Hawthorne directly compares this beautiful garden to Eden when he writes, Was this garden, then the Eden of the present world? Thus, Rappaccini's garden symbolizes the setting of the initial fall of man. In Rappaccini's Daughter, the original sinners, Adam and Eve, are represented by Giovanni Guasconti and Beatrice Rappaccini. Giovanni symbolizes Adam in the sense that he is shallow and insincere. When Giovanni first sees Beatrice, he is love struck. Hawthorne uses poetic diction when he writes, the impression which the fair stranger made upon him was as if here were another flower as beautiful as they, more beautiful than the richest of them. This passage describes Giovanni's feelings towards the beautiful Beatrice. However, later we see that Giovanni's love was actually lust when the student discovers that he has been infected by Beatrice. The author writes, Giovanni's rage broke forth from his sullen gloom like a lightning flash out of a dark cloud. 'Accursed one!' cried he, with venomous scorn and anger Giovanni becomes enraged and blames Beatrice of this accidental infection. Similarly, Adam blames Eve of their disobedience when he is confronted by God. Adam does not show compassion towards his wife but instead, like Giovanni, lashes out with anger against Eve. Hawthorne's critical and unsympathetic tones toward Giovanni are evident when he uses descriptive diction to explain him. Hawthorne writes, his spirit was incapable of sustaining itself at the height to which the early enthusiasm of passion had exalted it; he fell down groveling among earthly doubts, and defiled there with the pure whiteness of Beatrice's image. In this passage, Hawthorne shows that Giovanni's love was actually lust and his tone toward Giovanni is critical. In contrast, Hawthorne portrays sympathetic and reverent tones towards Beatrice. The author uses poetic diction to describe the beautiful young woman.
