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
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