The birthmark reminded Alymer of the imperfection of earthly existence. Hawthorne described Aylmer as a scientist who's "greatest successes were inevitably failures." He failed at an experiment and quickly moved on to the next one. He saw Georgiana's perfection and once again quickly moved on to the birthmark. When Georgiana drank the elixir, it was the beginning of her demise. Some could say it was the beginning of Aylmer's demise also. Georgiana was the closest thing to perfection in his life. When he finally achieved his perception of the perfect wife, she was gone. He had lost the shining light in his life. Aylmer's actions can show how striving for physical perfection can distract too much from the pleasantries of life that are already obtained. .
Hawthorne also showed perfection as being foolish in the way that Georgiana acted as a wife. She wanted more than anything to be a good wife. Aylmer had failed experiment after experiment, yet she continued to be with him. She strived to be a perfect wife by doing everything she was supposed to and stuck with him. Aylmer was constantly telling her that she would be beautiful except for the ugly birthmark on her face. Georgiana's desire to be the perfect wife, and her total dedication to Aylmer, is what led her to drink the elixir. When she drank the elixir, she thought that she had finally achieved perfection. However, once this happens, there is no longer an earthly being about her. It is almost as if she had achieved an angelic state. This points back to religion. In the bible, angels are referred to as heavenly hosts who are considered to be the most beautiful thing ever created. With this angelic state, Georgiana is no longer a human, now she is an angel and that is when she began to die. .
Georgiana immensely loved Aylmer. She loved him more than he loved her. Although names are not specifically mentioned, Georgiana had several admirers.
