Tragic Flaws In The Birthmark

Words: 1020
Pages: 5

Consequences of Tragic Flaws In the short story “The Birthmark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, tragic flaws are found in the two main characters and eventually leads them to their downfall. Fatal flaws are an essential component to this story because Hawthorne wanted to demonstrate the consequences they could bring. Therefore, both of the main characters can be held accountable for the reactions that occur at the end of the story. Even though one character may hold more of the blame, both Aylmer and Georgiana have tragic flaws that contributed to their downfall. Tragic flaws are literary devices that display a trait in a character that eventually leads them to their downfall (LiteraryDevices Editors). As the web article “Tragic Flaw” states, authors include tragic flaws so the “...readers and the audience can identify themselves with the tragic hero, since it imparts feelings of pity and fear among them thereby completing their catharsis …show more content…
He loved everything about his wife; her beauty, her personality, all except for the small birthmark on her cheek. Aylmer refuses to accept the fact that this tiny imperfection exists so he then relentlessly tries with all his might to rid Georgiana of this defect. This soon becomes his tragic flaw, slowly leading him to his tragic end. For example, the story states “... it became the central point of all. With the morning twilight Aylmer opened his eyes upon his wife’s face and recognized the symbol of imperfection…” (Hawthorne 2). His relentless attitude towards this causes him to heavily rely on science, causing his love for it to increase. This love starts out as a good characteristic, but quickly turns fatal. He had selfish intentions in fixing this imperfection that others adored. All these experiments eventually killed Georgiana and left him widowed. Therefore, Aylmer’s tragic flaw is his inability to deal with