¶ … Rappacinni's Daughter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne [...] what the story is about, along with some other interpretations of the meaning of the story. Many different interpretations of this story exist, however, the one that seems to make the most sense is the underlying story of the father and daughter, and how their relationship alters as Beatrice grows older. The father is so immersed in his scientific study that he has ignored his daughter's growing up, but he understands her needs as a woman, and tries to supply them the only way he knows how - with a lover immune to her poison. It is the ultimate love of a father, to create the "perfect" man for his daughter.
Rappacinni's Daughter
Rappacinni's Daughter" is a complex and magical story, and so, it has been interpreted in many different ways. There are many who believe Hawthorne wrote the story as a religious allegory, with heavy Biblical symbolism wound throughout the story - from the mystical garden itself, to the strange characters that inhabit the house and garden. In the opening, Hawthorne makes an obvious reference to Dante's "Inferno," which obviously describes this poisonous garden that is so evil. He also describes Dr. Rappaccini as the Devil by his black dress and his lack of "warmth of heart" (Hawthorne). There are even references to the garden of Eden and the evil serpents as plants slither along the ground, establishing the idea that this is the Garden of Eden. However, nothing so evil could ever be Eden, and what the doctor does to his daughter could never be considered good or moral, and so, the religious implications may be strong in this story, but they are certainly not the only interpretation that holds any credence.
The beautiful Beatrice is the central character of the story, even though Giovanni narrates it. Giovanni finds Beatrice more beautiful even than the flowers of the mysterious garden. "...more beautiful than the richest of them, but still to be touched only with a glove, nor to be approached without a mask" (Hawthorne). Yet, her father is feeble and ugly, so it is difficult to believe the beautiful daughter came from the old man. Clearly, there is magic in the...
Nathaniel Hawthorne's Tales Hawthorne's writings serve as a social commentary on the inherent dangers in blind acceptance of religious teachings. There is ample scope to interpret all three stories of "Young Goodman Brown," "The Birthmark," and "Ethan Brand," as Hawthorne's commentary on the consequences of allowing religion to mar true recognition of goodness and beauty. All three stories highlight the fact that human kindness and faith are more important than obsession with
Nathaniel Hawthorne The objective of this work is to examine Nathaniel Hawthorne's works and to conduct a comparison of the life of Hawthorne to his short stories and to examine how his life and his works paralleled one another. The life of Nathaniel Hawthorne many times was played out in his stories as his life events and experiences bled forth into his works demonstrating the struggles that the writer faced within himself
Hawthorne Author Nathaniel Hawthorne's literary works constantly reference ideas of the supernatural and the religious ideas of the Puritans who colonized the United States. Of particular interest to Hawthorne is how these two things work together in that time period. Many of Nathaniel Hawthorne's works take place in Colonial times, a good century before the author himself was born. His own ancestors were active participants in Puritan society, even serving as
Nathaniel Hawthorne's beliefs concerning ethics, morality, and guilt as made evident in one of these stories. Consider how beliefs affect characterization, setting, plotting, and theme. In the story of Rappaccini's daughter, the narrator becomes infatuated with a young woman whose life literally has become poisoned, because of her father's influence. Unlike a conventional Christian system of morality, as is typical of most of the author's other tales, the girl is
RAPPACCINI'S DAUGHTER -- SCIENCE "RAPPACCINI'S DAUGHTER" In Nathaniel Hawthorne's 1844 fantasy tale "Rappaccini's Daughter," Dr. Giacomo Rappaccini is clearly obsessed with science, for Hawthorne states that he cares "infinitely more for science than for mankind" and would "sacrifice human life. . . For the sake of adding so much as a grain of mustard seed to the great heap of his accumulated knowledge." Dr. Rappaccini's obsession for the power that science brings
" Mather 22) Hawthorne clearly stepped away from the Puritan ethic by consistently alluding to the existence of the earthly supernatural. Though this was a fear of the Puritans, clearly it was associated with Satan and possession of the living. In Hawthorne's works the supernatural was associated with less grand sources, such as those seen in Young Goodman Brown. (Hoeltje 39-40) Hawthorne allows his characters to explore concepts that would have been
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