What is the mood of the birthmark?
The tone is ominous, as this passage in paragraph 8 indicates: “Aylmer's sombre imagination was not long in rendering the birthmark a frightful object, causing him more trouble and horror than ever Georgiana's beauty, whether of soul or sense, had given him delight.” The reader thus has a sense early on that the story ... What is the theme of the birthmark? 'The Birthmark' focuses on the theme of obsession, particularly the moment when love becomes an obsession, making it dangerous—and even deadly, shown in Aylmer's obsession with the birthmark and Georgiana's obsession with Aylmer to the point of willing suicide by poison.