Mistakes in Dr. Heideggers Experiment by Nathaniel Hawthorne

In his short story Dr. Heideggers Experiment, Nathaniel Hawthorne makes a point to grant all of the characters varying human vices to try and instill in the reader a lesson about learning from their mistakes. When the reader is first introduced to Dr. Heidegger and his guests, the author gives some background on all of the characters. It becomes clear that Mr. Medbourne is known for his love of money, Widow Wycherly for her pride, Colonel Killigrew for lusting after sinful pleasures, and Mr. Gascoigne for his abuse of power and hypocrisy. From what is shown, all of the characters possess the trait of greed. When given the chance to return to their youth, they repeat the same mistakes. The first guest that the reader is introduced to in†¦show more content†¦The fact that the men are fighting over her helps to affirm her beauty. She does nothing to stop the fight because she enjoys the fact that they all want her affection. In the short story, Colonel Killigrew portrays charac teristics of both lust and gluttony. Lust is known as the inordinate desire for sexual pleasure while gluttony is an inordinate desire for food and drink. Both characteristics pertain to the pursuit of sinful pleasures and correlate with greed.According to Hawthorne, â€Å"Colonel Killigrew had wasted his best years and his health and substance in the pursuit of sinful pleasures, which had given birth to a brood of pains, such as the gout, and diverse other torments of the body.† (Heidegger 502). His title of colonel suggests that he was previously a high ranking and very influential man in the military. Unfortunately because of his poor dietary habits, he was reduced to a physical wreck. Colonel Killigrew is also shown to be terribly materialistic. He spent his youth questing for rich and unnecessary goods that he really didn’t need and he always wanted more. As soon as he drank from the fountain of youth he reverts back to his old ways. The narrator described it by stating â€Å"He sings drinking songs, clanging the side of his glass in accompaniment, and keeps his eye on the newly young Widow Wycherly. (Constantakis 42). This quote is accurately depicts his youth and displays his gluttony. He is the first ofShow MoreRelatedThe Truth Behind Human Nature1336 Words   |  6 PagesThe Truth Behind Human Nature In Young Goodman Brown and Other Short Stories, Nathaniel Hawthorne develops his characters based on the belief that all humans were evil beings. From this, his view of human nature is revealed: all humans are immoral because of their sins. Though he created these personas through this idea, he also leaves them with a bit of humanity. In a way, Hawthorne presents many of his characters with the same traits said by an English novelist and author, Graham Greene: â€Å"GoodnessRead MoreEssay about Dr. Heideggers Experiment: Reality Or Illusion812 Words   |  4 Pages Dr. Heideggers Experiment: Reality or Illusion nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;In Nathaniel Hawthornes short story Dr. Heideggers Experiment, one of the central ideas of the story revolves around the idea of reality versus illusion. Of course the overriding theme of the story dealt with the ethical dilemma of changing old age into youth, still a major part of how the story was interpreted involved a personal decision on how you took the story; as literal or figurative. The perception that appealedRead MoreAnti-Transcendentalism in Nathaniel Hawthorne ´s Dr. Heideggers Experiment and Edgar Allen Poe ´s The Fall of the House of Usher569 Words   |  2 PagesAnti-Transcendentalism, including Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar Allan Poe.Both writers used their stories as a platform to expose the reality of human nature. Hawthorne discuss the foolishness found in youth in Dr. Heideggers Experiment while Poe writes about the tragedy of not being able to escape your fate in The Fall of the House of the Usher. So essentially, each writer effortlessly demonstrates the traits of Anti-Transcendentalism. In Dr. Heideggers Experiment Hawthorne explores many elementsRead MoreFrancis Bacon s The Birthmark And Rappaccini s Daughter1913 Words   |  8 Pagestried to warn readers against the dangers of science. One such writer is Nathaniel Hawthorne; Hawthorne uses his stories to warn readers about the dangers of science. Heidegger’s Experiment, The Birthmark and Rappaccini s Daughter, all have very tragic endings that can be traced back to science experiments. All three stories focus on very intelligent and driven scientist who try to achieve their goals at any cost. Hawthorne uses these stories as a way to contradict Bacon’s view and to state his viewsRead MoreFrancis Bacon s The Birthmark And Rappaccini s Daughter1910 Words   |  8 Pagestried to warn readers against the dangers of science. One such writer is Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hawthorne uses his stories to warn readers about the dangers of science. Heidegger’s Experiment, The Birthmark and Rappaccini s dau ghter, all have very tragic endings that can be traced back to science experiments. All three stories focus on very intelligent and driven scientist who try to achieve their goals at any cost. Hawthorne uses these stories as a way to contradict Bacon’s view and to state his views