Question

Birthmarks are a common discoloration that is present on your skin at birth, or that appears during the first few weeks of life. Because the birthmark is Georgiana’s singular physical blemish, Aylmer considers it a “sole token of human imperfection” (Hawthorne 165). In other words, even though Georgiana comes close to perfection, she still has her birthmark, and thereby retains her status as a flawed, mortal human. Once the birthmark fades, Georgiana dies, because she is too perfect to occupy a world of humans. Through Georgiana’s death, Hawthorne urges us to do what Aylmer was unable to do—accept humanity’s intrinsic shortcomings, whether physical or spiritual.