Final Assignment a Literary Analysis free essay sample

Rappaccinis Daughter By Nathaniel Hawthorne â€Å"Rappaccini’s Daughter† is a fascinating short story written by Nathaniel Hawthorne about a medical scientist â€Å"Giacomo Rappaccini† who is researching exotic and poisonous plants. His daughter â€Å"Beatrice Rappaccini † takes care of the poisonous plants for him and she too becomes poisonous. The story takes place in Padua in the medieval times. Many of the elements explored in this story are open for interpretation and Hawthorne’s play on words is amazingly cunning. The first time I read this story I walked away with many questions. This paper will attempt to interpret a theme that I believe is played out right before our eyes with religious symbolism, romantic imagery and characterized biblical undertones. What I find compelling about this story is how it can remain relevant in the 21st century. Hawthorne had a reputation for exploring the limits of what was considered acceptable by society during that time. His colorful depiction of details and his ability to tell a story and develop relatable characters is why his stories resognate with audiences today. I believe â€Å"Rappaccini’s Daughter† is an attempt by Hawthorne to illuminate the biblical equivalent to Adam and Eve but with a twist. I will break down the following elements which I feel helped to paint this colorful picture. My Theory I believe Hawthorne is playing out the story of Adam and Eve with a twist. Giovanni is â€Å"Eve†, Beatrice is â€Å"Adam†, Rappaccini is â€Å"God† and Baglioni is Satan. I believe that Giovanni (Eve) is obsessed with Beatrice (Adam) and Baglioni (Satin) knows that Giovanni will do anything to be with Beatrice because he confides in him about how he feels. Baglioni (Satin) sees this as an opportunity to take down Rappaccini’s (God) creation by killing Beatrice (Adam) by offering a cure that Giovani (Eve) can offer to Beatrice (Adam)dies from drinking the potion â€Å"forbidden fruit† and Baglioni â€Å"Satin† wins in the end because of temptation on the part of Giovanni to Beatrice. Baglioni sees this as an opportunity to take down â€Å"Gods† creation â€Å"Eve† so he gives the potion to Giovani knowing that he will try to save his companion. This leads to the Beatrice drinking the potion to be with Giovanni forever and ever but this cure actually kills her because the poison has become to much of who she is. Baglioni who knows that the potion will kill her but gives it to him anyway plays Once he has â€Å"plucked† her he has accepted sin, this is symbolized by the poisonous gas that Beatrice breaths which has now been passed to him as they both make insects die. This meaning that he has been tainted. I will attempt to break down the many layers of this argument by discussing a few elements and quotes that support my theory and in the end you He alludes to a rivalry with Rappaccini, accuses Rappaccini of being interested only in his experiments and of Rappaccinis desire to replace Baglioni at the university with his daughter just as Satan sees God as an aloof observer intending to replace his angels with mankind. Baglioni attempts to foil Rappaccini where he little dreams of it just as Satan resolves to use deception against God, rather than risk a direct attack. Later, Baglioni admits he seeks to thwart Rappaccini, even while admitting that Rappaccini is, in truth, a wonderful man, basically stating the representatives of good and evil in the story for the reader to see.  may draw your own conclusion. I was once told by someone I respect that â€Å"the great thing about literature is that it is open for your with the forbidden fruit â€Å"herb oil† interpretation and there is no wrong answer† so maybe this discussion will help you see my view at the very least. The following three elements are defined to help us understand Hawthorne’s use of them. Elements Symbolism – when an object is meant to be representative of something or an idea greater than the object itself. †¢Cross representative of Christ or Christianity Bald Eagle America or Patriotism †¢Owl wisdom or knowledge †¢Yellow implies cowardice or rot Imagery – the author’s attempt to create a mental picture (or reference point) in the mind of the reader. Remember, though the most immediate forms of imagery are visual, strong and effective imagery can be used to invoke an emotional, sensational (taste, touch, smell etc) or even physical response. Characterization – The choices an author makes to reveal a character’s personality, such as appearance, actions, dialogue, and motivations. http://www.  roanestate. edu/owl/ElementsLit. html Hawthorne’s application of elements Symbolism As mentioned earlier, Hawthorne was well known for his creative play on words and he had an interesting way of pulling symbolism from the world around him. His use of symbolism in this story is powerful and we first get introduced to this style when the narrator mentions how enthralled Giovanni is with looking at th e botanical garden through the window in his room. -â€Å"Giovanni still found no better occupation than to look down into the garden beneath his window. From its appearance, he judged it to be one of those botanic gardens which were of earlier date in Padua than elsewhere in Italy or in the world. (Hawthorne 181)† I believe the quote above begins to lay the ground work for my theory of a biblical reference to the story of Adam and Eve. Immediately upon his arrival at the mansion in Padua, Giovanni becomes fixated on the garden which he can see out of his window. This is when we start to hear about the poisonous yet beautiful â€Å"Garden of Eden† with a beautiful women tending to her father’s flowers. The following quote refers to Giovanni as he talks about the botanical garden. We learn about a magical garden with a beautiful women tending to flowers in the center. All of these references have religious relevance and fall in line with my theory which implies that Hawthorne is attempting bridge this story with the story of Adam and Eve. -â€Å"for there was the ruin of a marble fountain in the centre, sculptured with rare art, but so wofully shattered that it was impossible to trace the original design from the chaos of remaining fragments. The water, however, continued to gush and sparkle into the sunbeams as cheerfully as ever. A little gurgling sound ascended to the young (Hawthorne, 181). † It is also worth noting that the above quote is Hawthorne’s attempt at suggesting the idea that Beatrice is a beautiful, enchanted, young woman ripe for the picking. He also describes the ruins of what was once a beautiful water fountain in the center of the garden which oddly enough serves as the life source to the beautiful but poisonous plants in the garden. I believe this may even be art imitating life. Beatrice also refers to the garden as an Eden in the following quote during a discussion with her father. She is finally making a stand for herself and possibly making the first decision which she can call her own. -â€Å"I am going, father, where the evil which thou hast striven to mingle with my being will pass away like a dream—like the fragrance of these poisonous flowers, which will no longer taint my breath among the flowers of Eden. †(Hawthorn 202) Hawthorne paints a picture for the audience and I believe this draws the conclusion that the botanical garden is symbolic of the Garden of Eden solidifying my belief that there is a biblical connection. Imagery Another literary element used to express the Adam and Eve connection is imagery. I believe when Hawthorne refers to the fountain in the center of the garden he is referring to Beatrice a beautiful young lure being used to entrap the unsuspecting young man. Beatrice is the biblical equivalent of the poison apple in Eden and she tempts Giovanni with her beauty and lure. We can also draw reference from the fact that everything in Rappaccini’s garden is poisonous including Beatrice his own daughter which he poisoned. Beatrice’s is so poisonous that just breathing on an insect is enough to kill it. -â€Å"Be that as it might, he fancied that, while Beatrice was gazing at the insect with childish delight, it grew faint and fell at her feet; its bright wings shivered;(Hawthorne Page 188)† This has further significance because we can now draw that there is something different with Beatrice and her beauty is not the only thing that sets her apart from the others. Characterization Lastly, I would like to bring attention to one more element which I believe portraits the biblical connection to Adam and Eve. It is the characterization used to with both Giovanni and Beatrice. With the following two quotes we can gather that Giovanni was completely enamored with Beatrice but we can also get a feel for Giovanni’s personality as well. This is important because Giovanni speaks about Beatrice in a way that makes it seem like he is under a spell. It is these same quotes that reveal a lot about Beatrice as well as the descriptions given by Giovanni are very descriptive. These exchanges are also a great way of getting to know more about Giovanni and his personality. It is very clear that he is about to take a bite of the forbidden fruit and take the bait. -â€Å"she looked redundant with life, health, and energy; while which attributes were bound down and compressed, as it were, and girdled tensely, and their luxuriance, by her virgin zone† (Hawthorne 189) â€Å"another flower, the human sister of those vegetable ones, as beautiful as they– more beautiful than the richest of them– but still to be touched only with the glove, nor to be approached without a mask. Imagine what its like : a literature and medicine anthology Author:Ruth L Nadelhaft; Victoria Bonebakker; University of Hawaii at Manoa. Biographical Research Center. Publisher:Honolulu : Published for the Biographical Research Center by the University of Hawaii Press, 2008. Series:Biography monograph. Edition/Format:Book : State or province government publication : EnglishView all editions and formats Page: 181: Rappaccini’s Daughter By Nathanial Hawthorne