In Nathaniel Hawthorne's gothic play, "The Birth-mark", the central character, Aylmer, expresses his disgust at the mark's ability to belittling his wife's aesthetic beauty, as well as betraying his deadly tendency towards sin. The hand on Georgiana's cheek is shown to represent humanity's “fatal flaw… to imply that they are temporary and finite” (2205). This obsession reveals his deep fear of death and mortality. He mistakenly believes that if he can free his wife from the flaw, he will sever the link between his wife and her mortality, creating the perfect woman. Hawthorne uses allusion, diction, and imagery to explore the divisions between beauty and horror in an attempt to highlight Aylmer's aspiration to transform Georgiana into a beautiful work of art that transcends her mortality. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The diction exercised in the reference to Eve of Powers reveals Aylmer's compulsion to transform Georgiana into a flawless sculpture while simultaneously cleansing her of her mortality. Furthermore, Hawthorne's reference to the Eve of Powers reveals Aylmer's obsession with the purity and whiteness of marble. The language of Hawthorne's allusion defines Aylmer's irrational vision of perfect beauty. By equating Georgiana's birthmark to a “stain” on the “purest statuary marble,” he draws attention to the impurity that the mark suggests (Hawthorne 2205). While some would consider this irregularity beautiful, Aylmer perceives it as horrible. The presence of these blue veins would humanize the statue of Eve to the point of making it appear like a monstrosity. This reflects Aylmer's view of how the birthmark reveals Georgiana's mortality and, in turn, diminishes her beauty. The language of the play defines branding as a problem that Aylmer wishes to solve. Continually referring to the mark as “singular,” he reaffirms that this single imperfection is so “deeply entwined” that it mars “the texture and substance of his face” (Hawthorne 2204). This symbolizes that flaws and mortality are so deeply linked to humanity that it is impossible to separate them. Although Aylmer should have been warned of this and abandon his job, his mania causes him to overlook the obstacle, ultimately extinguishing Georgiana's existence. The marble metaphor established in the quote about the Eve of Powers is repeated in the allusion to Pygmalion, where Hawthorne employs a mirror structure to juxtapose the motives and results of Pygmalion's and Aylmer's efforts. Pygmalion's love inspires a god to bring to life his beautiful marble statue of the ideally beautiful woman. In contrast, Aylmer's contempt for the birthmark leads him to transform his wife from a beautiful woman into a work of art with statuesque perfection, extinguishing her life. As the sculptor chisels away at marble to create the perfect woman, Aylmer hopes to use science to overcome his wife's flaws. In his attempt to make Georgiana immortal, he unintentionally confirms her transience. The disgust Aylmer feels causes Georgiana to fade “into a deathly pallor” which makes “the crimson hand” stand out “like a ruby ​​bas-relief on the whitest marble” (Hawthorne 2206). Repeated fixation with a stain on pure white marble solidifies the idea that Aylmer believes Georgiana's otherwise pristine complexion and morality are ruined by lust. Comparing himself to Pygmalion, he expresses confidence that he shares the sculptor's ability to create the perfect woman. He reveals that his joy will be greater than “Even Pygmalion, when his graven woman came to life” (Hawthorne 2207). Here Aylmer expresses explicitly.