Discussion Questions: “The Birthmark”: Think about these

  • "The Birthmark" is such a rich story that when we begin to explore its deeper meanings we find ironies, ambiguities, paradoxes, and rich symbols, all of which invite a reader's individual interpretation. What irony, ambiguity, symbol, and paradox do you find most interesting in "The Birthmark"?
  • In much of his fiction, Hawthorne treats pride as an "evil." Is there an evil type of pride evident in "The Birthmark"?
  • In what ways is "The Birthmark" for all its promise of an "impressive moral" actually morally ambiguous? Why might some readers find it difficult to view Alymer, for instance, as purely and unambiguously "evil"?
  • Hawthorne didn't feel himself confined to an aesthetic that privileges "verisimilitude," like many 20th century authors (notable exceptions being Kafka, Borges, and Marquez). He felt comfortable allowing his fiction to include "the spirit and mechanism of the fairyland" (his words). What "fantastic" or "magical" elements appear in "The Birthmark"?
  • Consider Hawthorne's presentation of Georgiana in "The Birthmark." What attitudes about women seem to inform his portrait of her?
  • Given that certain themes tend to recur in Hawthorne's fiction, among them the limits of self-reliance and the evils of manipulation, can you analyze how these themes are expressed in "The Birthmark"?

Student Questions:Answer these.

  1. Why did Aylmer marry Georgiana if he hated the birthmark so much? Why does he want to remove it now?
  2. What were Aylmer's real motives? Was there more to it than is obvious?
  3. If Aylmer really loved Georgiana, why couldn't he look past her birthmark?
  4. Shouldn't people love their partners for who they are and what they look like without needing them to change?
  5. Is Aylmer, inventing this elixir, trying to play God?
  6. Is the way a person looks connected to who she/he is?
  7. How far should a person be willing to go to improve an imperfection?
  8. Why is Aminadab laughing when Georgiana dies? Why isn't he sad?
  9. Why couldn't Aylmer accept his wife the way she was, and why did she give in to him?
  10. Why was Georgiana so weak and vulnerable to her husband's need to change her? Why did she give in?
  11. How did Georgiana really die?
  12. Did Aylmer love Georgiana as much as he loved science?
  13. Did Aylmer's obsession with the birthmark reflect his obsession with science or his his wife?
  14. If Aylmer knew the potion would kill his wife, but still remove the birthmark, would he give it to her anyway?

Thought-provoking Questions: Answer 3 in paragraph form

  • What is love? What is a reasonable risk to take for someone you love?
  • What does it mean to be "imperfect"?
  • Why do we allow others to have such an impact on our self-image?
  • Did Aylmer learn anything by the end of the story?
  • What is more important, perfection or life?
  • How far will a person go to achieve success?
  • Why was Aylmer so disturbed by the birthmark, when others considered it a "charm"? What does he find so unacceptable about it?
  • Why did Aylmer notice the birthmark only after he married Georgiana? Why didn't he address it before marriage, or earlier in their marriage?
  • What is beauty? Who gets to define what beauty is?
  • Should people mess with nature?
  • When does science go a step too far?