This is one of my very favorite short stories. I love Hawthorne's language which always makes me second guess what I'm reading and what it might mean. I've asked you to read this story in two sections since I think this story really demands quality time to savor the language and the possible meanings. There are so many questions to ask about this story, and while our focus is on family relationships, we can certainly look beyond this idea. We really have five characters that are worth exploring: Giovanni, Rappaccini, Beatrice, Baglioni, and even Lisabetta. If we are to merely focus on the familal relationship, we need to understand the relationship between father and daughter. Are there certain archetypal concepts that relate to fathers and daughters? What do fathers want for their daughters? What do daughters need from their fathers? How do Giovanni and Baglioni "upset" the basic relationship? What are their respective roles in this story anyway?
Obviously Hawthorne wants us to consider how this story might be an allegory to the Garden of Eden. What were your thoughts about this? If the garden does represent this, then who might the different characters represent?
Consider what we know happens versus what we think we know happens? How does Hawthorne's language make us rethink the actual events in the story? How does the imagination function in this story? What is the role of science? What is being said about the nature of woman? About nature itself?
Initial ideas for Essay #2:
What is Rappaccini's secret desire for his daughter? How do the secrets or obsessions of parents have consequences for their children? How do the secrets shape the children's destinies?
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