The Comparison of Light and Dark Imagery in "Rappaccini's Daughter"

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“Rappaccini’s Daughter” Essay In the story, “Rappaccini’s Daughter”, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses light imagery to compare and contrast the the clean innocent soul of Beatrice, and Giovanni’s love for her, to Rappaccini’s evil science and its effect upon Beatrice. Hawthorne used light imagery to describe the love between Giovanni and Beatrice. The first time Giovanni hears her voice, he describes it as “rich as a Tropical Sunset.” Hawthorne conveys Giovanni’s love of simply hearing Beatrice’s voice through Giovanni imagining “perfumes heavily delectable” often only hearing her speak. The light and pleasurable imagery is used to illustrate the beginning of Giovanni’s infatuation with Beatrice—furthermore, as he looks upon Beatrice for the first time, she is described as “redundant with life, health, and energy.” Giovanni’s admiration of Beatrice’s qualities helps to enforce his obsession with her in his mind, and shows how he sees her as the as the essence of perfection. Toward the end of the story, Hawthorne reveals part of Beatrice’s soul through Giovanni’s recollection of many holy and passionate out gush of [“Beatrice’s heart”] Due to the fact that Beatrice’s innocence is “visible… to [Giovanni’s] mental eye, Hawthorne shows how much Giovanni cares for Beatrice by displaying that he has insight into her soul. Hawthorne also uses dark imagery to explain Rappaccini’s obsession with science, and it’s effect upon Beatrice.In the beginning of the story, when Rappaccini first appears, he is described as “a tall, emaciated, sallow, and sickly, looking man, dressed in a scholar’s garb of black.” This portrays Rappaccini as a strange, mystical being, with somewhat evil qualities about him, thus giving the reader a negative sense about Rappaccini. Later on in the story, Giovanni reports his relationship with Beatrice as “Throughout Giovanni’s whole

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