Georgiana's Birthmark

In the story, it’s very obvious that the main protagonist Aylmer was considered the symbol of science. Aylmer was a remarkable scientist who was described as “an eminent proficient in every branch of natural philosophy”. And his folio which was described “had recorded every experiment of his scientific career” reflected that he pretty much spent his whole life on scientific research. He put a lot of efforts on his research and was very serious about it. When Georgiana went into his lab, he was described “pale as death, anxious and absorbed” when he is doing his lab. And when he is watching Georgiana drank the potion, the author stated that “such were the details which, as the moments passed, he wrote down in his folio volume.” Also, he couldn’t …show more content…
Before Aylmer points out the concern about removing Georgiana’s birthmark, that hand-shaped birthmark “has been so often called a charm” and “Georgiana's lovers were wont to say that some fairy at her birth hour had laid her tiny hand upon the infant's cheek, and left this impress there in token of the magic endowments that were to give her such sway over all hearts.” This description well explained that other people used to always consider the birthmark actually more lighted up Georgiana’s beauty and make her more charming. But there are still people “affirmed that the bloody hand, as they chose to call it, quite destroyed the effect of Georgiana's beauty, and rendered her countenance even hideous.” This again describes two different opinions against each other toward Georgiana, and the latter view is exactly how Aylmer think of the appearance of the birthmark on Georgiana’s face. And what furtherly reveals the conflict between science and nature is when after Georgiana drank his medicine, “a strange and unaccountable impulse he pressed it with his lips. His spirit recoiled.” This action indirectly exposed Aylmer’s inner struggle. He considered himself as the man of science, and considered the birthmark as an imperfection of nature that he must get rid of But at the very last second when he knew the mark was going to completely fainted, he went ahead and kissed it. His spirit recoiled because he cannot stand when he realized his inner feel to this birthmark against the sole purpose of Aylmer’s life which is to prove he was actually able to control nature and diminish his failure on the previous scientific