Deadly and useful, science is a double-edged sword. Nathaniel Hawthorne was one of the first to highlight this through his literary works. “Rappaccini’s Daughter” and “The Birthmark” are two of his works where he teaches this lesson through the trials of his characters. By focusing on the theme of the "mad scientist", Hawthorne highlights that people struggle with humanity, learn to love themselves and others, and that science can be more harmful than 'useful. Humanity is defined as the quality of being human. It’s something people struggle with every day. Hawthorne shows these struggles through his characters. Giovanni, the main character of “Rappaccini’s Daughter,” shows this by being superficial in his love for Beatrice. Throughout their relationship, Giovanni is confronted with the reality: something is wrong with Beatrice. He begins to suspect that she is poisonous like the flowers in the garden, which begins to taint his love for her: "In those moments, he was surprised by the horrible suspicions that arose, like monsters, from the caverns of his heart, and looked him in the face; his love became thin and weak like the morning mist; his doubts alone had substance” (1346). In the end, Giovanni must mourn Beatrice's death because he did not trust Beatrice and allowed himself to be overcome by doubt. Other literary critics have also found this to be true, such as the literary review of “Rappaccini’s Daughter.” Katherine Snipes, the author of Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition, writes: “Giovanni does not fall from grace entirely because of the machinations of a satanic scientist. ...He falls not because of Beatrice's evil nature, but because of his own superficial ability...... middle of paper ...... the reader who takes the time to pick up these works and searching through them will find a gem worth more than any physical object awaiting them. Works Cited Eckstein, Barbara. "Hawthorne's 'Birthmark': Science and Romance as Belief." » Studies in ShortFiction 26.4 (1989): 511-519. Literary reference center. Internet. November 20, 2011. Hawthorne, Nathaniel. “Rappaccini’s daughter.” The Norton Anthology: American Literature 7th ed. Flight. Bed. Nina Baym. New York: Norton, 2007. 1332-1352. Print. Hawthorne, Nathaniel. “The birthmark.” Ed. Nina Baym. 1320-1332. Print.Snipes, Katherine. “Rappaccini’s daughter.” Masterplots II: Short story series, revised edition 2004: 1-3. Literary reference center. Internet. November 20, 2011. Bécassines, Katherine. “The birthmark.” Masterplots II: Short story series, revised edition 2004: 1-2. Literary reference center. Internet. November 20 2011.