"Dr.Heidegger's Experiment.": Story Analysis

Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864)

▶Nathaniel Hawthorne Biography◀

Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts. He wrote and published several short stories, but the stories were published anonymously. Years later, he got married to Sophia Peabody. Then he started to write novels. Some of his most popular works are th Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables are novels that made him famous. Today, these two novels are part of the classics of American Literature.

▶Summary: Dr. Heidegger's Experiment◀

There is a strange old man called Dr. Heidegger. Once he invited four friends to meet with him at his house. His friends had lived sad and unfortunate lives, because they were greedy, conceited and dishonest. Dr. Heidegger invited them for an experiment with the water from the Fountain of Youth, which it was a liquid that makes people young, so his friends drank the liquid. The doctor told them to don't make the same mistakes that they did when they were young, but nobody listened to the doctor so they did the same mistakes again and became old again.

▶Analyze: Plot◀

A) Conflict: Dr.Heidegger invites his friends to experiment if people can change giving a second chance.

B) Rising Actions:

• Dr. Heidegger and the four friends goes to the laboratory.
• Dr. Heidegger shows them a old flower and he put some water on it.
• The flower was blooming like a new one, all the friends were shocked.
• The friends drank the water.
• His friends became young people.
• The friends drank more water.
• His friends became more young.
• The three young people started to fight for the girl.

C) Climax: While they was fighting, they spilled the water on the floor.

D) Resolution: 

• The friends want to go to Florida and look for the Fountain of Youth.
• Dr. Heidegger discover that people don't change.

▶Analyze: Characters◀

Dr. Heidegger: 

• Psychological Traits: He is Kind, Generous, Morbid, Wise, and Melancholic.
• Physical Traits: An old man with white hair and beard.

Mr. Medbourne: 

• Psychological Traits: He was rich. Sad, Greedy and Selfish. 
• Physical Traits: An old man with white beard, he was rich, but now his poor.

Colonel Killigrew: 

• Psychological Traits: He was Unhealthy, Irresponsible, alcoholic and a smoker 
• Physical Traits: He was a soldier in the past, now is an old man with white beard.

The Widow Wycherly: 

• Psychological Traits: She was beautiful, but conceited.
• Physical Traits: An old woman with white hair, she was pretty in the past.

▶Moral or teaching of the story◀

In this story we can see that all the characters were living dishonest and problematic. Now that they are old they know the mistakes that they did, so they don't want to repeat the mistakes. However when they knew about the special water "The Fountain of Youth" they act like when they were young again. So that means that they didn't realize their mistakes at all and they will act the same without correcting their mistakes. People don't change, although giving them an second chance.

▶Personal Opinion◀

I liked very much this story, because is unique. Very realistic, talked about the people when they were young. The history of dishonesty and the egocentric life of them. I agree that people mistakes are really hard to fix it, it takes very long time. But if people tries to fix it with all your heart everything is possible!