The Theme Of Magic Water In Dr. Heidegger's Experiment

Hawthorne uses imagery and symbolism to create an allegory that communicates to the reader the idea that you can never go back. First Dr. Heidegger invites his friends over, who are all older, and secondly as a test lets them go back to their days back to their younger selves with the help of some water from the Fountain of Youth. Third they become obsessed with being young that they end up fighting and then then they become old again as the youth is drained from them. They finally don’t learn their lessons and travel down to Florida in search of the Fountain of Youth. The friends names were Mr. Medbourne, Colonel Killigrew, Mr. Gascoigne, and Widow Wycherly all of whom were past their old ripe age. Mr. Medbourne represents greed and the evidence

In the work of African descended writers’, water is used as a common symbol. In Edwidge Danticat's Krik? Krak!, Jacques Roumain’s Masters of the Dew, and Paule Marshall’s Praisesong for the Widow, tears, rivers, the sea and other forms of water are used to symbolize change. More specifically, it symbolizes the change between life and death; freedom and confinement. The three writers use water as an ironic symbol, representing life, liberty, and their contradictions.

Hawthorne’s short story “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment” highlights four major vices that humanity as a whole struggles with. For each of the four vices there is an elderly character that has failed at life due to them. The first such character is Widow Wycherly; her vice is vanity, the next is Mr. Medbourne; his vice is greed, after him is Colonel Killigrew; his vice is lust, and finally Mr. Gascoigne; his vice is corruption. All four of these characters are invited into Dr. Heidegger’s lab to partake in an experiment. They are given water that is believed to be from the fountain of youth. They will be given another chance to right their wrongs and fix their vices. Upon consumption of the water, the four elderly people begin to act young again and return to their old ways of vanity, greed, lust, and corruption. Dr. Heidegger said that, “if the fountain gushed at

When forced to give up so much, the Joad family begins to question their faith. Several religions share the belief that water has the power to cleanse and purify oneself. When the Joad family arrives in California, all of the men bathe in a river, symbolizing their rebirth. They are purging themselves of the past and focusing on their future and their aspirations. When they submerge themselves in the water, all of their tribulations such as Granpa’s death and the loss of their farm, will be left behind in order to focus on what’s to come. The water also symbolizes a new start for the Joad family. Steinbeck writes, “He cupped his hands full of water and rubbed his face...dusty water ran out of his hair and streaked his neck” (284). The

Hawthorne’s heavy use of symbolism carries a lot of undertones that reveals irony on many levels as he wraps up the story. The most obvious is that Aylmer murders his lovely bride when he perfects Nature. Georgiana is enamored by Aylmer’s experiments even though he often fails. She gains confidence and submits herself willingly but only to vicariously pursue happiness through her husband’s experiment. Knowing that her birthmark makes her an object of horror to the one she loves, she finds life to be a burden and is willing to risk her own life for both of their happiness (Hawthorne 292).

For example, In “The Birth Mark,” Hawthorne writes about a woman named Georgiana and her birthmark on her cheek. This actually symbolizes what goes on in his own life with his wife, Sophia. Hawthorne’s wife Sophia had a miscarriage and it caused him to undergo a “sexual panic and arrestment” (Marshall 38). When Hawthorne wrote “The Birth Mark,” it was written to disguise “sexual anxiety as cosmetology” (Marshall 38). This coincided with the virginity of women. Women who lose their virginity have a crimson stain hence the crimson birthmark on Georgiana’s cheek. Meanwhile, “Rappaccini’s Daughter” focuses more on the human heart. Beatrice and Giovanni truly love each other even though they cannot physically be together. Even at her death she wants to save Giovanni. While she wants to save Giovanni, Hawthorne states, “he remains trapped in the situation that her death allows her to escape” (Wachtel). Giovanni is left alone and poisonous. Finally, “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment” revolves around the effects of science on nature. Dr. Heidegger uses science to make his old friends young once again. His friends drink the concoction he created and they all begin to immediately turn into the younger versions of themselves right before his eyes. The elixir only lasts for a little while and then his friends end up old once again. Science caused the people to be young for a little while but in the end the elixir wore off and they went back to their original selves. Growing old is a part

Imagine yourself being 10 years younger than you are now. What would you look like, and how would you act? In the passages “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment”, and “Trip Up Yonder” the characters find out, or experiment what it is like to be young again. In these stories by drinking certain water in turns the characters young. As the characters find out, being young forever isn't all that good.

Water has always been a source of life but many do not take into account it's strength and ability to kill. From its cleansing nature, it washes away dirt; from its’ powerful potency it holds total destruction. With its flowing characteristic, water is able to form to any shape and make its’ way around any object. The multiple possibilities water possesses, engages, while takes away the mystery. In Toni Morrison’s novel Beloved, water manipulates many factors causing destruction in the community. The direction it leads Beloved in, takes her from the past into the life of society while altering the notions of the future. The water creates a portal for Beloved taking her through death and life to a sense of belonging because it holds

Sin, a dark and powerful force, twists the soul and warps the mind to the point where it leaves society with unconquerable difficulties in everyday life. Nathaniel Hawthorne, quite successfully, uses literature to its full potential in order to express sins presence in life. He uses the short story, “The Birthmark” to express this theme. In this story, a man by name Aylmer for the first time sees a small defect in his otherwise beautiful wife, Georgiana. When Aylmer mentions it to her, she feels hurt, but it does not seem to affect her self-image. However, as time went on, the birthmark started to bother her causing her to believe she was flawed and in need of fixing. With the assistance of Aylmer's servant, Aminadab, Aylmer creates a miracle drug that would cure his wife of her imperfection: the birthmark. The possibly deadly drug incites fear in her husband; however, the blemish on her face troubles her, as well as her husband, to the point where she believes her life means nothing unless she could get it removed. After much meticulous preparation, the wife takes the cure. At first, everything seems well as her birthmark faded, however soon everything goes wrong, and Georgina has a terrible reaction. Soon after taking the cure she dies, leaving Aylmer heartbroken and alone without his wife. In, “The Birthmark,” Nathaniel Hawthorne brings to light sin’s presence in society through the use of allusions, symbolism, color, and beauty.

Too often in this world does man attempt to perfect nature. Tampering with this sort of element most commonly leads to a disaster to come extent. Because man is never satisfied, he is constantly vying for perfection, regardless of the outcome. Such is the case in Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story, 'The Birthmark.' Aylmer's persistent attempt to perfect nature is the cause of Georgiana's demise and the affirmation that when man tampers with such a powerful component terrible things may occur.

In “The Birthmark”, the relationships and behaviors of the characters play a significant role in the story by revealing more than the story itself does . Through the character’ different actions, characteristics, and behaviors, Nathaniel Hawthorne gives a deeper insight into his life, such as revealing his worldview to his readers, and also gives insight into a more relevant story. Hawthorne’s transcendentalist worldview is conveyed through Aylmer’s and Georgiana’s obsessions, Aylmer’s manipulation of nature, and the birthmark.

Throughout the story, specifically during the introduction, the reader is reminded of the dark setting of the Dr’s laboratory. Among his three friends, “in his lab stood a tall and narrow oaken closet, within which appeared a skeleton. [And] a mirror, [that] was fabled to show the spirits of the doctor’s deceased patients.” (Hawthorne 319). This foreshadows a commonality between all humans, including

They still display their self-seeking, greedy nature although they are given a second chance to change and learn from their past mistakes. Dr. Heidegger’s friends want more of the water, not realizing what they are doing to themselves. Dr. Heidegger’s friends all cry impatiently, “Give us more of this wondrous water! We are younger, but we are still too old! Quick, give us more” (5).

The Elixir ”Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment” is a short story written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. In this story Dr. Heidegger, “who is known to tell a thousand stories” (Hawthorne 1), gets four old and perhaps depressed friends to drink “elixir”. These people start to feel young and rejuvenated again. In the process of reading this story a question presents itself. This question is whether the elixir Dr.Heidegger is testing is actually real.

One thing that happens to everyone in life, is confronting the reality of growing up, which comes with the aspect of maturity. As one matures, they are subject to many things that ultimately change their very being. Oscar Wilde portrays this within The Picture of Dorian Gray by having the protagonist, Dorian, encounter a plethora of moral and philosophical dilemmas, that are represented through the physical aspects of Victorian life. Revealing that becoming corrupt in some way is inevitable if one is to live in the world of man, that which corrupts one’s self comes in many forms.