Book Report of Rappaccini's Daughter

Book Report of Rappaccini's Daughter

Name:Xu Huihua

Student Number:1114070315

E-mail:123456789@

About the author

Rappaccini's Daughter is a short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne published in the 1844 collection Mosses from an Old Manse.Nathaniel Hawthorne was an American novelist and short story writer.Much of Hawthorne's writing centers on New England, many works featuring moral allegories with a Puritan inspiration. His fiction works are considered part of the Romantic movement and, more specifically, Dark romanticism. His themes often center on the inherent evil and sin of humanity, and his works often have moral messages and deep psychological complexity. His published works include novels, short stories, and a biography of his friend Franklin Pierce.

Book summary

It tells a short story about Giacomo Rappaccini, a medical researcher in medieval Padua who grows a garden of poisonous plants. He brings up his daughter to tend the plants, and she becomes resistant to the poisons, but in the process she herself becomes poisonous to others.The story is set in Padua, Italy, in a distant and unspecified past. From his quarters, Giovanni Guasconti, a young student of letters, looks at Beatrice, the beautiful daughter of Dr. Giacomo Rappaccini, a scientist who works in isolation. Beatrice is confined to the lush and locked gardens, which are filled with poisonous plants grown by her father. Giovanni notices Beatrice's strangely intimate relationship with the plants as well as the withering of fresh flowers and the death of an insect when exposed to her skin or breath. Having fallen in love, Giovanni enters the garden and meets with Beatrice a number of times, ignoring his mentor, Professor Pietro Baglioni, who warns him that Rappaccini is up to no good and that he and his work should be avoided. Giovanni discovers that Beatrice, having been raised in the presence of poison, is poisonous herself. Beatrice urges Giovanni to look past her poisonous exterior and see her pure and innocent essence, creating great feelings of doubt in Giovanni. He begins to suffer the consequences of his encounters with the plants----and with Beatrice----when he discovers that he himself has become poisonous; after another meeting with Baglioni, Giovanni brings a powerful antidote to Beatrice so that they can be together, but the antidote kills Beatrice rather than getting rid of her poisonous nature.

My comment

The story,of course,is a tragedy.It ends with the death of Beatrice,the daughter of Giacomo Rappaccini,and the question asked by professor Pietro Baglioni:”Rappaccini!Rappaccini!And is this the upshot of your experiment?”In fact,I want to ask the great doctor,Giacomo Rappaccini,the same question and I also want to know how he would answer it.

My favourite character in this story is Beatrice and I think she is the purest one in this story.She is always alone with those so-called beautiful flowers,seperated from the outer world;She is brought up by those poisonous plants and become poisonous herself at last;People are attracted by her beauty but also fear of her poison.So,the appearance of Giovanni Guasconti,the handsome young man,is a kind of sunshine coming into her life,giving her the hope of a new life and also arousing