Motivation is the driving force behind all actions and reactions. In “The Painted Door” by Sinclair Ross and “The Birthmark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, motivation is the central influence behind the decisions the characters make. This provokes a dilemma that calls for action that ultimately leads to tragically ironic conclusions. You can't approach the subject of character motivation without knowing a little about the characters themselves. The central female character of "The Painted Door", Ann, struggles for inner satisfaction and happiness in her marriage. Her name is only used once in the literary work, illustrating that she has very little individuality; she simply feels like an extension of her husband, John. His motivation is caused by his selfish attitude and his propensity to focus on John's faults; it comes from his desire for John to change. As a farmer's wife, she feels increasing isolation, especially during the winter months with "the silence hanging over her" (Ross 139) and "the clock [that] ticks like a careless little fool" (Ross 139). 166). Ann's perception of John and her isolation motivate her decision to sleep with Steven. The central character of "The Birthmark", Aylmer, is a recently married scientist. He is an inventor of exotic potions and a philosopher of scientific knowledge. After marriage, eliminating the only imperfection, a small, mysterious birthmark in the shape of a hand, on his young wife, Georgiana, concerns him. His escalating daily obsession eventually consumes his wife as well, leading to Georgiana's isolation when he attempts to remove the "odious hand" (Hawthorne 37). Even if the characters and situations of the two stories are profoundly different, each motivation arises from a desire to change their respective partners. Each character is forced to choose between two options offered to them by their motivation. Dilemmas, developed from motivation, force characters to resolve their conflicts. In “The Painted Door,” Ann struggles in a violent tumult of mental and emotional anguish and tries to find significance in life. The conflict arises in her decision to satisfy one of two goals: immediate satisfaction, sleeping with Steven, or long-term satisfaction, the love and support of her faithful, reliable husband. Ann also faces a conflict between a social need and an emotional need. At first, with John, she feels that she cannot connect to society because "John never speaks... [He] never danced or had fun" (Ross 160-162), but after sleeping with Steven, her guilt leads her to realize that "John is the man...with him lies all the future" (174) and only with him can she be fully and emotionally blossomed.