Finding the Heart in Rappaccini's Daughter In Hawthorne's short story, "Rapaccini's Daughter", Rappaccini is apparently a cold and calculating scientist. A pure scientist who would gladly give his daughter, himself, or anything else most precious to him "to add even a grain of mustard to the great heap of his accumulated knowledge" (1641). This leads many to believe that Rappaccini lacks any emotion and concern for his "scientific subjects" and their desires. This assumption, however, is incorrect. Rappaccini cares, if nothing else, about a person and is willing to use his science to meet his needs. This person is his daughter. After Giovanni's angry outburst towards Beatrice, Rappaccini says: "My science and the sympathy between you and him have so worked in his system that he now distinguishes himself from common men, as you do, daughter of my pride and triumph, from women common" (1655). Rappaccini clearly cares a lot about his daughter and is willing to use his science to make Giovanni compatible with Beatrice because he recognizes her human need for companionship. The conclusion reached from a superficial reading of "Rapaccini's Daughter" is that Dr. Rappaccini is an evil, cold and calculating scientist who has only his own scientific progress in mind. This conclusion derives from Professor Baglioni's portrait of him. According to Professor Baglioni's account, Dr. Rappaccini "cares infinitely more for science than for humanity" (1641). The hints of poison in Beatrice's person and the poisonous vegetation in Dr. Rappaccini's garden seem to support this hypothesis. There is an obvious parallel between the beautiful flowers, their wonderful scents, and Beatrice's beauty and sweet-smelling breath. Professor...... middle of paper ......and the love between her and Giovanni. She only wished she could say, "My daughter, you are no longer alone in the world," and see her beloved daughter happy, as every parent hopes for their daughter. Dr. Giacomo Rappaccini was not a cruel, stooped old man with an exclusive zeal for science and science alone. Rather, it was a "man of science struck by lightning", devastated by the horrendous intolerance of a certain Professor Pietro Baglioni who, looking out of the window of Doctor Rappaccini's house at the moment of Beatrice's death, "invoked aloud, in tone of triumph [ . ] Rappaccini! And this is the result of your experiment!" (1655).Works CitedHawthorne, Nathaniel. "Rapaccini's daughter." Tradition in American Literature Ed. George Perkins, et al., vol. 1, 7th ed. New York: McGraw Hill Publishing Company, 1990. 1637 - 1655.