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Sciarappa I Billy Sciarappa Mr. Sherman English II, Period 3 3 May 2002 Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804 – 1864) was a brilliant writer of his time. He spent years writing, isolating himself from society. Nathaniel Hawthorne liked and was not afraid to tell about the dark side of humans. He did this in his masterwork (published in 1850), The Scarlet Letter. However, like many writers, Hawthorne’s true genius was not recognized till after his death. Today, almost all people want something to improve their lives, but how many people actually get it? Not many. Nathaniel Hawthorne did not just write long novels, but he also wrote many short stories. These stories pertained to life, and what should be accomplished by it. In many of Hawthorne’s stories, he portrayed characters that had desires, some deeper than others, but their desires, did not come true. In one of Hawthorne’s short stories titled Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment, an old man, Dr. Heidegger, had invited four guests over. (This could show that Hawthorne did want company during his ‘dark years’ when he isolated himself from society.) These guests were all very old, and all were soon to die. However, the main thing that affected these people was that they wasted much of their life. Mr. Medbourne went on a speculation spree, Colonel Killigrew chased after sinful pleasures, Mr. Gascoigne was a ruined Politician, and Widow Wycherly secluded herself from society (as Hawthorne did). These people, wanted to remake their lives over, be young again, and correct their mistakes. In this short story, Dr. Heidegger brought the four guests into a chamber located inside his house. First Dr. Heidegger brought out a wilted rose. He asked the guests if it could bloom again, and they replied that that would be impossible. Dr. Heidegger then took water from a vase and sprinkled it onto the wilted rose. Soon the rose blossomed fully. The guests however, thought it was a magic trick, a deception. Dr. Heidegger explained that the water was from the ‘Fountain of Youth’ that Ponce DeLeon searched for in 1513, but still the guests were in disbelief. At this time Heidegger filled the four champagne glasses with the water. Before the guests drank, Heidegger said “It would be well that, with the experience of a lifetime to direct you, you should draw up a few general rules for your guidance, in passing a second time through the perils of your youth. You should not become patterns of virtue and wisdom to all the young people of this age.” (Hawthorne 250-251)The friends laughed. Sciarappa 2 Then the guests began to drink the proclaimed water from Fountain of Youth. Soon the guests began to look younger; wrinkles disappearing and their faces becoming fuller. Widow Wycherly exclaimed, “Give us more of this wondrous water! We are younger, but still too old. Dr. Heidegger then said, “You have been a long time growing old. Surely, you might be content to grow young in a half an hour.” (Hawthorne 251-252) He then re-filled their glasses with the water. The four guests began to re-enact their youth. Killigrew began complimenting and staring at Widow Wycherly in a sexual way. Mr. Medbourne started doing calculations with dollars and cents in supplying the East Indies with ice. Mr. Gascoigne began thinking about political topics. Later, Widow Wycherly asked Dr. Heidegger to dance, however, he was still old and feeble, so both Me. Melbournce and Colonel Killigrew danced with her. But then the rose began to wilt. The four guests looked at each other and realized they were growing old, too.
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