Point of View

The story is written in the third person and the past tense, and the narrative shifts perspectives between Aylmer and Georgiana. At first, the narrative adheres to Aylmer’s perspective, as the story exposits upon Aylmer’s love for Georgiana and his growing disgust towards her birthmark. Georgiana’s perspective is initially confined to her dialogue, in which she states that she is willing to undergo any risk in order to have the birthmark removed so that she can better please Aylmer as his wife. Despite the adherence to Aylmer’s perspective, his personal flaws begin to become visible to the reader.

After Georgiana and Aylmer arrive at Aylmer’s laboratory, the story shifts so that it mostly adheres to Georgiana’s perspective. However, the story uses mechanisms of symbolism and irony so that Georgiana’s unquestioning love and obedience towards Aylmer clashes with various...