Giovanni and Aylmer demonstrate manipulation of authority over women in order to pursue their unhealthy infatuation with scientific experimentation. The capability to exercise this desire while controlling another human’s life threatens the Romantic ideal of love for the natural world.
Both stories exemplify the thrill inherent to the ability of exerting dominance over a human being to alter them to a perfect, insuperable counterpart. Rappaccini, though possessing paternal sentiments for his daughter,
cares infinitely more for science than for mankind. His patients are interesting to him only as subjects for some new experiment. He would sacrifice human life…of adding so much as a grain of mustard-seed to the great heap of his accumulated knowledge. (“Rappaccini’s Daughter”)
Egotistic in nature, Rappaccini finds no harm in placing his desires before the welfare of others, as apparent through his captivity of Beatrice. Written in a time when patriarchal society was valued and allowed for control of women socially, economically, and psychologically, both stories reflect the gender relations between man and woman. To Rappaccini, an intellectual is automatically granted power, and he finds no better way to put his plans to gain power into action through his daughter whom he knows will be acquiescent. Beatrice replicates the submissive stereotype of females when her father remarks that, “shattered as I am, my life might pay the penalty of approaching it so closely as circumstances demand. Henceforth, I fear, this plant must be consigned to your sole charge” (“Rappaccini’s Daughter”). She readily agrees to perform this otherwise hazardous task her father orders her to do, since obeying him is so innate to her. Posse...
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...t it could only be by intertwining itself with his love of science, and uniting the strength of the latter to his own” (Hawthorne). In an attempt to justify his pleasure, Aylmer mingles adoration for Georgiana with his necessity for perfection. His failure is attributed to his oversight of nature’s goodness combined and the consequences of tampering with nature. There was much foreshadowing about Georgiana’s death, yet Aylmer overlooked all of it, because he was too overpowered by the pleasure that creation and manipulation gives him. Correspondingly, Rappaccini disregarded his intellectual gifts that he could have used beneficially for mankind; rather, he continued to do what gave him personal gratification. Both men had the craving for supremacy; the only way they knew to achieve that is through exploitation of nature, which they both found pleasantly appealing.
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “The Birth-Mark,” Aylmer, a married scientist, believes himself to be above nature. Acting on these beliefs, he prepares
Stallman, Laura. Survey of Criticism of 'Rappaccini's Daughter' by Nathaniel Hawthorne {with class response and discussion}. 29 Many 2000 <http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/eng372/rappcrit.htm>.
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?
one's who stand alone with no one to look to for love or support. "For
Nathaniel Hawthorne was an extraordinary writer, who used real life experiences in every one of his stories. However, growing up in a Puritan society during a reformation gave Hawthorne a distorted view on God’s character. Hawthorne was intelligent, but by no means a people person, which created a pathway for him to become an author. There were a few key points in his life growing in a religion zealous society that lead him to abandon his faith. Hence, the short story of “Young Goodman Brown” representing that humans are cynical and evil, and the dangers of losing your faith in God.
A telling moment about humanity’s dissatisfaction comes when Georgiana reads the volume written by Aylmer. Despite the fact that the book was “rich with achievements that had won renown for its author, [it] was yet as melancholy a record as ever a hand had penned” (Hawthorne 350). The aims set for himself by the scientist cannot be achieved. It is as though he sets out to achieve the unachievable because of an unconscious addiction to dissatisfaction. Before the conclusion of the novel, he has nearly achieved all that he has set out to; however, when he seeks to rid a mortal of her mortality, or at least of the distinctive mark upon her frame that represents her mortality, he fails. It ultimately matters very little whether or not he succeeds or fails because he will not be satisfied no matter what.
In “Rappaccini’s Daughter” the dual aspects of good and evil in humans are exemplified through the use of figurative language. In the story, Beatrice is described as a beautiful young lady. Hawthorne introduces Beatrice’s beauty to the audience through, “a sculptured portal the figure of a young girl, arrayed with as much richness of taste as the splendid of the flowers, beautiful as the day (3).” These positive traits of Beatrice are presented in order to express her goodness she is compared to flowers and day. In contrast to Beatrice being beautiful Beatrice is also poisonous. Author Roy R Male Jr. suggests that Beatrice is harmful, “The poison in her system-the token of her corruption brings death into the garden” (101). Beatrice is compared to death because creatures- lizard and b...
It is hard to say that one is human and perfect at the same time. Human beings are not capable of achieving perfection; if that would be so, humans would stop being humans. By nature the human race is full of flaws, some appearing as early as in the womb. From defects in the body, to defects in the mind, to the mistakes that one makes in quotidian life, it is impossible to deny that human imperfection exists. To try to manipulate humans into perfection is not only impossible, but it takes away the very essence of being a human being. The short story “The Birthmark” by Nathaniel Hawthorn, illustrates this teaching through the character of Aylmer, an ambitious and devoted scientist who is appalled by his wife Georgiana’s birthmark, believing it to be a perceivable sign of her human flaws and eagerly waits to remove it from her cheek. This story raises riveting questions such as, what is humanity all about, can human beings ever achieve perfection through science, is Hawthorn attacking science or a wider issue, and more significantly, should science take the place of God. Through the use of symbolism in “The Birthmark”, Hawthorn indirectly implies that imperfection is an essential part of being human and that science should not interfere; thus he is hinting his personal views toward science and its limitations over nature.
Nathaniel Hawthorne is a well known 19th century author. One reason he is well known is his view towards Puritanism. Hawthorne would often criticize Puritanism in his short stories and novels. Two short stories that show Hawthorne’s view of Puritanism are “Young Goodman Brown” and “The ministers black veil”.
“…Hawthorne’s attitude is so removed and imperturbable that nothing in the story can be taken simply; in “The Birthmark” he reaches his furthest rage of disengagement” (Fogle 118). It is through the intellectual and moral development of Georgiana, not the scientists own actions or words, that the reader comes to understand that although twisted in his methods, Aylmer does possess a kind of “noble” love.
"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.
"Confess thy truth and thou shall have eternal rest." I belive that is the moral to be taught in this novel of inspirational love, yet a novel of much sorrow. The impossible became possible in The Scarlet Letter, a story set back in the Puritan Times. In this response, I will give my reactions in writing to different aspects of the novel;the characchters, my likes and dislikes, my questions, and my opinion of the harsh Puritain lifestyle. Hester Prynne, the Reverend Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth each suffered guilt in their own way in the novel The Scarlet Letter. In the beginning of the novel, Hester Prynne should have not suffered the way she did on the scaffold alone. She was forced to be intergated by the high-officials of the town, while holding her little Pearl in arms. Making matters worse, the father of the child was in that very group of officals. She was then sentenced to wear the scarlet letter "A", showing her guilt "externally". Unable to take it off, she was forced to show her guilt to the entire settlement. However, the Reverend Dimmesdale suffered "internally", with a scarlet letter of his own engraved in his mind, and on his chest as well. He felt like he betrayed God, and beat himself in a frenzy to prove his wrongdoing. He often questioned wheather his authority was true or not. Roger Chillingworth suffered the least, because he only failed to reveal the secret that he knew, the father of the child who Hester Prynne was forced to live with. This small restriction to his life forced him to suffer "internally". I had different likes and dislikes in the novel The Scarlet Letter. There were many things that needed to be judged to fit into the given catagories, including; character attitudes, and character decisions. For example, the attitude displayed from the Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale was rather unnapealing to me. There are different ways of settling ones guilt rather than whipping oneself in a closet. The one character whose attitude was appealing to me was that of Pearl's. She showed that mistakes in a relationship often lead to bad situations. Her mischeif and connection to the devil are examples of just those situations. Character decisions played an euqally important role. For example, I thought the descision for Hester not to tell who was the father of Pearl on the scaffold to be very brave, but was wrong.
In Nathanial Hawthorne’s “The Birth-Mark,” Aylmer, a crazed, “mad-scientist,” seeks to remove the scarlet handprint birthmark from his wife, Georgiana’s cheek. From the opening of the work, the third person narrator describes Aylmer’s obsession with science and the adverse effects it has had on his social life. Aylmer is tied up in this battle within himself and with his assigned association between the natural and the spiritual world. He wishes to have as much control over these colliding worlds as possible, granting himself god-like power and control in the process. In the art of manipulating nature through science, Aylmer believes he is able to alter the spiritual aspects of the natural as well. Aylmer’s focus on spirituality is Hawthorne’s way of commenting on mankind’s fixation on sin and redemption.
This story opens by explaining how educated and knowledgeable Aylmer is, and the narrator even suggests that he may have the power to alter nature. “ We know not whether Aylmer possesses this degree of faith in man’s ultimate control over nature (Birthmark, 1262 ).”As Aylmer tries to use science to alter nature, or in this case, the birthmark on his wife’s cheek, his plan backfires and his wife dies. The death of Georgiana shows that knowledge is dangerous if used in the wrong way. The influence of the evolution of culture has caused men to educate themselves, and learn extensive amounts about science. However, some men like Aylmer take advantage of their intelligence and try to play the role of God. Aylmer allowed his mind to consume his heart, resulting in the senseless death of his beautiful wife.
Nathaniel Hawthorne's knowledge of Puritanism and his close relationship with the religion has impacted his views on those in the society. Hawthorne is critical of the Puritans and he thinks that they are hypocrites for having rules and morals that they do not follow. He sees the underlying sin that others may not. Through his many writings he makes known to his readers that everyone is guilty of sin. The Puritan's main goal was to save themselves from the sin in the world, but Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays their morals and society as troublesome through his works, "Young Goodman Brown," "The Minister's Black Veil," and The Scarlet Letter.