Expectations Of Women In The 19th Century

In Nathaniel Hawthorne 's “The Birthmark”, we find the tragic story of a woman named Georgiana who sacrificed her life for the sake of appeasing her husband, Aylmer. What did Georgiana do that it was more favorable for her to die than to continuing to displease her husband? Georgiana, who was otherwise hailed as incomparably beautiful, had a birthmark on her face. Aylmer desired this to remove this birthmark, which he considered the one thing keeping her from being “perfect”, from her face. In an attempt to remedy his wife’s “imperfection”, Aylmer makes an elixir for her to drink. While this elixir successfully removes the birthmark, the same elixir also causes Georgiana to die soon after. This story brings to light several examples of how society belittles women and puts their desires below the desires of men.

The way European women were treated in the nineteenth century is very different than the way women are treated in the twentieth century today. Women in the nineteenth century were thought more of as objects or something to look at instead of people. Men were always superior to women. It is not the same in the United States during twentieth century as it was in Europe during the nineteenth century. Race and sexuality plays a huge role in the superiority of genders. By the end of the nineteenth century there were multiple challenges toward sending gender norms.

I have to let the readers know how I stumbled upon this topic to introduce where I get my ideas from. It all started in the archive located on the second floor of the library in a dark corner behind a clear glass doors at the Hunter College. I have been attending Hunter College for four years and never have I stumbled on such an amazing place full of live history. I say live history because all the documents and books that are held in the archive are all preserved originals, which fascinated me. Thinking how people who lived more than century ago wrote and read the same things I’m writing and reading about excited me to my very soul. Archive research though fascinating is not an easy task that can be done in within fifteen minutes like how researches are done these days using convenient technologies at hand.

Ultimately, the evidence shown above reveals the many apprehensions and difficulties women endured during the 19th century, and the implications of their actions. Through the above examples, it demonstrates that women must show certain etiquette among European society despite personal heritage. As well as one being innocent and denying social norms, there are limitations and one should be cautious to personal decisions. Similarly, young women should be more vigilant towards warnings of others and adult figures that offer helpful advice even if their nature is to be ignorant to rules. Given these points, James emphasizes in the novella ‘Daisy Miller’ the taboo of young sexuality during the Victorian era, and the strict social conventions and

Queen Victoria 's reign saw a great change in industrialisation alongside social change which affected a variety of people and classes.

The tragic narratives constructed by historians such as Cornelia Dayton in her article “Taking the Trade” and Amy Gilman Srebnick in “The Mysterious Death of Mary Rogers” are crucial in analyzing the transformation of women’s reproductive health between the mid 18th century and the mid 19th century. Although Dayton and Srebnick’s narrations of abortions and death are based upon events that transpired nearly 100 years apart, a collective analysis of both sources creates a greater understanding of the societal perception of the woman’s role in colonial North America. Set in the context of a small New England village in the mid 18th century and the emerging metropolis of New York City mid 19th century New York City. One could argue a variety

American women’s expectations in the 19th century began to rapidly change because of the evolution of industrialism. Women and their children were becoming the main workers for piece work. The cult of the “True Womanhood” brought the idea of piety, purity, domesticity, and submissiveness was a part of who they were and their lifestyles as middle-class women. It provided ongoing training with advice through the “Godey’s Magazine.” The working class women could not hold themselves to these standards for several reasons. Industrialization and the rise of the middle class impacted expectations of American women by enabling them to contribute to a capitalist society. However, capitalism created distinct class divisions that prevented working class women from achieving the ideals of feminity. Working class women did not have the same privileges as the middle class because they would have to spend the majority of their daily lives working.

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, “The Birthmark,” he touches on the dangers of traditional male dominance within Aylmer and Georgiana’s marriage and how this confronts Aylmer’s overall masculinity, as well as identifies the reflection of a male ideal of femininity. Not only does this masculine facade shape Georgiana’s sexuality, but also it allows Aylmer to ultimately be able to live his life “governed by sameness” which he feels he can control through Georgiana’s feminine Nature itself. Hawthorne uses The Birthmark, not just as a story about the flawed and imperfect nature of women, but mainly of a story about the sickness of Aylmer, and how "the great American dream of eliminating women” is essentially a demonstration "that the only

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, “The Birthmark,” the reader finds an excellent example of a woman who is so superior to her male counterpart that she has to be labeled the protagonist of the tale. This essay will demonstrate why this designation is deserved by the female character, Georgiana.

To be married, the female had to achieve a certain level of perfect; the man had to choose their wife and the population of women outweighed the male population in those times. Men would be participating in the armed forces or traveling outside of their hometown to explore. Women did not have that opportunity. Marriage was an idea, an idea of husbands taking care of their wife and children. Women were sought out to be helpless for themselves and dependent on a man throughout their entire lives, by a father or a husband.

The story is the perfect example of women’s oppression during this time period. Georgiana, Aylmer’s wife submits to Aylmer when he asks her if he can remove the birthmark to make her even more beautiful. Aylmer only ever describes Georgiana by her physical beauty, never by her inner beauty, implying that women are only good for their looks. As the birthmark on Georgiana’s face is described the description insultingly adds, “Masculine observers, if the birthmark did not heighten their admiration, contented themselves with wishing it away, that the world might poses one living specimen of ideal loveliness without the semblance of a flaw” (Hawthorne, 506). The entirety of this story is insulting to women de to the way Georgianna is degraded in the eyes of her husband. Her husband fails to see her for anything but a pretty face and proceeds to attempt different experiments on her to remove the birthmark. Although Georgianna knows Aylmer has not had much success within his scientific career she submits to his experiments simply because he is her husband and she is expected to please him however she can, even if this means placing her own life in danger. This also highlights the expectations of women at the time, they were expected to do whatever their husbands asked of them no matter what the consequence. Aylmer attempts

In north america during the 19th century, men and women had different expectations to live up to. Men had to be social with their lives while we mom had to stay at home and me neglected. By anyone and everyone. Men were told to go out of the house to be more like other men. And go to bars and stay out all night. While we mom took care of the kids and did their laundry.

I don’t know if the Market Revolution changed women’s quality of life or the strong will of many women. There were several women in this time period that stepped forward and raised up the issue of women’s rights. These women fought to remove women from the “Cult of Ture Womanhood”, helping to fight for equal wage rights, showing the importance of the American women in the workforce and raising the issue of higher education for girls. Emma Willard, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B Anthony, Grimke Sisters and many nameless women joined the fight to improve the quality of life in the first half of the nineteenth century.

Gender roles were sharply defined in the 19th century. Women were expected to stay at home and carry out the domestic duties as well as taking care of the children and educate them and provide a peaceful home for their husband. Women were seen as loving and caring. On the other hand, men were expected to work and earn money for the family. They would fight wars and were seen as strong and powerful. Men had more freedom and rights, such as the right to vote, than women in the 19th century. Society had created two completely separate spheres. In the medical field, men were doctors. There were laws in many states, such as, that prohibited women from becoming doctors. Women, who decided to practice medicine in the 19th century had to struggle with much opposition because it went against prevailing ideas about women’s role in society. Women belonged in the private and domestic sphere. Men belonged to competitive and immoral public sphere of industry and commerce. The women in medicine would face accusations that they were abandoning their sphere and threatening society. Due to these arguments and the fear of economic competition from female practitioner, male medical schools and hospitals denied women access to institutions. However, Elizabeth Blackwell, changed this idea of separate spheres when she decided to take on the medical field and become a doctor. Although Elizabeth Black had a natural aversion to the medical field, her

As human beings in society people are pressured by the community to conform to different stereotypes. In the modern era people are still pushed to act a certain way based on gender. As a woman in the nineteenth century it was almost impossible to have a job or have a voice without being persecuted by your community. The author takes her experiences with stereotyping, social conventions and the consequences of defying them and argues how these unwritten rules of society have made people do senseless things to avoid the consequences and backlash by the community.