Climax

The climax is the point that the story up until then has been working towards and the point at which there is no turning back. In “Rappaccini’s Daughter,” the climax is when “Giovanni’s rage broke forth from his sullen gloom like a lightning-flash out of a dark cloud.” The dark cloud is representative of the doubt has been slowly gathering on the horizon throughout the rising action. In the climax the doubt is released in the form of a powerful, passionate discharge of rage and from then on the relationship between the two lovers is irreparably scarred. Giovanni vilifies Beatrice with a “venomous scorn,” a pun (Hawthorne 13). Beatrice finally understands that Giovanni has contracted the very same poison that plagues her and pleas to him to believe that she had no idea, that she meant no harm, and that “though [her] body be nourished with poison, [her] spirit is God’s creature, and craves love as its daily food” (Hawthorne 14). Rappaccini has outwardly perverted his daughter but, as described before, she remains pure of heart and mind and still has normal human spiritual needs, such as for love. Those attributes remain untouched and out of Rappiccini’s reach. Although one can manipulate the outside, the inner soul remains pure and untouched. This idea is consistent with the fountain portrayed in the exposition, it is cracked but the water flowing from it remains pure. Also this notion relates to the Romantic belief in the natural and inner goodness of man.