Thus the central conflict in this story is between youthful foolishness, and old age and wisdom. The rose, a token of Dr. As they grow younger, they become more foolish and revert back to the way they were when they were young. The three men fight over the one woman and end up breaking the vase of water. Heidegger, but she died on the eve of their wedding after taking some of Dr. Her portrait hangs in his study, and is thought to be enchanted. Gascoigne was a politician in former times who lost his reputation.
Ruined politician; obscure unknown instead of infamous; of little importance anymore. Empty speechmaking; rattled forth same old sentences about patriotism, glory, rights—well worn political ideas; whispers secret deals. Why do Dr. In this passage, the narrator explicitly undermines his own credibility by admitting to having spread rumors and stories about Dr.
Heidegger, without waiting for their response to his question of whether they consent, fetches the magic book off his shelf, and takes from among its pages a withered rose , which is very brittle and is now one uniform shade of brown. The fact that Dr. But when Dr. Heidegger puts the rose in the vase of water , it slowly comes back to life.
His audience, however, is unimpressed; they remark that they have seen better staged magic tricks performed before. Immediately, Dr. This initial suggestion that the revival of the rose is merely an illusion hangs over the rest of the story, layering even more doubt on what happens by suggesting that perhaps all of Dr.
Heidegger asks whether anyone in the room has heard of the Fountain of Youth that Ponce De Leon searched for centuries ago. The real Fountain of Youth, Dr. Heidegger explains, is in Florida, overshadowed by ancient magnolias, and an acquaintance of his has sent him water from it, which now sits in the vase on the table.
That the water supposedly comes from the mythical Fountain of Youth makes it seem even more dubious. Is the liquid in the vase magic or just alcoholic? One potential answer is that, by casting doubt on the magic of the story, and making it seem like the whole thing might in fact just be the product of old people getting drunk, Hawthorne actually makes the story seem more credible to the reader. For the rest of the story, the reader will be caught in wondering whether the characters are being affected by magic or just getting drunk, rather than scoffing at the notion that magic water from the Fountain of Youth is making them younger.
Not believing Dr. The reason Dr. Heidegger gives for wanting to observe rather than partake in the experiment is interesting. It might mean that growing old was hard, and therefore that youth is dangerous. It might also mean that he spent a lot of effort to grow old, and therefore values what old age has given him. This second reading suggests that Heidegger believes that he, at least, has gained wisdom in growing old, and wants to keep it. Heidegger fills the four champagne glasses with the water of the Fountain of Youth.
The water is described exactly as though it were champagne or some other bubbly form of alcohol , once again suggesting that the supernatural events that follow may be due to the influence of alcohol more than science or magic. Before the four friends can drink, Dr. Rather, his experiment seems to be about morality or perhaps, more broadly, about humanity: about how people behave when they get younger. By making it unclear how they become young, the story pushes those sorts of questions to the side and brings the moral questions front and center.
The four miserable, old friends drink the first glass of water , and immediately their spirits are lifted, just as they would have been by a glass of wine.
Looking at each other around the table, their appearances seem to have improved: they look healthier, cheerier, brighter. Widow Wycherly begins to feel like a woman again. The friends plead for another glass, confessing that, though they were skeptics at first, they do in fact feel younger. The skepticism of the four friends disappears almost instantaneously after drinking a first glass. Once more, the narrator describes the effects of the water much like its physical appearance and smell as being like wine, adding to the uncertainty surrounding the question of whether the four are actually growing younger, or merely feel that they are.
Meanwhile, Heidegger watches them like they are the experiment, which in fact they are. The four friends drink their second glass of the water. Instantly, their whole bodies seem younger, their hair grows darker, and suddenly they are all middle-aged again.
Still, the question of whether the reversal of age is real or an illusion remains open. When the Widow checks the mirror for her reflection, it is worth noting that even the reliability of the mirror has been compromised, since it, too, has been described as being enchanted.
Medbourne has begun hatching a far-fetched business scheme involving whales moving polar icebergs. Heidegger then claims that the liquid in the vase is water from the mythical Fountain of Youth. Heidegger, but she died on the eve of their wedding after taking some of Dr. Her portrait hangs in his study, and is thought to be enchanted. Heidegger invites four elderly friends to participate in an experiment in his mysterious, gloomy study.
He shows them a withered rose that he claims is fifty-five years old. They resolved forthwith to make a pilgrimage to Florida, and quaff at morning, noon, and night, from the Fountain of Youth. Young people have good looks, energy, vitality, and seemingly infinite time to live. It doesn't take long for the effects of the potion to wear off, and the four guests find that they are old again. Heidegger does not regret the spilled elixir; he has learned his lesson by watching his guests, and would not drink the water for anything.
The guests, however, have learned nothing, and vow to travel to Florida, find the fountain of youth, and drink from it day and night. Parents Home Homeschool College Resources. Study Guide. By Nathaniel Hawthorne. Previous Next. Heidegger's Experiment Summary The story begins with old Dr.
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