Dr Heidegger’s Experiment
Written in 1837 – people were devoutly religious and held a strong
belief in the supernatural. The supernatural was equated with the
devil
Themes
Human nature is innately prone to sin
Does age beget wisdom? No
Pride of Dr.H – does not learn from mistakes; neither do the other
characters
Appearance v Reality (AMBIGUITY – are they simply seeing what
they want to see; is the mirror reflecting their true personalities or
were they never transformed?)
CHARACTERISATION AND SYMBOLISM
Characters represent / are symbolic of
Greed, Lust, Hypocrisy, Vanity, Pride
Bronze Bust is symbolic of the ethos: a physician should do no
harm
Mirror – symbolic of the truth
Black Book of Magic – represents forbidden knowledge
Hawthorne’s views: there is certainly knowledge that should be
beyond the realms of humanity.
, GOTHIC ELEMENT:
- The skeleton in the cupboard
- The oversized book of magic
- The long ago death of his fiancée under suspicious
circumstances
- Archetype ‘mad’ scientist
Dr. Heidegger - An aged physician, who is the protagonist of the
story.
Colonel Killigrew - A man who, throughout his life, has had many
self-indulgent, sinful pleasures.
Mr. Medbourne - A once-rich merchant who lost most of his
fortune in speculation.
Mr. Gascoigne - A politician whose career was ruined by his
corruption.
Widow Wycherley - A formerly beautiful woman loved by the
three gentlemen (Colonel Killigrew, Mr. Medbourne, Mr.
Gascoigne).
Sylvia Ward- A youthful woman whose portrait hangs upon a wall
in the study. She was supposed to marry Dr. Heidegger but died
the day before their marriage. (The rose Dr. Heidegger uses in his
experiment is one he received from Sylvia for their wedding.)
The word that best describes the narrator’s tone toward Dr.
Heidegger’s visitors in first paragraph of “Dr. Heidegger’s
Experiment” is condescending. The narrator looks down at each of
the four characters he introduces: profligate Mr. Medbourne,
hedonistic Colonel Killigrew, disgraced Mr. Gascoigne, and
dishonoured Widow Wycherly. Each character is portrayed by the
narrator in a judgmental light.
Written in 1837 – people were devoutly religious and held a strong
belief in the supernatural. The supernatural was equated with the
devil
Themes
Human nature is innately prone to sin
Does age beget wisdom? No
Pride of Dr.H – does not learn from mistakes; neither do the other
characters
Appearance v Reality (AMBIGUITY – are they simply seeing what
they want to see; is the mirror reflecting their true personalities or
were they never transformed?)
CHARACTERISATION AND SYMBOLISM
Characters represent / are symbolic of
Greed, Lust, Hypocrisy, Vanity, Pride
Bronze Bust is symbolic of the ethos: a physician should do no
harm
Mirror – symbolic of the truth
Black Book of Magic – represents forbidden knowledge
Hawthorne’s views: there is certainly knowledge that should be
beyond the realms of humanity.
, GOTHIC ELEMENT:
- The skeleton in the cupboard
- The oversized book of magic
- The long ago death of his fiancée under suspicious
circumstances
- Archetype ‘mad’ scientist
Dr. Heidegger - An aged physician, who is the protagonist of the
story.
Colonel Killigrew - A man who, throughout his life, has had many
self-indulgent, sinful pleasures.
Mr. Medbourne - A once-rich merchant who lost most of his
fortune in speculation.
Mr. Gascoigne - A politician whose career was ruined by his
corruption.
Widow Wycherley - A formerly beautiful woman loved by the
three gentlemen (Colonel Killigrew, Mr. Medbourne, Mr.
Gascoigne).
Sylvia Ward- A youthful woman whose portrait hangs upon a wall
in the study. She was supposed to marry Dr. Heidegger but died
the day before their marriage. (The rose Dr. Heidegger uses in his
experiment is one he received from Sylvia for their wedding.)
The word that best describes the narrator’s tone toward Dr.
Heidegger’s visitors in first paragraph of “Dr. Heidegger’s
Experiment” is condescending. The narrator looks down at each of
the four characters he introduces: profligate Mr. Medbourne,
hedonistic Colonel Killigrew, disgraced Mr. Gascoigne, and
dishonoured Widow Wycherly. Each character is portrayed by the
narrator in a judgmental light.
