Comparing Religion In Rappaccini's Daughter And The Birthmark
Ashley Zannikos Period 9
English II Honors Exam 1/26/09 Nathaniel Hawthorns short stories, such as, Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment, Rappaccini’s Daughter and The Birthmark all have an underlying meaning and demonstrate a similar recurring theme. Hawthorne uses his stories to clarify his beliefs on the competition between nature, religion, and science in everyday life. In all three of his short stories he refuses the concept of science coming before religion or nature. Hawthorne clearly thought if nature or religion was tampered with using science it could only end badly, but more specifically with death. In each of his stories there is a scientific experiment that defies both nature and religion ending harmfully. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s beliefs conclude that God and nature to ultimately be more powerful then science. In Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment, Nathaniel Hawthorne creates a fictional experiment that resists both God and natures intentions. Dr. Heidegger gathers a few old acquaintances who seem to be unhappy with their lives and they all wish to be young again. They also hope having their wisdom from over the years, will allow them not to make the same …show more content…
A scientist, Alymer is married to a beautiful women named Georgiana whose only flaw is a birthmark on her left cheek. Alymer challenges God and attempts to make his wife the single most perfect being. Alymer says to his wife, “There is no taint of imperfection on thy spirit. Thy sensible frame, too, shall soon be all perfect”(22). When the birthmark is removed it is known that Georgiana is dead because of it, “The fatal hand had grappled with the mystery of life, and was the bond by which an angelic spirit kept itself in union with a mortal frame”(23). Alymer learns that God’s creations cannot be interfered with or else it may be
English II Honors Exam 1/26/09 Nathaniel Hawthorns short stories, such as, Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment, Rappaccini’s Daughter and The Birthmark all have an underlying meaning and demonstrate a similar recurring theme. Hawthorne uses his stories to clarify his beliefs on the competition between nature, religion, and science in everyday life. In all three of his short stories he refuses the concept of science coming before religion or nature. Hawthorne clearly thought if nature or religion was tampered with using science it could only end badly, but more specifically with death. In each of his stories there is a scientific experiment that defies both nature and religion ending harmfully. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s beliefs conclude that God and nature to ultimately be more powerful then science. In Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment, Nathaniel Hawthorne creates a fictional experiment that resists both God and natures intentions. Dr. Heidegger gathers a few old acquaintances who seem to be unhappy with their lives and they all wish to be young again. They also hope having their wisdom from over the years, will allow them not to make the same …show more content…
A scientist, Alymer is married to a beautiful women named Georgiana whose only flaw is a birthmark on her left cheek. Alymer challenges God and attempts to make his wife the single most perfect being. Alymer says to his wife, “There is no taint of imperfection on thy spirit. Thy sensible frame, too, shall soon be all perfect”(22). When the birthmark is removed it is known that Georgiana is dead because of it, “The fatal hand had grappled with the mystery of life, and was the bond by which an angelic spirit kept itself in union with a mortal frame”(23). Alymer learns that God’s creations cannot be interfered with or else it may be