Rappaccini's Daughter: An allegory of science

Rappaccini’s Daughter has been the subject of critical disagreement for quite some time. While critics (e.g. Oliver Evans and Edward Rosenberry) typically maintain that the meaning of the story is to be found in its use of allegory, the allegorical identities of its central characters are hardly clear. Oliver Evans argues for the predominance of religious symbolism in Hawthorne’s tale, positing that the relationships of its central characters are meant to retell the biblical stories of Adam and Eve. Other critics (namely, Rosenberry and McCabe) argue that the narrative structure of Rappaccini’s Daughter does not befit religious allegory; indeed, that the narrative centrality of Giovanni highlights his actions as Hawthorne’s primary moral vehicle. As a religious allegory, Hawthorne’s tale proves to be unbearably convoluted and fraught with inconsistencies. On the other hand, an interpretation of Rappaccini’s Daughter on scientific terms yields a much more manageable—much less convoluted—message: that the pursuit of God-like power through science will always end in disaster.