The Birthmark

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. His obsession with exerting power over the natural world results in Georgiana’s death, but, unlike the villains of gothic fiction who proceed him, Aylmer is not necessarily evil. Rather, he seems to stumble into evil acts through a willful blindness and a single-minded ambition. For all of his aggression towards Georgiana, he does not consciously seek her death, and he is devastated at her passing. For Georgiana, the distinction makes little difference; the result of her husband’s neurotic “love” is the same.