Symbolism in Rappacini’s Daughter
Nathaniel Hawthorne's Rappaccini's Daughter could be considered the most multifaceted and greatest of all his short stories. Hawthorne considered isolation to be a major sin. Therefore, he made the evil of isolation the theme of many of his stories. In Rappaccini's Daughter, Beatrice is isolated and confined to her home and the adjoining garden. Both Beatrice and the garden are symbols in this story. Beatrice is symbolic of a pure soul. The garden is symbolic of the Garden of Eden, except of a paradoxical evil version. Perhaps the least mentioned, yet equally important symbolism used in Rappaccini's Daughter is the use of color. Hawthorne symbolically uses the colors black, purple, orange, crimson, and white. Two of these colors are associated with characters throughout the story; black with Rappaccini and purple with Beatrice.
Rappaccini is described as “dressed in a scholar's garb of black” and “man in black” (2656 & 2663). Black is also used to describe the separation that occurred when Giovanni confronted Beatrice, “Beatrice, with a quick spiritual sense, immediately felt that there was a gulf of blackness between them, which neither he nor she could pass” (2673). Black symbolizes evil…show more content… First, through Beatrice’s “sister” shrub which has purple flowers. “There was one shrub in particular, set in a marble vase in the midst of the pool, that bore a profusion of purple blossoms…” which we are later informed is her “sister” (2656). Second, Beatrice is connected to purple through Giovanni’s thoughts about her, “…which made Giovanni, though he knew not why, think of deep hues of purple or crimson, and of perfumes heavily delectable” (2657). Third, Beatrice leaves “a purple print” upon Giovanni after she touches him (2668). Purple often represents royalty, nobility, and purity (Rohrer). Though, in the last quote, the purple print is indicating that Beatrice poisoned
