Examples Of Foreshadowing In The Birthmark

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, The Birthmark, tragically displays that the quest for knowledge or perfection can sometimes result in man’s detriment rather than man’s enhancement or success. Aylmer’s constant obsession to make his wife, Georgiana, perfect showcases his concern for his own selfish, unattainable needs to triumph over Nature. Aylmer’s decision to dominate the powers of Nature, illustrates the limits of not only man, but perfection itself. From the onset, Hawthorne portrays Aylmer as a man so involved in his experimental projects, that his love for his own wife never equaled his love for science. Despite her efforts to win her husband’s true affection, Georgiana realized that she could not compete with Aylmer’s

It is first seen when Georgiana asks Aylmer to describe his dream. Aylmer explains the dream as himself attempting to operate on the birthmark; however, to his dismay, the birthmark went deeper until it seemed to have “caught hold of Georgiana's heart.” In spite of the danger in the situation, he was still determined to eliminate the dreaded mark at all costs. Aylmer’s dream implies that he is willing to risk the life of his wife in order to achieve perfection. Hawthorne’s next use of foreshadowing is seen in his description of the boudoir. Before the procedure began, Aylmer transported Georgiana into a dark, lavishly furnished boudoir secluded from the outside world. Although it seems as if Aylmer’s intention was to appease her with beautiful surroundings and soothing aromas, in reality, Aylmer brought Georgiana into the concealed room in order to distract her from the reality of the situation. Another example of foreshadowing occurs with the “magical” plant. Aylmer altered the nature of the plant to perfect its fragrance and beauty, but once Georgiana touched the plant, it began to wither and decay. This analogy portrays the coming fate of Georgiana at Aylmer’s hand. Finally, Georgiana discovers a journal, filled with all of the records of Aylmer’s past experiments. As Georgiana scans through the journal, she realizes that majority of what her husband labeled successes were “almost invariably failures.” The uncovering of Aylmer’s failed experiments exemplifies her fear of what is to