Previous
The Birthmark
Aylmer twice uses plants to demonstrate scientific points, and in both instances they represent Georgiana herself and foreshadow the effect of the experiment on her. Aylmer shows Georgiana a plant that grows and flowers before her eyes. He tells her to pick the flower while it lives, for it will soon die. However, when she tries to pick it, the entire plant dies. Like Georgiana, the flower is perfect, and like Georgiana, it dies before its time due to Aylmer’s influence. The plants not only foreshadow Georgiana’s death, but also emphasize the role of nature in the story. Later, Aylmer pours liquid over a diseased plant before having Georgiana drinks the liquid. The liquid removes the plant’s discolorations, just as it removes Georgiana’s birthmark. Aylmer’s faulty control over the plants, products of the natural world, mirrors his disastrous attempt to alter the way nature has made his wife.
Plants Quotes in The Birthmark
The The Birthmark quotes below all refer to the symbol of Plants. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
The Birthmark Quotes
Aylmer bade her cast her eyes upon a vessel containing a quantity of earth. She did so, with little interest at first; but was soon startled to perceive the germ of a plant shooting upward from the soil. Then came the slender stalk; the leaves gradually unfolded themselves; and amid them was a perfect and lovely flower.
"It is magical!" cried Georgiana. "I dare not touch it."
"Nay, pluck it," answered Aylmer,—"pluck it, and inhale its brief perfume while you may. The flower will wither in a few moments and leave nothing save its brown seed vessels; but thence may be perpetuated a race as ephemeral as itself."
But Georgiana had no sooner touched the flower than the whole plant suffered a blight, its leaves turning coal-black as if by the agency of fire.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
While Aylmer is preparing to remove the birthmark, he shows Georgiana wonders that he produces by his scientific abilities. He means to impress her with this demonstration of his scientific power over a plant, one of nature’s creations, but it fails. The miracle of the plant exists in its condensed life cycle—it sprouts, flowers, and dies in a matter of moments. This process draws attention to the mortality of nature’s creations, a fact that irritates Aylmer when it’s represented by Georgiana’s birthmark. The plant dies even sooner than it should when Georgiana touches it, further emphasizing the association between Georgiana Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non invent
Get the entire The Birthmark LitChart as a printable PDF.
"My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." -Graham S.
Plants Symbol Timeline in The Birthmark
The timeline below shows where the symbol Plants appears in The Birthmark. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
The Birthmark
Next, Aylmer presents Georgiana with a pot of dirt. As she watches, a plant sprouts and flowers. Aylmer tells her to pick it and smell its scent, because it...
(full context)
...not die, and to demonstrate the effect of the liquid, he pours it into a plant with blemishes on its leaves, and the leaves become entirely green.
(full context)
