Rappaccini\'s Daughter

2 Pages 459 Words

“Rappaccini’s Daughter”

In the article “Rappaccini’s Daughter,” (Short Sotry Criticism 192), Jones asserts the question, “How can Beatrice, with a mortal father on the scene, be an allegorical figure of Eve” (193)? By leaving the question to us we are lead to believe that this comparsion can be made. Even though Beatrice had a mortal father on the scene, she can be an allegorical figure of Eve because Eve was lead to believe that the “apple” was good for her. Eve was decieved by Satan and Beatrice was deceived by her father. They both were confined to the garden and were expected to tend to it.
Jones also contend, “How can this be the present Eden, a representation of man’s perverted re-creation...” (193)? It can be the present tense Eden because when God created Eden he did so for his pleasure. Rappaccini also created “Eden” for his pleasure because his love for science. The difference in God’s Eden and Rappaccini’s perverted re-creation was that Rappacini made all of his beautiful flowers poisonous. He created nothing that was good. Therefore , it was understandable why Beatrice referred to God’s Eden as paradise and her father’s version of Eden as a place of poisonous flowers.
Jones interestingly refers to Rappaccini as a type of “santanic intellectual” (193).
This is an understanable statement because Rappaccini was a brilliant scientist. He purposely corrupted the beautiful garden and his own child for experimental purposes.
Jones implies that Rappaccini is “Adam” and that Satan inspired Adam. He contends, for it was Adam, inspired by Satan, whose rebellion dethroned the rightful ruler of nature and put into man’s hands the power to rule and to recreat” (193). This is a disputable argument, because Adam was not inspired by Satan. Adam was inspired by Christ, but he was greatly influenced by Eve. On the other hand, an argument can be made that Eve was insp...