Rappacini

’s Daughter Essay, Research Paper

“Buy twelve CD s for the price of one!” is the deceptive catch phrase for music services such as BMG and Colombia House. After reading the fine print, however, these services have many hidden costs that override their wonderful promotion. This misleading information is not unique in business. After reading Nathaniel Hawthorne s “Rappaccini s Daughter,” it confirms that this phenomenon is around in daily life. Be particularly careful in a situation that seems too good to be true.

Giovanni is immediately succored into Beatrice. When she first appears to him, she symbolizes a beautiful, young woman. In his college years, a little romance could not hurt Giovanni, especially with a girl so marvelous as her. This appears to be the perfect situation for him. She appears daily in the garden through his window toying with his desire. Another quality which Giovanni enjoys is that she will always be on time waiting for him once a day. They continually speak romantically to each other that most often leads to other activities. However, he is unable to touch her. He quickly overlooks looks this as he is captured by her beauty. Furthermore, he becomes so consumed with her that he falls in love. Everything looks impeccable from the early signs of Beatrice, but do not become caught up with her too quickly!

Beautiful Beatrice is actually fool s gold with a hidden, fatal characteristic. Beatrice s father, Rapaccinni, was a professor of science at the nearby college. His love for science exceeded that of ordinary limits. Rapaccinni loved to perform experiments; this involved not only traditional subjects, but even people. His own daughter, Beatrice, was the subject of one of his major works. Not only was she an experiment, but she was given a poison in which her breath killed insects and her touch could kill humans. An interesting fact about this experiment was that a shrub was her sister. The truth beholds a morbid facet of Beatrice that will affect Giovanni in a consequential fashion.

Reality hits Giovanni as he finds out Beatrice is too good to be true. However, he finds out a little too late. While in the beautiful garden with Beatrice, Giovanni reaches out to touch the marvelous plant which Beatrice held in such high regard. Knowing that this plant is poisonous, Beatrice swats Giovanni s hand away. Since Beatrice s touch could transmit the poison, it automatically gave Giovanni this horrible thing. He begins to realize that he acquired it when he blows his breath on a spider and sees that it falls to the ground and dies. This revelation heartbreaks Giovanni as he realizes why he has this. Now Giovanni understands why she was kept in such isolation from the rest of the world.

Could this unfortunate circumstance be saved and simply learn the lesson without any damage? Giovanni s friend, Professor Baglioni, has a possible solution to both Giovanni s and Beatrice s problems. Professor Baglioni gives Giovanni a strong antidote that supposedly would rid the poison. Giovanni thinks that this has to be the solution to their problem; It is perfect! Once again, however, it is not perfect, just the opposite. Giovanni quickly goes back to Beatrice s garden and tells her to take a drink of the antidote, for it would cure her nasty poison. Of course, she falls for it also as she consumes much of it. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a deadly poison. Because of her consumption, she lies dead in front of both Giovanni and her father. Once again, not learning their lesson, Beatrice and Giovanni take immediate action in a “perfect” situation but end up with a terrible outcome.

It is so true to be on the lookout for situations that seem too good to be true, as seen in this short story. Falling into this trap can lead to financial loss, romantic loss, or even a loss of life. “Rappaccini s Daughter” shows how this ignorance can lead to romantic loss and ultimately death. A good lesson can be learned from Hawthorne so it will not be learned the hard way, in real life. As a wise man once said, feast in the ripe red apple, but be wary of worm holes that would cause an undesirable situation.