Mistakes in Dr. Heidegger's Experiment by Nathaniel Hawthorne

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In his short story "Dr. Heidegger's 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 the story is Mr. Medbourne, who was known for his tendency to devise money making schemes. He proved himself to be the most prominent example of greed in the story. Greed, also known as avarice, is an intense selfish desire for something such as material wealth or gain. At the beginning of the short story, it was said, “Mr. Medbourne, in the vigor of his age, had been a prosperous merchant, but had lost his all by a frantic speculation, and was now little better than a mendicant.” (Dr. Heidegger 502). In other words, Mr. Medbourne had been his own demise and was now of little social stature as a beggar. Despite knowing this, when given the chance to return to his youth he goes straight back to scheming. Vanity is excessive pride in or admiration of one's own appearance or achievements. In the story the person who most accurately embodies this vice is Widow Wycherly. When given the chance to return to her youth she squanders it on admiring herself in the mirror. During their second chance at you... ... middle of paper ... ...et rich quick money making schemes and Colonel Killigrew immediately returned to drinking and lusting. Meanwhile, Widow Wycherly began admiring herself and Mr.Gascoigne was once again concerned with politics. They were all ordinary people that Dr. Heidegger had hand picked for his experiment however, every guest displayed or showed some form of greediness. Dr. Heidegger was able to use his friends to confirm his suspicion that people never really learn from their mistakes. His friends, to him, were simply guinea pigs used to prove a point. Works Cited Hawthorne, Nathaniel. “Dr. Heidegger's Experiment.” The Language of Literature. Ed. Arthur N. Applebee. Evanston, Illinois: McDougal Littel, 2000. 500-513. Print Poe, Edgar Allan. Critical Essay on “Dr. Heidegger's Experiment.” Short Stories for Students. Ed. Sarah Constantakis. Vol 30. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Print.

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