During his or her life, he or she will experience many symbols that must be deciphered and analyzed at some level. Take the Christian cross for example: the cross is considered a symbol of the Christian faith by remembering that Jesus died on it to pay for the sins of believers. However, if we look closer, there are many other representations of this symbol as well. Symbols are unique in the sense that they are meant to be analyzed and transformed into what one wants to believe. Nathaniel Hawthorne uses symbols of this nature in many of his works. Throughout Hawthorne's works, The Ministry's Black Veil, The Birthmark, and The Scarlet Letter, many different symbols are explored, including how the act of sin is represented through the characters' outward appearances. Hawthorne published his short story The Birthmark in 1843, exploring the symbolism behind Georgiana's birthmark. The period of time in this work is called the period of Concord; in this movement, scientific and artistic angles are explored (Easton 131). In the story, Aylmer is married to Georgiana, who would have been a suitable wife for any other man. Hawthorne explains Georgiana's birthmark at the beginning by saying: "To explain this conversation it must be mentioned that in the center of Georgiana's left cheek there was a singular mark, deeply connected, as it were, with the texture and to the substance of his face” (Aubépine); Aylmer considers the birthmark to be an imperfection. Many women also considered the birthmark a shame, stating that "...the Bloody Hand, as they chose to call it, completely destroyed the effect of Georgiana's beauty and made her face hideous" (Hawthorne 632). Aylmer's scientific mind makes him believe that he can remove it from the middle of paper for the world to know – however, the revelation of sin is inevitable. Works Cited Easton, Alison. The realization of the Hawthorne subject. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1996. Eisinger, Chester E. “The Pearl and the Puritan Legacy.” Scharnhorst, Gary. The critical response to Nathaniel Hawthorne's Scarlett Letter. West Port: Greenwood Press, 1992. 158-166. Hawthorne, Nathaniel. “The birthmark.” Ed. Baym, Nina. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. New York: WW Norton & Company, 2008. 631-643. Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "The Minister's Black Veil." Ed. Baym, Nina. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. New York: WW Norton & Company, Inc., 2008. 622-631. Nathaniel Hawthorne. Scarlett's letter. Boston: TICKNOR, REED & FIELDS, 1850. Stewart, Randall. Nathaniel Hawthorne: A Biography. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1948.