Comparing Science In Rappaccini's Daughter And The Birth-Mark

Nathaniel Hawthorne includes many complex literary devices in his short stories to get his point across. Hawthorne uses literary devices, such as science and nature in both his short stories, “Rappaccini’s Daughter” and “The Birth-Mark, which both display relations. Science is a very important element Hawthorne used in order to caution readers about the tragedies that could arrive from using it wrong. In “Rappaccini’s Daughter,” the author goes to explain the experiments that Doctor Rappaccini performs on the flowers in his garden. Rappaccini can be noticed to be a man that cares “infinitely more for science than for mankind” (Hawthorne, Rappaccini 4) going as far as to “sacrifice human life (4).” He is too involved with science and experiments
forcing his daughter, Beatrice, to risk her life for the sake of his experiments, classifying this as the type of external conflict, science vs man. Rappaccini is using science trying to defeat God by creating something greater than God has created, which is a vast mistake Hawthorne cautions the readers about. At the end of the story, Rappaccini’s daughter dies, which he is at fault because of his scientific experiments. Hawthorne is cautioning the reader that man of science shouldn’t compete with God; it can lead to terrible tragedy. Rappaccini, who wasn’t trying to help humanity but really only himself, failed due to the fact that he wanted to accomplish his own personal, selfish ambitions. By doing so, it resulted in the death of his daughter, which was the conclusion of his failed experiment. In “The Birth-Mark” a scientist named Aylmer, desires to remove the “visible mark of earthly imperfection” (Birth-Mark 5) of his wife.
He cannot accept Georgiana’s imperfection, growing more distant from her as time passes. He asks his wife that if it has ever occurred that the “mark upon [her] cheek might be removed (Birth-Mark 5).” He wants to correct that imperfection that God has given his wife, by removing it with his science. The experiment was already set to fail due to his selfish desires of wanting to change something that God has created. Also, after entering Aylmer’s lab, Georgiana took a glance at a journal which included Aylmer’s experiments, which unfortunately he all had failed. She knew that that experiment could fail, but she wanted for him to approve of her. Readers can see that in the story, science loses it’s true identity in the use of a selfish person. Aylmer is using science as a weapon while trying to reach personal goals. He has sacrificed his wife under the name of science, not thinking in the consequences, which results in Georgiana’s death. Once again, Hawthorne is trying to give the readers warnings about the incorrect use of science, displaying death as the outcome of the experiments in the short stories, “Rappaccini’s Daughter” and “The
Birth-Mark.” Nature is also an important element in both of Hawthorne’s stories. In both short stories, readers have realized that Hawthorne capitalized the word, nature. The reason for Hawthorne’s preference of capitalizing the word is to demonstrate his belief that nature is sacred to him and probably God’s greatest creation. In both stories, Hawthorne has emphasized similar points about people wanting to change human nature with science. In “Rappaccini’s Daughter,” Rappaccini poisons flowers to later raise Beatrice to nurture the poisonous flowers. Aylmer, in “The Birth-Mark,” by desiring to remove the imperfection and trying to change Georgiana’s human nature. He is competing with nature and God. According to himself, he considers he can correct God’s imperfections to people, as a human. According to him, the visible mark makes Georgiana imperfect, which probably means he sees himself as a perfect human being. It is impossible for him to accept an imperfection created by God, so by trying to correct it he believes he can finally achieve success. When Aylmer started feeling melancholy, he asked his wife to sing for him, and her beautiful, angelic voice restored his good mood. Georgiana’s voice displays a much greater effect unlike Aylmer’s potions. In addition, Georgiana’s birthmark also demonstrates the power of nature in the sense that it can intoxicate anyone who sees it. In the end, the scientist’s attempt to control nature with science ends in dreadful death in innocent characters.
Nathaniel Hawthorne is suggesting to the readers that science should be distinct from ambitions or personal desires, otherwise disastrous events could happen, for example Beatrice and Georgiana died because of the inconsiderate scientists trying to change God’s nature.