicry of how our perception of perfection is subjective, with disparate observers viewing it in different ways upon separate circumstances. Georgiana herself was often accepting of her birthmark, juxtaposing her husband's utter disgust and rejection of it. This technique helps to draw a parallel between how, with the topic of perfection, some may accept themselves in spite of their flaws, while others may find themselves repulsed by their imperfections — a link to the ideas of perspectives. These literary devices set the reader to interpret the birthmark as a harmless object and Aylmer’s obsession with it as irrational, as he seeks to meddle with what is ultimately Georgiana’s humanity.

Tone

Hawthorne pursues his objective of conveying this story with a formal tone, not unlike that of an Aesopian cautionary fable. This is especially evident in Aylmer’s dialogue, in which his voice comes off as sterile and detached from emotion — characterizing him as the opposite of Georgiana, whose natural vernacular speaks more of her humanity. This opposite, who speaks in perfect grammar, therefore, represents the rigidity of perfectionism. To the reader, and especially one who imagines the tone of each character as they consume the literature, this distinction in speaking styles leads the reader to sympathize with Georgiana, who is innocent in her husband’s unnatural obsession.

Foreshadowing

Hawthorne masterfully crafts foreshadowing into his narrative, with references to the notion of her death being sprinkled throughout, such as in Aylmer’s ominous dream about the birthmark, Georgiana’s awareness of how such an operation could result in deformation and death, and her realization that Aylmer was concealing his nervousness and the tension that surrounded his process. While it is apparent to the reader that Georgiana’s death is due as a consequence of her husband’s obsession, the tragic irony of his plight is that he is blind to this ending until it occurs. This can be interpreted as a symbol of obsession’s ability to cloud our judgment, causing us to falter. This emphasizes Hawthorne’s moral that the pursuit of perfection, despite how we view it, will inevitably end in no other way than faltering.

Conclusion

Throughout Hawthorne’s work of literature, he uses classic symbolism in conjunction with subtle clues planted in narrative tone and foreshadowing to capture the development of striving for perfection — the irrationality, the decisions, and ultimately, the fall it brings.

Works Cited

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. ““The Birthmark.”” Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1846.

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