When given the opportunity to gain dominion over humans, man craves eternal power. The Argentine writer Julio Cortazar claims that "human history is the sad result of the fact that everyone thinks for himself" (Blair). Simple desire can easily turn into a dangerous obsession due to the selfish human tendency to never be fully satisfied. For example, the massacre of the Jews under Adolf Hitler, considered one of the most apocalyptic chapters in history, was the result of Hitler's need for sovereignty over others. Man acquires the propensity to use every possible means to pursue his own gain, neglecting any negative consequences for others. The consequences of this are emphasized by the Romantic author Nathaniel Hawthorne in his stories “Rapaccini's Daughter” and “The Birthmark.” The antagonists, Giovanni and Aylmer, demonstrate the manipulation of their authority over women in order to pursue their perpetual infatuation with scientific experimentation. The ability to exercise one's self-glorifying ambitions and at the same time control human life threatens the romantic ideals of individualism, idealism and love of nature in its purest form. Exemplifying the thrill inherent in exerting dominion over another, both stories portray Aylmer and Rappaccini as God-like. The females, Beatrice and Georgiana, become objects of Rappaccini and Aylmer's curiosity, allowing them to be altered through the exploitation of science into submissive counterparts. In Hawthorne's time, a patriarchal society was deeply valued. This allowed for the control of women economically, psychologically and socially, of which Beatrice is a replica. Rappaccini tells her to perform an otherwise dangerous task for... in the center of the card... an individual who contributes to society. Similarly, the narrator of “The Birth-Mark” reveals that “we do not know whether Aylmer possessed this degree of faith in man's ultimate control over Nature” (“The Birthmark” 631). While remaining omniscient throughout the story, the narrator admits to having limited knowledge of Aylmer's thoughts, which is an example of Hawthorne suggesting the boundaries of man's power and intellect. Although it is essential for man to discover the hidden perplexities of the world, there is a limit. Once humans cross this limit, chaos occurs due to the corruption of earthly balance. Hawthorne believes that the relationship between pleasure and power is intrinsically evil because men cannot perceive themselves as greater than each other or greater than nature; every man is equal and one with nature. Self-responsibility will only breed ill will.