In the short story “The Birth Mark”, the two major elements that outline this story is allegory and symbolism. Throughout Hawthorne’s life, he has used allegory as a major theme through various works and has come up with different styles of allegory. A continuous theme Hawthorn uses is the role of women in society. Allegory can be seen through Aylmer who represents the intelligence of man, the ethos, which is the backbone of society and comes from intellect. The most feminist relationship in the story is between Georgiana and her husband Aylmer. Taylor comments on Hawthorns ability to write a clear message that in the story Alymer beholds the source of conflict (13). "Many a desperate swain would have risked life for the privilege of pressing his lips to the mysterious hand" (Hawthorne 1022). Taylor implies that Georgiana understands that the birthmark is accepting, which begins Alymers obsession and her only flaw (31). MacQueen states that “differences in gender were used for millennia to divide, exploit and isolate women” (26). One of the biggest flaws between the relationship of men and women in general is the misconception that men have on women, which is simply, perfection. An example of this can be the image men have for women housewives post WWII. Taylor points out that Aylmer is still not happy even though he is near perfect, and wants to ignore everything except the birthmark (31). He continues to obsesses and makes his primary concern despite the pain Georgiana receives and the gap it is driving between them. Soon Georgiana begins to despise the birthmark more than Aylmer, which leads to the two of them referring it “this odious hand”, and as seen in the print, "let the attempt [To remove the mark] be made at whatever risk. Danger is nothing to me; for life, while this hateful mark makes me the object of your horror and disgust, --life is a burden, which I would fling down with joy. Either remove this dreadful hand, or take my wretched life! (Hawthorne 1024). This long quote translates to the feeling of Georgiana how she feels her self-imaged has been skewed, whic