Dr. Heidegger S Experiment by Nathaniel Hawthorne Name______

“Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment” by Nathaniel Hawthorne Name______

Please answer the following questions. Finished this is worth 20 points and can be used as a study aid for Friday’s quiz.

1. Fill in the following chart with information about Dr. Heidegger’s guests.

Name of character Description before elixir Description after elixir 2. How is each guest’s youth described? (Give the name and what each did when young.)

3. What physical description is given for Dr. Heidegger?

4. What hints are given that Dr. Heidegger might not have been a very good doctor?

5. Who was Sylvia Ward and what happened to her? (Is this one of the above hints?)

6. What strange objects are in Dr. Heidegger’s study? (Hint: five minimum.) 7. How does Dr. Heidegger get the water from the fountain of youth?

8. What imagery is used for the water?

9. Are there any hints that they four guests only imagine they look younger? Explain your answer with information from the story.

10. What does the rose in this story symbolize?

11. What does the butterfly in this story symbolize?

12. Who is the protagonist in this story and what is his goal? 13. Who is the antagonist in this story? Explain.

14. At what point in the story does the reader know whether the protagonist has reached or will never reach his goal? Be specific. You may even quote what is said.

15. Is there an incident in the story that feels more like the climax in terms of highest tension or excitement than the moment that answers number 14? Be specific.

16. What does the narrator suggest the guests are going to do after the episode described in this story?

17. How does the narrator describe himself? 18. Speculate: why does Hawthorne have his narrator speak directly to the reader in this way?

19. Did you enjoy this story? Explain your answer.