Foil

Character Role Analysis

Aminadab and Aylmer

Hawthorne pretty much gives you this one when he says that "with his vast strength, his shaggy hair, his smoky aspect, and the indescribable earthiness that incrusted him, [Aminadab] seemed to represent man's physical nature; while Aylmer's slender figure, and pale, intellectual face, were no less apt a type of the spiritual element" (26). Right. Add to that the fact that Aylmer is obsessed with removing Georgiana's birthmark, while Aminadab mutters to himself that he would never part with it. Again, at the end of the text, these two are contrasted; Aminadab's laughter betrays a wisdom on his part that poor Aylmer clearly lacks. More on that in "Characters."