The Birthmark

The Birthmark is about a scientist who gets married to a beautiful women, but in his mind, has one flaw and because of this falls just short of perfection. The scientist is Aylmer  and his wife is Georgiana. This story has a sort of symbol in it, that I believe is the hand. The hand is the one flaw that Georgiana has that is a birth- mark, in the shape of a hand, on her cheek. I think in this story the symbol, the hand, represents the hand that gives life and takes it away. Aylmer thinks that he can reach perfection by getting rid of the birth-mark on Georgiana's cheek. Is there truly perfection? And why didn't Aylmer listen to his dream? The dream seems to clearly tell him that he will kill her trying to get rid of the birth-mark, but yet he is so hell bent on getting rid of her "flaw". In the end he does kill her. He reaches his perfection, but the perfection is never his to have. I think that is the lesson that may be learned. Never try to take what is not yours or what you have may be taken away from you. Be happy and love what you have.