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Freudism in "Rappaccini's Daughter"
But also story has some phallic symbols as diamonds, rubies in Giovanni dreams about Beatrice. Dagger symbol appeared when he wanted to touch purple plant. This harmful, purple plant, which is so close to the fountain, even fountain of life, is very significant for translations of dreams, which is the female sexual body parts that Giovanni may not touch and play with. Here Beatrice's arms was like a dagger. His sexual offer was rejected.
To summarize all up, this short story is rich with psychological issues, full with meaningful words, which can be interpret with more meanings, like intercourse, lust. It might be understood as sexual contact or first talk. All depend of interpretation. Giovanni's lust. This vulgar words "lust" seems to be understandable when we read about Giovanni's obsession. Moreover, problems, issues and challenges are compared to symbols. Symbols are used to describe Giovanni's libido, yonic and phallic symbols, like flowers, dragger etc. Even Giovanni and Beatrice are compared to Adam and Eve because they are destined to become aware of sin, not to commit sin. From Freud models we can find tripartite model, when we observe Giovanni's ID and Superego struggle about Beatrice, his Oedipus complex, also there are described castration, and the significance of dreams. On end of the story Giovanni already become neurotic because of his repressed feelings and struggle.
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“There is something truer and more real, than what we can see with the eyes, and touch with the finger (Hawthorne 166)". I wanted to start my essay with this quote from Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story "Rappaccini's Daughter", because I think this quote best describes the mood of this short story. It has an amazing mixture of psychology, science, philosophy, and literature. Moreover, this story is full with psychological broken characters. The story begins with references to the fictional writer "Monsieur Aubépine", named after the French name of the Hawthorn plant, and story is about young man, a student Giovanni Guasconti , and his apartment's window that led to Dr. Rappaccini garden, which is created by him using poisonous plants for his scientific experiments, although between the plants there is Rappaccini's daughter Beatrice, who was not only brought up in this garden, but also she will become Giovanni's great passion. Hawthorne's short story Rappaccini daughter is good material for Freudism psychoanalysis in which we can see Giovanni with Oedipus complex, his deep libido desires for beautiful, but dangerous Beatrice, that make him neurotic, their innocent love, and Doctor Rappaccini, with his pedophilic and perverse mind.
