The Birthmark: Situational Irony 2 key examples

In Greek mythology, most notably in Ovid's Metamorphoses, Pygmalion is a sculptor who falls in love with one of his statues. Nearly a century after Hawthorne wrote "The Birthmark," George Bernard Shaw borrowed the character for his play Pygmalion, in which Professor Henry Higgins transforms an awkward girl into a refined lady and likewise falls in love. In both cases, a man of art or intellect transforms the object of his attentions into a woman worthy of love.

Given the timeline, we know that Hawthorne drew inspiration from Greek mythology. But why did he choose this particular allusion? Perhaps he strove to imbue his own story with the power, potency, and wide readership of epic poetry. Aylmer represents the sculptor, and Georgiana represents the statue. But this allusion also calls attention to Hawthorne's ironic reversal of the original Pygmalion story. Pygmalion creates a statue more perfect than any living woman but wishes that she were human. Aylmer sees his wife's potential for perfection and sacrifices her life in his efforts to attain it. Ovid's story ends euphorically, with the two lovers looking into each other's eyes. Hawthorne's ends with Georgiana's death.

Another interesting aspect of this allusion is that it appears in dialogue. Aylmer himself chooses to compares his situation to a fictional one. At first, the juxtaposition seems to suffuse his lofty thoughts with the power of old poetry. But upon further examination, it rather foreshadows the impossibility of his aspirations. Note also the moment's dramatic irony, as Aylmer remains unaware of the consequences of his project and continues to believe that his success will succeed Pygmalion's until the final pages show otherwise. The reader, however, is aware from the narrator's frequent foreshadowing that Georgiana will in all likelihood die, and thus might react to this moment with a knowing chuckle or troubled frown. 

The elixir's effects are an example of situational irony because they are the opposite of what readers would expect. Here, the achievement of divine beauty saps Georgiana of mortal life at the same time, undercutting Aylmer's expected triumph. The way her soul lingers by Aylmer before flying heavenward suggests the more subtle irony of her undying commitment to a man she knew would kill her—which chillingly underscores the story's theme of submission and sacrifice. And the potion itself, which Aylmer calls "the elixir of immortality," proves to be a rather shocking reminder of mortality  to the woman he claims to love. All in all, this instance of situational irony supports the story's moral that seeking perfection in a mortal human being is foolhardy: by doing so, Aylmer ruins his experiment, and his marriage, at the very moment he seems at first to succeed.