Describing Biblical Parallels in Hawthorne's "Rappaccini's Daughter"
In Hawthorne's “Rappaccini's Daughter,” many biblical parallels can be found. The story duplicates the chapter of genesis in the bible in many ways.
Ranging from the characters, to the setting, and even the deadly plant in the story. The account of Adam and Eve in Genesis 1-3 is extremely similar to the situation of Giovanni and Beatrice in the story.
In both “Rappaccini's Daughter” and the Genesis chapters in the bible, lush, beautiful gardens are the setting. Both gardens are exotic and pretty, but the garden of Eden is bright and tropical, while Dr. Rappaccini's garden is darker and mysterious. Both gardens are home to a type of “forbidden” plant, but the garden of Eden was created by a super-natural being, and Dr.
Rappaccini's garden by Rappaccini himself.
The forbidden plant in Genesis is a gorgeous, extremely tempting fruit plant. The fruit on this plant are described as extremely tempting. However, these fruits have been deemed prohibited by God. The plant in Rappaccini's garden is a large flowering bush. The flowers on this bush are unlike any others and extremely exquisite. The two plants share the trait of “forbidden,” but in different ways. The fruit on the tree in Genesis was forbidden simply because that was the way God made it. The plant in Rappaccini's garden was forbidden because it was poisonous. The only people immune to the poison of this plant were Beatrice and Dr. Rappaccini.
In Hawthorne's story, a parallel between Giovanni and Adam is established. Both are young men, and each was tempted by a woman. Giovanni in
Hawthorne's story was lured into the garden by Beatrice; however, Beatrice was attempting to make Giovanni immune to the poison of the plant, so they could be together forever. Beatrice and Eve also share similarities. They both are the ones that first fall to temptation and which ultimately leads to each of their demise. The serpent in “Rappaccini's Daughter” is clearly represented by Dr.
The Psychology Dictionary defines loneliness as “a sometimes long lasting feeling having no alternative to turn to in times of distress and depression. Generally classes as a period of heightened cognitive discomfort and uneasiness from being oneself“ (Psychology Dictionary1). Nathaniel Hawthorne’s works such as “Rappaccini's Daughter,”“Ethan Brand,” and “Young Goodman Brown” have characters, that embody the definition of loneliness. It is clear these short stories have lonely characters that have hit rock bottom. Not only are the characters in these stories lonely, but they are insane as well. In each of short stories, Hawthorne shows that the state of being lonely causes the characters to become insane.
The era of Romanticism during the 18th century was enriched with flourishing qualities of art, historiography, education and natural sciences that are exalted in history to this day. The Romantic era was more than what meets the surface, the literary creations of this time was not superficial love stories as the name may inaccurately suggest. This was a period of love for creation and nature, the exaltation of the common people, the desire for perfection in their community and an overall quest for something greater. The writers’ of this era emphasize on imagination and emotion and was influenced from the changes that were occurring in front of their very own eyes. A prime example of this is the literary works of Nathaniel Hawthorne and the common theme of science and the author’s fear and distaste it has on humanity that has been introduced.
Nathaniel Hawthorne gives his own definition of romanticism in the preface to The House of Seven Gables. According to Hawthorne, the writer of a romance may "claim a certain latitude" and may "deepen and enrich the shadows of the picture," as long as he does not "swerve aside from the truth of the human heart." The writer of a romance "will be wise...to mingle the Marvelous" as long as he does it to a "slight," however if he "disregards this caution," he will not be committing "a literary crime" (Hawthorne, House of Seven Gables, preface). Nathaniel Hawthorne consistently stays true to his standards of romanticism. The application of these standards is most abundant and lucid in "Young Goodman Brown," "The Birth-Mark," and "Rappaccini's Daughter."
In Rappaccini 's Daughter, it is full of symbols and symbolic allusions. Its setting is a fantastic garden filled with vegetation and poisonous flowers and in the center is a broken fountain. Hawthorne's focus is on Beatrice as she is seen by Giovanni. Hawthorne presents a trapped and poisonous Beatrice who needs a special kind of redemption. She is a prisoner in the garden and her body is full of poison.
Another comparison is the creations’ gender. The first creation is a “male”. It is about the patriarchal system, of course, society always supports male. The creations’ search for a female mate is another similarity. Adam and the monster of Victor realize that there is no creature like them in the garden, the world so they both ask their creators; God, Victor to make a companion like
The Enuma Elish mirrors the subordinate disordered lives of the Babylonians that created it. Genesis mirrors the newfound freedom and idealism of the Jewish people who created it after years of oppression. These two writings contrast the differences between the ancient Babylonians and the ancient Hebrews. Creation stories give great insight into the lives of the people who created them.
"The Minister's Black Veil" by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a short story that was first published in the 1836 edition of the Token and Atlantic Souvenir and reappeared over time in Twice-Told Tales, a collection of short stories by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The short story narrates the events following Reverend Mr. Hooper's decision to begin wearing a black veil that obscures his full face, except for his mouth and chin. Mr. Hooper simply arrives one day at the meeting house wearing the semi-transparent black veil and refuses from then on to take it of, leading to the loss of his fiancée and isolation form the world. He is even buried in the black veil. Yet, what is important to note are Mr. Hooper's last words to those surrounding his deathbed. He tells them namely in anger that all of them wear black veils: “I look around me, and, lo! on every visage a Black Veil!”. This declaration underlines the meanings of the veil in the story as symbolic of sin, darkness, and the duality within human nature. Thus, "The Minister's Black Veil" by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a literary work of art that demonstrates the author's use of allegory to highlight the psychological angle of the story and characters.
In literary works, often, authors use references to biblical names and meaning to effectively represent a character’s personality. The Scarlet Letter written by Nathaniel Hawthorne is just one example of character symbolism. Hawthorne uses biblical names intentionally to depict the personas of Pearl, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth. Pearl, the product of an adulterous woman Hester’s affair, is her mother's prized possession. Pearl’s name was chosen to symbolically allude to her backstory. Biblically, the name Pearl refers to being precious, of great value, and the merchant (in the bible verse sought out the pearl) who sacrificed everything for the pearl. Similarly in Hawthorne’s novel, the narrator describes Hester “judging one token of her
Just look at two creation stories side-by-side and you should easily see their similarities. Perhaps the easiest way to do this would be to take one unknown creation story and compare it to one from one’s own culture. Below is an example of a Mongolian creation myth:
Rappichini’s Daughter by Nathanial Hawthorne contains many themes that revolve around science and religion. It is safe to say that these two subjects do not go hand in hand. However, Hawthorne skillfully uses science as a vehicle for creating something similar to a new religion, and a story that is very similar to the story of Creation. Hawthorne even projects his own voice in the story through the character Baglioni, who is aware of Rappichini’s plan, and exposes Rappichini’s abuse of science.
Most people have heard of the Judeo-Christian origin story, starring Adam and Eve, a serpent, eaten fruit, and an angry God. Although the origin story is thousands of years old, there are still parallels that can be found in modern literature, such as in the pages of The Scarlet Letter, by Nathanial Hawthorne. Similar to the origin story, The Scarlet Letter, set in the mid-seventeenth century, describes two Salem, Massachusetts residents, Hester Prynne and Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, and their troubles with sin, guilt, and shame. In the devout town of Salem, Hester and Dimmesdale commit adultery, regarded in Salem as an act comparable to murder, resulting in Hester’s physical shame, the scarlet letter, and Dimmesdale’s emotional shame, because
In the Nathaniel Hawthorne tale, “Rappaccini’s Daughter,” we see and feel the solitude/isolation of the scientific-minded surgeon, Dr. Rappaccini, likewise that of his daughter, Beatrice, and finally that of the main character, Giovanni. Is this solitude not a reflection of the very life of the author?
Nathaniel Hawthorne uses setting, plot, and the characters to develop the theme of Sin, Isolation, and Reunion in his novel, The Scarlet Letter. In this novel Hawthorne uses the scaffold along with other places in the setting to develop this theme. He develops the plot by making one character torment or act as the conscience of another to develop the climax and the resolution. The characters help develop this theme by tormenting other characters and never letting them forget about the sin they committed which then drives them further into isolation.
In “Rappaccini’s Daughter,” a tale written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1844, many conflicts, both thematically and characteristically, take place and help to illustrate Hawthorne’s gothic and epic themes. Conflicts between modern science and morality, good and evil, and inherent human faulty are all made evident. Four main characters are presented as vessels for Hawthorne’s grand scheme: Giacomo Rappaccini, Professor Baglioni, Giovanni Guasconti, and Beatrice.
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter makes use of Biblical allusions to deepen its treatment of the moral superiority of Hester Prynne. Write an essay that explains how familiarity with the parable of the ‘pearl of great price’ from the book of Matthew helps the reader understand the overall meaning of Hawthorne’s novel. Highlight your thesis and claims in yellow. Staple your notes to the back of the essay.