Aylmer, a brilliant but obsessive scientist, has everything he could desire—except a perfect wife. Though Georgiana is beautiful, a small birthmark on her cheek becomes, in his eyes, an intolerable flaw. Convinced that science can correct nature’s mistake, he sets out to remove it, believing he can shape her into something flawless. But perfection comes at a cost, and some marks are not meant to be erased.
The Birth-Mark is a haunting tale of obsession, science, and the dangers of idealism. With precision and psychological depth, Nathaniel Hawthorne examines humanity’s relentless pursuit of perfection and the tragic consequences of trying to control what makes us human.
Nathaniel Hawthorne [1804-1864] is counted among the great American writers. In addition to his psychological novels, with The Scarlet Letter being the most famous, he wrote a large number of short stories. Many of Hawthorne's tales are set in colonial New England, and he often drew inspiration from his own Puritan heritage.
