Question

"Fear not, dearest!'' exclaimed he. "Do not shrink from me! Believe me, Georgiana, I even rejoice in this single imperfection, since it will be such a rapture to remove it.''

A) Aylmer scolds Georgiana for her fear and tells her to overcome it.
B) Aylmer expresses his joy in Georgiana's imperfection and his anticipation of removing it.
C) Aylmer becomes fearful himself and suggests they do nothing about the imperfection.
D) Aylmer dismisses Georgiana's imperfection and tells her it doesn't matter.

Answer 1

Aylmer joyfully anticipates removing Georgiana's imperfection and does not scold her; instead, he causes her distress with his obsession.

Step-by-step explanation:

The passage reflects a conversation between Aylmer and his wife Georgiana, from the short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The correct option that describes Aylmer's response to Georgiana's imperfection is B) Aylmer expresses his joy in Georgiana's imperfection and his anticipation of removing it. Aylmer does not scold Georgiana; rather, he reassures her and expresses eagerness to correct her birthmark, which he sees as a single imperfection. Contrary to comforting her, Aylmer's obsession with perfection causes Georgiana distress, as revealed through her pleas and the emotional toll of her husband's mission to achieve her 'perfection'.