Lethal and useful, science is a double-edged sword. Nathaniel Hawthorne is one of the first to point this out through his literary works. “The daughter of Rappaccini” and “The desire” are two of his works in which he teaches this lesson through the trials of his characters. Focusing on the theme of the “mad scientist,” Hawthorne brings to light the points that people struggle with humanity, learning to love themselves and others, and that science can be more harmful than helpful. Humanity is defined as the quality of being human. This is something that people struggle with on a daily basis. Hawthorne shows these struggles through his characters. Giovanni, the protagonist of “The Daughter of Rappaccini”, demonstrates this by being superficial in his love for Beatrice. Over the course of their relationship, Giovanni faces the reality that there is something wrong with Beatrice. He begins to suspect that she is as poisonous as the flowers in the garden, and this begins to taint the love he has for her: "At such moments, he was surprised by the horrible suspicions that rose, like monsters, out of the caves of his heart, and looked him in the face; his love became thin and weak as the morning fog; only his doubts had substance” (1346). doubt of overpowering him. Other literary critics also believed this to be true, such as the literary critic of “Rapaccini's Daughter”. Katherine Snipes, author of Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition, writes: “John falls from grace not of the all because of the machinations of a satanic scientist. ...He falls not because of Beatrice's evil nature, but because of her superficial ability...... middle of paper ......the reader who If you take the time to collect these works and examine them you will find a gem that is worth more than any physical object that awaits you. Works Cited Eckstein, Barbara. “Hawthorne’s “The Birthmark”: Science and Romanticism as Faith.” Studies in ShortFiction 26.4 (1989): 511-519. Literary reference center. Network. November 20, 2011.Hawthorne, Nathaniel. “Rapaccini's daughter”. The Norton Anthology: American Literature 7th ed. vol. Bed. Nina Baym. New York: Norton, 2007. 1332-1352. Print.Hawthorne, Nathaniel. “The desire”. Ed. Nina Baym. 1320-1332. Print.Snipes, Katherine. “Rapaccini's daughter”. Masterplots II: Short Story Series, revised edition 2004: 1-3. Literary reference center. Network. November 20, 2011.Snipes, Katherine. “The desire”. Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition 2004: 1-2. Literary reference center. Network. November 20 2011.