The central conflict of the story, Georgiana’s birthmark also represents nature and human’s impending mortality. One of three main characters, Georgiana is described as being the perfect woman; the birthmark said to be the only blemish of her beautiful complexion, is “deeply interwoven…with the texture and substance of her face” (506). As the birthmark appears to be engrained in Georgiana’s face, it is symbolically inferred that it is also engrained into her character. Also, it is learned that the birthmark’s visibility changes along with the color of her face. When Georgiana is pale the birthmark is easily noticed, and when she is blushing the birthmark is no longer visible. The birthmark’s ability to change color with the rest of her face promotes the fact that it is physically, spiritually, and symbolically embedded into her character.…show more content… Aylmer, obsessed with controlling nature, compares the fading and returning of the birthmark to “visible frames return to the dust” (507). Believing that Georgiana’s birthmark symbolizes mortality, Aylmer relates the mark to “…sin, sorrow, decay, and death” (506). Being a man of science, Aylmer believes that he holds the power to overcome nature. Judith Fetterley, author of Women Beware Science: 'The Birthmark.' says that [Aylmer] “He reads it as a sign of the inevitable imperfection of all things in nature and sees in it a challenge to man's ability to transcend nature” (Fetterley 1). Which leads to his decision that the blemish is an earthly imperfection that needs to be removed. However his passion for science and love for Georgiana corresponds with one another, and only by interlacing them would Aylmer discover which he idolizes more. These elemental conflicts competitively place Aylmer against the birthmark, or symbolically, science against