Such literary elements. Wow!
Discuss.
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Paradox! Symbolism! Allegory! Allusions! Imagery!
Such literary elements. Wow! Discuss.
11 Comments
Natalie Carlberg
10/9/2014 11:58:11 am
I think that Beatrice and Rappaccini are both symbols to the story. Beatrice is a symbol of what her father has made; her father has created her to what she currently is. Her father can be seen as evil because he is described as "dressed in a scholar's garb of black" (Hawthorne 2). He is an old sickly man dressed in black so he could be a symbol for evil especially since he thought he was helping his daughter but Beatrice thought different.
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Remington Schneider
10/14/2014 05:49:51 am
I found that Beatrice and Rappaccini were very similar to Estella and Miss Havisham. Beatrice and Estella were both used by their "parents" to harm others. They both also realize what their parents have done to them after having another person try to love them. When the children try and confront their parents both parents defend themselves by saying the children should be grateful for what they have done. I didn't notice this similarity until this point but after that they seemed to be almost mirror images of one another.
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Aidan Manley
10/15/2014 12:22:25 am
You raise a very good point! However, one difference between Rappaccini and Miss Havisham is that Rappaccini gave Beatrice and Giovanni his blessing, whereas Havisham never did. Havisham apologized, but she never gave Estella and Pip her blessing. Havisham was sorry for what she did, but she still didn't want Pip and Estella together.
Tyler Ellefson
10/20/2014 05:08:08 am
I agree that Beatrice and Rappaccini are similar to Estella and Miss Havisham, however, I feel that Rappaccini's actions were not necessarily done with evil intent like Miss Havisham's. Although Rappacini did end up harming his daughter through his experiments, I believe he did feel some compassion for her. After all, he did try to get Giovanni to be with Beatrice. Miss Havisham, however, seemed to show no remorse for her manipulation over her daughter.
Cole
10/27/2014 01:16:35 am
I agree with you Tyler but I think the circumstances are different. Rappaccini wasn't completely an evil person. After all, he thought he was helping his daughter, whereas Havisham knew she was using her "daughter" to corrupt people. She was definitely a bad person to her core, and may have even been lying about feeling remorse. I don't think she can be trusted.
Cassie Quinn
10/15/2014 03:07:45 am
You make a good observation that Rappaccini could be a symbol for evil and Beatrice a symbol of his evil creations, but I think they are much more than that. Hawthorne does a great job showing the cliche, "Don't judge a book by its cover" through each of his characters. While he is described as evil, Rappaccini himself is, in my opinion, more of a positive character. His life work may be evil on the surface, but then you realize that he was simply trying to protect his daughter from the terrors of the world; he thought he was keeping her safe. Beatrice may be a poisonous symbol of what her father has made, but underneath the venom she is a pure, innocent young woman. The characters develop as the story goes on, opposing first impressions. One has to look into each character before following the physical descriptions.
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Mitchell Johnson
10/13/2014 10:12:27 am
The story Rappaccini's Daughter, is certainly a long short story allegory, but in no way did it feel wrong, and in my opinion it was because of how effectively Mr. Hawthorne produced imagery. Imagery in itself brings the story to life, and has to be done well to make the story even worth bringing to life. Nathaniel Hawthorne is so detailed, so intricate, and so thorough that this 12ish page short story seemed less than half of that! The imagery he puts forth also has value in the allegory of the garden of Eden he's trying to bring forth. He describes things in a way the makes the allegory all the more related to the story. So, through imagery Nathaniel was able to make a long short story seem short, and was able to make his allegory more noticeable. Imagery is powerful!
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Alison Von Haden
10/15/2014 01:40:55 am
The allusion that Nathanal Howthorne related “Rappaccini’s Daughter” to is the story of Adam and Eve and the garden of Eden. He put his own twist on the story of the garden of Eden by reversing the roles and having Giovanni play the role of Eve. Howthorne followed the Bible story by having Giovanni tempted to go into the garden and be with Beatrice; just like Eve was tempted to eat an apple from the tree of knowledge. They both fell into their temptations, therefore resulting in a consequinces. Giovanni’s consequince was lossing Beatice while Adam and Eve were both banished from the garden of Eden. The allusion of foreshadowing this story and retelling it in his own way helped increase the interest of it when it got to be long. The retelling of the story of the garden of Eden helped make “Rappaccini’s Daughter” not seem so long and more interesting.
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Jared Fogarty
10/18/2014 10:49:45 am
This short story seems to have many paradoxes and contradictions. Beatrice and the garden both seem innocent and pleasant, however, they are both seductive forces and inherently dark. Beatrice herself tries throughout the short story to draw Giovanni in. Although Baglioni himself said that "she is already qualified to fill a professor's chair", Beatrice feigns being dull and acts peachy and perfect (5). Giovanni is drawn in to her charismatic personality and fails to see her other deadly side. The paradoxes of Beatrice and the garden both validate the saying "don't judge a book by its cover". While many aspects of the story appear to be simple, friendly, or one-dimensional, there is almost always a second opinion or a darker side. This is why no one has been able to agree on the true meaning behind the Garden of Eden backdrop to the storyline; there could be hundreds of different interpretations.
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Pearl Davis
10/19/2014 09:56:42 am
While looking at the allegory to Adam and Eve presented in "Rappaccini's Daughter" I found some conflicts in the final page in relation to the Genesis story. While I do view Beatrice's death as the "fall", I feel as though her reaction to her death was not quite equal to the reactions of Adam and Eve when they were forcibly removed from the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve feel guilt and sorrow for their actions and show a definite negative reaction. Beatrice however, even as she dies, doesn't seem entirely displeased with her fate. She seems to take her death as a lifting of burdens from her soul; it seems to be something she is almost happy about. She says that the evil within her "will pass away like a dream", and the words of hatred from Giovanni "will fall away as [she] ascend[s]," (20). It brings up the notion that ignorance isn't bliss, and that maybe "the fall" wasn't really the great tragedy of humankind as so many view it. There was initial shock with Beatrice's realization, but then an acceptance of it. She would rather live than die, but only if it was a life without the evil poisons she was born with. I know I for one do not view ignorance as bliss, and being kept in the dark is not something I would sit well with. The story brings up interesting points regarding this using symbols and the allegory to the story of Adam and Eve.
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elizabeth
10/20/2014 01:20:47 am
While the entire story seems to fit along the theme of Adam and Eve in many various ways, I felt the author wasn't trying to re-create the story or use an allegory. I tend to agree with you, Pearl, that the story often contradicts the traditional story. The author was simply creating an underlying link between the stories to make a point. Everyone is familiar with Adam and Eve, and the fate that befalls them. "Rappaccini's Daughter" starts off with Giovanni's temptation of the dark flower that is Beatrice. Even though he knows she is dangerous (like the Tree of Knowledge) he is fraught with temptation that he eventually gives into. That's what the author is focusing on. They want readers to see the temptation and the underlying dark force that is in this seemingly beautiful garden. It's not meant to be a symbolic analogy for the Garden of Eden, though there are references to it. You could also argue that it's a twisted version of Romeo and Juliet. This story is so unique with the ending obviously, and the roles of the supporting characters. It is its own individual story, not meant to resemble an existing one, just bring familiar stories into play for the reader's benefit.
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