Gerogianna's Expectations Of Women In The 19th Century

The main focus of this project has been on expectations of women in the 19th century and codes they were meant to uphold, This expectation continued for certuries and the world has developed and changed over time, expectations were multiple things such as women meant for being superior to man, women working from homes and dedicating themselves to their families.

Georgianna as a woman in the 19th century did what she was supposed to, they were loyal to their husbands and did as asked even though the birthmark didn’t bother her she never once hesitated to meet the expectations Aylmer had for her, The birthmark was a tiny little mark on her face, him asking for a removal was very dangerous in that day and age, it was one thing for Aylmer to be a brilliant scientist he was also her husband.
Although Gerogianna trusted Aylmer she knew that the birthmark affected her husbands outlook on her and when he told her that if she didn’t have the birthmark she would be perfect she realized that it really bothered him she was willing to please her husband and she made it her goal to get it removed the disgust she felt he might have had for the birthmark eventually took a toll on her life where she let the birthmark define her.
As the woman the opinion of your husband is very important to you as Gerogianna says in the story “ Then why did you take me from my mothers side, you cannot love what shocks you” (Hawthorne: The Birthmark Pg 1.) Implying that Georgianna really wanted to please her husband Aylmer. In the 19th century women was the mans backbone Georgianna knew the expirement could kill her but the love she had for her husbamd was what led her to proceed with this
operation.

At the time Aylmer did not yet know that it would kill her so he continued doing the operation Aylmer was known for his great experiments but the role he had on his wife’s life was very selfish of him, he made himself out to be cruel, he had good intentions but he let his love and passion for science get in the way of the beauty his wife really obtained. He started seeing her as a project which is what initially killed her, the role Georgianna played as a wife she met all the expectations and she went above and beyond because she did all of this for a man who did not deserve her and all the good things she heard throughout her life the opinion Aylmer had of her and her one little tiny flaw is what disgusted her.

The limits of perfection can not be met but yet Aylmer strived for it and as a wife should Georgianna peacefully stood behind her husbands decision to remove it Georgianna is the perfect wife to Aylmer and although he did not deserve her he realiazed that perfection is not meant to be met and just if he would not havde been so stuck on making her something nobody is capable of being she would have still been alive and they could have had a happy marriage instead it relying on fixing all her imperfections so overall yes she was the perfect wife and she did everything she was supposed to and that is what kept their relationship strong as it was.