Final answer:
In "Rappaccini's Daughter," Gothic elements include the eerie and poisonous garden setting and the theme of the mad scientist creating a monstrous being in his daughter, both of which are hallmarks of Gothic fiction.
Step-by-step explanation:
In Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Rappaccini's Daughter," we can identify various Gothic elements characteristic of the genre. First, Hawthorne uses the setting of a mysterious and lush garden that is both beautiful and deadly, which reflects the Gothic preoccupation with spaces that are simultaneously attractive and dangerous. The garden is filled with exotic, poisonous plants created by the scientist Dr. Rappaccini, which gives the narrative an eerie and supernatural atmosphere. Secondly, the story features the theme of the mad scientist, a trope prevalent in Gothic fiction, which explores the boundaries of scientific ethics and the consequences of transgressing natural laws. Dr. Rappaccini's experiments on his own daughter, Beatrice, creating a duality of her being both angelic and a monster, serve to illustrate the fatal consequences of unrestrained knowledge and power, which is a common motif in Gothic literature.