Such details as grotesque architecture, character, a garden, and denouement of “Rappaccini’s Daughter” are written in the Gothic style. The first gothic elements are architecture and environment as the protagonist finds himself in a gloomy and old edifice that inspires fears and suspicions. Even the garden, which is an island of beauty in the middle of a dark manor, has terrifying vibes as it is filled with poisonous plants (Hawthorne 1-2). The characters in the story also carry gothic features, since Rappacini is a withdrawn, selfish, and grim person who puts science above other values. As Baglioni notes, “he cares infinitely more for science than for mankind” (Hawthorne 4). Beatrice is also a Gothic character as, despite her beauty and virtue, her body is poisonous, which adds to her mystery and mysticism. These traits were prized in Gothic literature, as well as themes of good and evil, death and pangs of conscience, and the complicated psychology of characters.
The central conflict of the story also has Gothic features, as does the story’s climax. On the one hand, Rappacini wanted to protect his daughter from dangers and made her body poisonous (Hawthorne 14). However, on the other hand, he was guided by his selfishness, since no one could take his daughter from him, and the scientific interest of a successfully performed experiment. The story’s unexpected and dark ending is also grotesque and gothic because it is filled with feelings and extremes from love to hate and ends with the death of an innocent girl due to the poison of Baglioni (Hawthorne 18-20). Since Baglioni is perceived as a positive character throughout history, his deception and belief that he can decide other people’s fate make the story even more sinister. In this way, all these details fill the story with a dark gothic character and set the narrative’s mood.
Reference
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. Rappaccini’s Daughter.1844. Public Domain. Web.