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Thesis
Incest and Feminine Bodies in the Garden of "Rappaccini's Daughter"
University of West Florida Libraries
Master of Arts (MA), University of West Florida
2020
Abstract
This thesis examines sexual connotations of the garden space in Hawthorne's "Rappaccini's Daughter." Its focus is the sexuality of the protagonist Beatrice within the traditional patriarchal family unit. Her sexuality is a fixation for her biological father and her courter-turned-brother, and is reflected in the poisonous flowers that surround her. She, too, is envenomed from having cultivated the plants. As a result, they come to take on a familial relation. This shared toxicity shows the dangerous nature of feminine sexuality. Beatrice and the plants have provocatively sexual beauty on display for the men in the garden to fixate on, fear, and punish, manifesting in incest. This thesis reveals parallels between Beatrice's experiences in the garden and the biblical Eden concerning sexual awareness of the physical body. This inverted Eden makes its few inhabitants, including Beatrice's sister-plants, into a quasi-family. It becomes the stage where incestual taboos and their repercussions play out. Ultimately, Hawthorne's text is a cautionary tale for when feminine beauty is flaunted and male control turns perverse.
Details
- Title
- Incest and Feminine Bodies in the Garden of "Rappaccini's Daughter"
- Resource Type
- Thesis
- Publisher
- University of West Florida Libraries; Pensacola, Florida :
- Format
- pdf
- Number of pages
- 34
- Copyright
- © 2022 Samantha P. Engster
- Identifiers
- 99380090722806600
- Academic Unit
- English
- Language
- English
- Awarding Institution
- University of West Florida; Master of Arts (MA)
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Arts (MA), University of West Florida