Rappaccini’s Queer Daughter: Gender Non-Conformity in “Rappaccini’s Daughter”

Giovanni’s and Beatrice’s journeys begin and end with Rappaccini and his garden where, among his cultivated flora, they find sexuality and dangerous gender non-conformity. Andrew Owens posits sexuality as the fearsome gothic beast with queer sexuality being especially uncanny as it is non-procreative (35). Gothic literature depicts sexuality which defies binary, heteronormative efforts and moves non-conformist gender roles into mainstream consciousness (33). Though Owens is speaking of contemporary gothic fiction, “Rappaccini’s Daughter” evokes similar ideas as it is the convergence of queer sexuality and the changing sexual norms of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s time. Within “Rappaccini’s Daughter,” a subtext of gender fluidity and heteronormative reaction against ambiguous sexuality and non-procreative sex are identifiable. The inclusion of gender non-conformity and reversal is somewhat common in Hawthorne’s stories and has been identified in previous examinations of his work. “Rappaccini’s Daughter” contains a fairy tale theme that Hawthorne often incorporated in his tales. Nina Baym posits Hawthorne’s stories as gender reversed tales of Sleeping Beauty. Baym notes: