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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. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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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