Almost everybody makes mistakes, and often these mistakes can be used to grow and to prevent future complications. In “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the doctor creates a serum that allows one to temporarily regain his or her youth. The subjects of his experiment are given a unique opportunity to reflect on prior choices that have led them to their miserable lives. They get caught continually repeating old mistakes, and fail to use their second chance to learn and improve themselves. Through the symbolic significance of Dr. Heidegger’s rose and his mirror along with his unvarying characterization, author Nathaniel Hawthorne effectively asserts a theme that in order to move forward with success, one must first learn from
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Heidegger’s rose as a symbol to support his theme. Their newfound youth forces the men into a wild grappling over the Widow. During the scuffle, the serum is spilled. Almost suddenly, the rose “appears to be fading again” and “a strange chillness… crept gradually over them all” (Hawthorne 259). The rose symbolizes the future of the doctor’s friends and how the serum will affect them. Just as with the rose, the effects of the potion on the subjects are ephemeral; yet, the time that the subjects feel the effects of the potion is ill-used, for they spend the whole time effectively stuck reliving past failures and flaws, rather than using that opportunity to build a better future for themselves. As a result, after the potion wears off, the subjects return to their depressing states. Moving forward, doctor Heidegger’s mirror symbolizes his past flaws and mistakes as a doctor. In the description of the doctor’s study, Hawthorne depicts the mirror and “the several ghastly faces [peeping] forth from [it]” (Hawthorne 253). The mirror serves as a reminder of the past patients, including his wife, who have died because of Dr. Heidegger and the unnecessary dangers that they became susceptible to due to his experiments. Heidegger, observing how the subjects react to his serum, learns that reliving his painful past and refusing to move on hinders any attempt at future success. He understands that the ghosts of his past will always be with him, but does not wish to go back and change his actions. By the end of the text, the doctor does not wish to remake his life and choices, for he has learned to move on and look ahead instead of mourning the
Heidegger’s rose as a symbol to support his theme. Their newfound youth forces the men into a wild grappling over the Widow. During the scuffle, the serum is spilled. Almost suddenly, the rose “appears to be fading again” and “a strange chillness… crept gradually over them all” (Hawthorne 259). The rose symbolizes the future of the doctor’s friends and how the serum will affect them. Just as with the rose, the effects of the potion on the subjects are ephemeral; yet, the time that the subjects feel the effects of the potion is ill-used, for they spend the whole time effectively stuck reliving past failures and flaws, rather than using that opportunity to build a better future for themselves. As a result, after the potion wears off, the subjects return to their depressing states. Moving forward, doctor Heidegger’s mirror symbolizes his past flaws and mistakes as a doctor. In the description of the doctor’s study, Hawthorne depicts the mirror and “the several ghastly faces [peeping] forth from [it]” (Hawthorne 253). The mirror serves as a reminder of the past patients, including his wife, who have died because of Dr. Heidegger and the unnecessary dangers that they became susceptible to due to his experiments. Heidegger, observing how the subjects react to his serum, learns that reliving his painful past and refusing to move on hinders any attempt at future success. He understands that the ghosts of his past will always be with him, but does not wish to go back and change his actions. By the end of the text, the doctor does not wish to remake his life and choices, for he has learned to move on and look ahead instead of mourning the