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Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment

Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment. Nathanial Hawthorne. Major Characters before experiment. Mr. Medbourne. Was a merchant; get rich quick schemes Now a mere beggar. Colonel Killigrew. Was a wild party guy – girls & drinking Now suffers physical ailments. Mr. Gascoigne.

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Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment

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  1. Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment Nathanial Hawthorne

  2. Major Characters before experiment

  3. Mr. Medbourne • Was a merchant; get rich quick schemes • Now a mere beggar

  4. Colonel Killigrew • Was a wild party guy – girls & drinking • Now suffers physical ailments

  5. Mr. Gascoigne • Was a crooked politician • Now obscure

  6. Widow Wycherly • Was a beautiful woman & a flirt • Now a recluse (scandals)

  7. Dr. Heidegger • Was a doctor/magician; engaged to be married • Now eccentric and lonely

  8. Allegory • A 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 nature • Allegories also contain a moral

  9. Major Characters Durning experiment

  10. Mr. Medbourne • Starts thinking about money and schemes to get rich • Represents greed

  11. Colonel Killigrew • Sings a drinking song; starts eyeing the widow • Represents lust and gluttony

  12. Mr. Gascoigne • Gives a political speech while muttering and whispering • Represents hypocrisy

  13. Widow Wycherly • Starts flirting • Represents vanity

  14. Dr. Heidegger • Still trying his experiments on patients • Represents pride

  15. Symbols

  16. The rose • Was from his fiancé Sylvia, given to him 50 + years ago • Symbolic of his devotion and undying love for her • During the experiment it blooms & soon wilts • Represents that youth is fleeting

  17. The Mirror • Shows the characters in their old state, not in their youth • Symbolic 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

  18. Water • Symbol for life, renewal, and cleansing • Water makes them youthful again & washes away the sins of their past • However, the characters make the same mistakes again (unchanged)

  19. The Skeleton • “The skeleton in the closet” • Dr. Heidegger has past sins he tries to conceal (the patients’ ghosts in the mirror)

  20. Gothic Elements

  21. Setting • Dr. Heidegger’s study • Cobwebs, antiques, skeleton, mirror with ghosts

  22. Supernatural • Dr.’s patients’ spirits dwell in the mirror • Open magic book • Dr. Heidegger’s fiances steps out of the mirror • Hippocrates yells, “Forbear” • Flower blooms • Characters turn young again • Fountain of Youth

  23. A ghostly legend • Dr. Heidegger’s fiancé, Sylvia Ward, died 55 years ago after taking one of his prescriptions

  24. Foreshadowing/Omens • Hippocrates yells, “Forbear” • Mirror reflects them as old • Dr. Heidegger just watches • Patients’ ghosts in the mirror

  25. Highly charged emotional states • Dr.’s guilt and grief over “killing” his fiance • The men fighting over the widow • Their desire for more water

  26. Damsel in distress • The men fighting over Widow Wycherly

  27. Archetype • Based on the plot of the Fountain of Youth • Why elderly people flock to Florida (Malone)

  28. Theme/Moral • Human 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

  29. Theme/Moral • Our 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

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