Dr Heidegger's Experiment Gothic Elements

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If you go into a library, you are bound to find books upon books filled with creepy hallways, strange creatures, and weird paranormal beings. Gothic elements like these have been and will be a very important part to literature for many years to come. Throughout the journey of gothic American Literature, well known writers such as Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne have brought these gothic elements into their stories and poems to add a more creepy effect to it. One example of an American gothic story is “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment” by Nathaniel Hawthorne as seen through tortured characters, recurring symbolism, and a bleak setting.

One of the common characteristics used in gothic literature is used by Hawthorne in his story “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment” is tortured characters. In this story, Dr. Heidegger hasn’t fully coped with the fact the his bride to be had died, shown through this quote: “...being affected with some slight disorders, she had swallowed one of her lovers …show more content…

Heidegger’s Experiment” is recurring symbolism. Throughout the story Dr. Heidegger refills his friends glasses with the “liquor of youth”, as seen in these quotes: “Dr. Heidegger had been filling the four champagne glasses with the water of the Fountain Of Youth”, “Again he filled their glasses with the liquor of youth”, “see! I have already filled the glasses.”. These quote show that the fountain of youth is recurring throughout the story. Finally, bleak setting is another characteristic seen in Hawthorne's story “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment”. Towards the beginning of the story the study is explained in detail as seen through this quote: “It was a dim, old-fashioned chamber, festooned with cobwebs, and besprinkled with antique dust. Around the walls stood several oaken bookcases… In the obscurest corner of the room stood a tall and narrow oaken closet, with its door ajar, within which doubtfully appeared a

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