Experiments in Youth

A detailed Summary of Experiments in Youth

Anyone who has much exposure to the aged population knows that some elderly people are very content with their lives. Even though their bodies may not possess the same physical capabilities that they did in youth, they are surrounded by an aura of contentment that almost makes one envious of the inner peace obtained as compensation for a life lived to its fullest capacity. Given another chance at youth, they would not change the path their lives have taken. There are others who are bitter with the game that Mother Nature has played with them. They feel they have not been dealt a fair hand by fate and this is reflected in their manner both physically and spiritually. This is an accurate portrayal of the four friends in the short story written by Nathaniel Hawthorne entitled "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment." As the theme of this story reveals, given a second chance at life, is it possible for a person to change their behavior?

Mr. Medbourne is a symbol for the waste of money and business opportunity. He was a prosperous merchant, but had lost it all through greed. Hawthorne gives evidence for this on page 143, "Mr. Medbo

Another example of a second youth wasted is Colonel Killigrew. Colonel Killigrew is a symbol for the waste of health and vigor. On page 143, Hawthorne states, "Colonel Killigrew wasted his best years, and his health and substance, in the pursuit of sinful pleasures, which had given birth to a brood of pains, such as gout and divers other torments of soul and body." Given a chance at a second youth, Killigrew acts the same as his first youth. He begins staring at the widow and complimenting her left and right. On page 146, Hawthorne tells of Killigrew; "Colonel Killigrew all this time had been trolling forth a jolly bottle song and ringing his glass in symphony with the chorus, while his eyes wandered toward the buxom figure of the Widow Wytcherly."

urne, in the vigor of his age, had been a prosperous merchant, but had lost it all by a frantic speculation and was now little better than a mendicant." When Mr., Medbourne gets a chance at a second youth, he does not change, but begins to count change and dollars. He makes the same foolish mistakes as his in first youth. Hawthorne further states "On the other side o

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Approximate Word count = 761
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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