Question

name
dr. heidegger’s experiment
part a directions complete the following chart about \dr. heidegger’s
experiment.\ identify the elements of fiction by adding
the information in the space provided.

1. title and author
2. genre (poem, short story,

novel, play, and so on)

1. main character
2. minor characters
3. unseen character

(talked about but not present)

1. setting: place
2. setting: time
3. mood (main emotion)
4. plot summary
5. theme or moral

Explanation:

To complete the chart for "Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment" (a short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne):

• 8. Mood: The story has a mysterious, reflective, and somewhat melancholic mood, with elements of whimsy and moral contemplation.
• 9. Plot Summary: Dr. Heidegger invites old friends to his study, gives them water from the Fountain of Youth to drink, observing how they revert to youthful behaviors (vices, passions) before the effects fade, highlighting themes of aging and human nature.
• 10. Theme or Moral: Explores the futility of seeking eternal youth, the persistence of human flaws across age, and the wisdom (or folly) of reflecting on life’s stages.

Answer:

1. Mood: Mysterious, reflective (with whimsy and melancholy)
2. Plot Summary: Dr. Heidegger invites elderly friends to his study, gives them Fountain of Youth water; they act youthfully (with old vices) before the effect fades, showing human nature’s persistence.
3. Theme or Moral: Eternal youth is futile—human flaws persist; reflection on life’s stages (aging/wisdom) is key.

(Note: For specific cells, fill as per literary analysis:

• Mood: Eerie, contemplative, whimsical.
• Plot: Focus on the experiment, characters’ reactions, and the fade of youth.
• Theme: Critique of chasing youth, value of accepting life’s phases.)