Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment

Nathanial Hawthorne

MAJOR CHARACTERS BEFORE EXPERIMENT

Mr. MedbourneWas a merchant; get rich quick

schemesNow a mere beggar

Colonel KilligrewWas a wild party guy – girls &

drinkingNow suffers physical ailments

Mr. GascoigneWas a crooked politician

Now obscure

Widow WycherlyWas a beautiful woman & a flirt

Now a recluse (scandals)

Dr. HeideggerWas a doctor/magician; engaged to be married

Now eccentric and lonely

AllegoryA story or poem in which characters,

settings, and events stand for abstract ideas or moral qualities

Allegorical characters are often one-dimensional, since they are meant to represent only a particular aspect of

human natureAllegories also contain a moral

MAJOR CHARACTERS DURNING EXPERIMENT

Mr. MedbourneStarts thinking

about money and schemes to

get rich

Represents greed

Colonel KilligrewSings a drinking

song; starts eyeing the

widow

Represents lust and gluttony

Mr. GascoigneGives a political

speech while muttering and

whispering

Represents hypocrisy

Widow WycherlyStarts flirting Represents

vanity

Dr. HeideggerStill trying his

experiments on patients

Represents pride

SYMBOLS

The roseWas from his fiancé Sylvia,

given to him 50 + years agoSymbolic of his devotion and

undying love for herDuring the experiment it blooms

& soon wiltsRepresents that youth is fleeting

The MirrorShows the characters in their

old state, not in their youthSymbolic of the truth – the

mirror reflects that they have not changed in terms of their

vices even though they’ve been given a second chance

WaterSymbol for life, renewal, and

cleansingWater makes them youthful

again & washes away the sins of their past

However, the characters make the same mistakes again

(unchanged)

The Skeleton“The skeleton in the closet”

Dr. Heidegger has past sins he tries to conceal (the patients’

ghosts in the mirror)

GOTHIC ELEMENTS

SettingDr. Heidegger’s study– Cobwebs, antiques, skeleton,

mirror with ghosts

SupernaturalDr.’s patients’ spirits dwell in the

mirrorOpen magic book

Dr. Heidegger’s fiances steps out of the mirror

Hippocrates yells, “Forbear”Flower blooms

Characters turn young againFountain of Youth

A ghostly legendDr. Heidegger’s fiancé, Sylvia Ward,

died 55 years ago after taking one of his prescriptions

Foreshadowing/OmensHippocrates yells, “Forbear”

Mirror reflects them as oldDr. Heidegger just watches

Patients’ ghosts in the mirror

Highly charged emotional states

Dr.’s guilt and grief over “killing” his fianceThe men fighting over the widowTheir desire for more water

Damsel in distress

The men fighting over Widow Wycherly

Archetype

Based on the plot of the Fountain of Youth

Why elderly people flock to Florida (Malone)

Theme/MoralHuman nature is innately prone to flaw and sin– Dr. Heidegger’s hypothesis – if given a

second chance, humans will commit the same sins/mistakes• Declares he would never drink from

the water b/c he has “had much trouble in growing old.”

• Ironic because he hasn’t changed either – still using others for his experiments

Theme/MoralOur sins cannot be erased, but we can correct our behavior– Water is a symbol of renewal and cleansing– However, the water in the story doesn’t was

away their sins– Hawthorne’s message could be that we get

second chances and should learn from our mistakes