Critique Of Rappaccinis Daughter

Critique of “Rappaccini’s Daughter”

In the literal sense, Nathaniel Hawthorn's Rappaccini's Daughter is the story about the rivalry between two scientists that ultimately causes the destruction of an innocent young woman. However, when the story is examined on a symbolic level, the reader sees that Rappaccini's Daughter is an allegorical reenactment of the original fall from innocence and purity in the Garden of Eden. Rappaccini's garden sets the stage of this allegory, while the characters of the story each represent the important figures from the Genesis account. Through the literary devices of poetic and descriptive diction, Nathaniel Hawthorne conveys the symbolism of these characters, as well as the setting.

The story takes place in mid-nineteenth century in Padua, Italy and revolves around two major settings; the mansion of an old Paduan family, and Rappaccini's lush garden. The mansion is described as, “high and gloomy...the palace of a Paduan noble... desolate and ill-furnished...” This description establishes a dark mood throughout the story. Hawthorne writes, “One of the ancestors of this family...had been pictured by Dante as a partaker of the immortal agonies of his Inferno...” The allusion of Dante refers to The Divine Comedy and the Inferno describes the souls in Hell. Furthermore, Baglioni converses with Giovanni in this mansion chamber and tries to manipulate him in his attempt to destroy Rappaccini. In a sense, the dark and gloomy mansion symbolizes the domain of evil. The second major setting is the garden. The author uses poetic diction to describe Rappaccini's garden. Hawthorne writes, “There was one shrub in particular...that bore a profusion of purple blossoms, each of which had the luster and richness of a gem...seemed enough to illuminate the garden, even had there been no sunshine...some crept serpent like along the ground or climbed on high...” In this passage, the author depicts the liveliness and beauty of the garden in an almost fantasy-like way, a fantasy too good to be true and destined to end tragically. Hawthorne directly compares this beautiful garden to Eden when he writes, “Was this garden, then the Eden of the present world?” Thus, Rappaccini's garden symbolizes the setting of the initial fall of man.

In Rappaccini's Daughter, the original sinners, Adam and Eve, are represented by Giovanni Guasconti and Beatrice Rappaccini. Giovanni symbolizes Adam in the sense that he is shallow and insincere. When Giovanni first sees Beatrice, he is love struck. Hawthorne uses poetic diction when he writes, “...the impression which the fair stranger made upon him was as if here were another flower...as beautiful as they, more beautiful than the richest of them.” This passage describes Giovanni's feelings towards the beautiful Beatrice. However, later we see that Giovanni's love was actually lust when the student discovers that he has been infected by Beatrice. The author writes, “Giovanni's rage broke forth from his sullen gloom like a lightning flash out of a dark cloud. вЂ?Accursed one!’ cried he, with venomous scorn and anger.” Giovanni becomes enraged and blames Beatrice of this accidental infection. Similarly, Adam blames Eve of their disobedience when he is confronted by God. Adam does not show compassion towards his wife but instead, like Giovanni, lashes out with anger against Eve. Hawthorne's critical and unsympathetic tones toward Giovanni are evident when he uses descriptive diction to explain him. Hawthorne writes, “...his spirit was incapable of sustaining itself at the height to which the early enthusiasm of passion had exalted it; he fell down groveling among earthly doubts, and defiled there with the pure whiteness of Beatrice's image.” In this passage, Hawthorne shows that Giovanni's love was actually lust and his tone toward Giovanni is critical. In contrast, Hawthorne portrays sympathetic and reverent tones towards Beatrice. The author uses poetic diction to describe the beautiful young woman. He writes, “...arrayed with as much richness of taste as the most splendid of the flowers...bloom so deep and vivid that one shade more would have been too much...redundant with life, health, and energy...” Beatrice is described as a part of nature and vivacious. She has been isolated from the world and the world she lives in only consists of the garden. She has a child like innocence and is very naive. She even states, “I dreamed only to love thee and be with thee a little time, and so let thee pass away, leaving but thine image in mine heart.” This passage shows the purity of her love for Giovanni. Thus, Beatrice symbolizes the innocence of Eve and Giovanni symbolizes the pride and shallowness of Adam.

In Rappaccini’s Daughter,