Final answer:
In Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Birthmark,' Emily dies due to the removal of her birthmark by her husband, an act that ironically aimed to perfect her but ended her life instead.
Step-by-step explanation:
The cause of Emily's death in literature seems to be a subject shrouded in ambiguity. However, one text that does address a character named Emily's death is Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story 'The Birthmark.' In this tale, the cause of Emily's death is the removal of a birthmark by her husband, Aylmer, which ironically is the very thing he perceives as her sole imperfection.
In attempting to perfect her, Aylmer inadvertently causes her death. The irony here lies in the fact that in striving for absolute perfection, he destroys the very object of his obsession and affection. This serves as a classic example of the often tragic irony found in literature, where the pursuit of an ideal leads to the very opposite outcome.