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"Dr. Heidegger's Experiment" Story Analysis

Nathaniel Hawthorne:

Biography:

Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) was an American writer. He was born in Salem, Massachusetts. He stared writting short stories, and then he began to write novels. Some of his stories were published anonymously in magazines. He wrote The Scarlet Letter that made him famous around the world. Some of his short stories include: Twice-Told, Mosses from an Old Manse, and The Snow-Image. Hawthorne also wrote some famous novels, wich include: The House of the Seven Gables, The Blithedale Romance, A Wonder Book, and Tanglewood Tales.

Summary:

The story begins when Dr. Heidegger invites four friends to meet with him at his house. He wanted to show them the water of the “Fountain of Youth”. He shows them the effect of the water with an old rose. They were surprised to see that the old rose began to bloom. Dr. Heidegger promised them that they could drink as much water as they wanted; but they should think about the mistake that they made when they were young, and avoid do it again. Finally, they drank the water, and they feel and look like young people again. All of them were happy, until the three men began to fight because they wanted to dance with the lady, suddenly they spilled the water and they grow old again. Dr Heidegger was scolding them, but they just wanted to go to Florida at once to look for the water.

Plot analysis:

*Conflict: Dr. Heidegger invites four of his old friends to show them an experiment (the water of the Fountain of Youth).

*Rising Actions:

·         -Dr. Heidegger took them to his laboratory.

·         -He shows them a rose that he had saved for fifty-five years in a book.

·         -He shows them what happen with the rose.

·         -The old people drank the water.

·         -They felt and looked like young people again.

·         -The three men began to fight each other.

*Climax: During the fight, the water spilled on the floor, and they grow older again.

*Resolution: The guests grow old again, Dr. Heidegger learned a lesson, but not his friends and they want to look for the water of the Fountain of Youth.

Characters:

• ·         Dr. Heidegger: is a widower, estrange old man. He is interested in the water of the Fountain of Youth, and he wants to show an experiment to his friends.
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• ·         Mr. Medburne: Is an old man, with a white beard. One of the Dr. Heidegger´s friends. Years ago, he had been a rich and greedy man. He made bad business and lost his fortune. Now, he begs for money.
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• ·         Mr. Gascon: Is an old man, with a white beard. Years ago, he was been a dishonest and famous politician.  He was sent to jail, because he stole money. Now he was poor and lived in shame.
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• ·         Colonel Killigrew: Is an ill, old man with a white beard. He once was a soldier, but he spends his life eating and drinking. Now is health is so bad.
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• ·         Widow Wycherly: An elderly woman with white hair. Years ago, she was quite beautiful, but she was conceited. Now she is no longer beautiful.
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• ·         Sylvia Ward: Her picture was hanging on the wall. She was going to marry Dr. Heidegger, but she died the day before their wedding. She gives a rose to Dr. Heidegger, and he saved it in a book for fifty-five years.

Teaching of the story: 

This story has a very important teaching. Sometimes we make mistakes, and sometimes the life gives us other opportunity to fix it or don´t do it again. We must learn to seize the opportunities. Every day is a new chance to forget the mistakes, but most of all it´s a new chance to learn about them.

My Opinion:

I like this story because it´s different than the others. The story has a lesson of life. We have to learn about our mistakes. Sometimes the life gives us opportunities that we have to take. The irony could be that despite the characters are elderly, we thought that they do not make the same mistakes again, and that they want to remake their lives again, but the opposite happened.

Something Funny: Story Analysis.

Biography:

Elizabeth Van Steenwyk is an American writer of books for young people and children. She began to write when she was ten years old. She has won some awards for his stories as: the Texas Bluebonnet Award and Vermont´s Rebecca Caudill Award. Some of his works are: First Dog Fala, Prairie Christmas, When Abraham Talked to the Trees, Maggie in the Morning, among others.

Summary:

Janey was waiting for Bill in her house. And she was thinking about she was getting tired of him, because he is not interesting. When Bill arrived on Janey’s house they went to a party. On the travel Bill told Janey her weird dream about a tornado, flying saucer and strange people with three eyes. Finally, Janey was tired of being with him and to be someone else. Then, she shows her third eye at the middle of her forehead like the strange people in the Bill´s dream.

Plot analysis:

 *Conflict: Janey was tired of Bill because he is not interesting.

*Rising actions:

 1) Janey wants to tell Bill that she doesn´t want to be with him anymore.

2) Janey and Bill went to a party.

3) Bill tells Janey about her weirdest dream.

*Climax: Janey was tired of being with Bill, she shows her third eye.

*Resolution: Bill´s being remplaced.

Characterization:

Bill´s Physical and Psychological Characteristics:

* Bill has short, dark and spiky hair.

*According to Janey Bill is a bit boring, he loves to watch “Star Wars” movies maybe because he is interested in flying saucers and spaceships, and he has a good imagination according the dream that he had.

Janey´s Physical and Psychological Characteristics:  

*Janey has short hair and she has three eyes.

*Janey is someone false. She always hid the truth to Bill. She is impatient with Bill.

The Irony:

The irony is present in Janey, because she pretends to be someone else in the whole story, and at the end of the story she shows her true self.

My opinion:

I like this story because I think the story shows something different and interesting. The must interesting is that the story has an unpredictable end. Nobody can imagine that Janye was an alien. And this end could leave the readers surprised.