Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment by Nathaniel Hawthorne Short Story Analysis

The short story “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment”, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, recounts the experiences of four aging guests visiting Dr. Heidegger in his peculiar study. The guests, who had each wasted their fortunes in life and now existed miserably, were given to drink a mysterious liquid. Though it is uncertain whether or not the visitors physically transformed, the liquid had the effect of converting them back to their youth. The guests were immediately back to their old ways, ignoring the Doctor’s warning, and embarked on a foolish journey to try to locate the source of the liquid at the end of the story. Hawthorne creates a mysterious and intriguing description of the excerpt through his choice of setting, as well as his intentional use of diction words and symbols.

One strategy the author employs to form a mysterious and intriguing description of the excerpt is his choice of setting. To illustrate, in the beginning of the excerpt, Dr. Heidegger’s study is described as being “a dim, old-fashioned chamber, festooned with cobwebs, and besprinkled with antique dust.” (Hawthorne 471). Already, an aura of mystery surrounds the setting because of the dark nature of the room. The fact that the study is covered with cobwebs and dust, and that the dust is antique (meaning that it is extremely old and has not been cleaned in a long time), raises some interesting questions about Dr. Heidegger and his work. Such questions include, why is a doctor so apparently unconcerned about cleanliness?, is there a reason that the doctor does not let anyone come in to clean, has he got something to hide?, and how old is this study, what could have happened there? The quote therefore demonstrates how the author creates a mysterious and intriguing description of the excerpt because the quote raises questions about Dr. Heidegger, meaning that it causes intrigue. Additionally, the inclusion of “a looking-glass, presenting its high and dusty plate within a tarnished gilt frame.”, which supposedly contains “the spirits of all the doctor's deceased patients” further proves this point (Hawthorne 471). The inclusion of this object in the setting provides another layer of mystery because of the object’s magical nature. Furthermore, the mirror invokes intrigue, with questions being raised about the doctor’s beliefs and interests, as one seldom finds a man of science studying, owning, or believing in magic. To conclude, the author’s choice of setting forms a mysterious and intriguing description of the excerpt.

Secondly, the author creates a mysterious and intriguing description of the excerpt by using specific diction. For example, the author describes the furniture in the study as being “oaken bookcases” and “a small round table, as black as ebony” (Hawthorne 471-472). Both of these types of wood have connotations of antiquity as well as expensiveness. These connotations provoke thoughts about how the doctor was able to attain such expensive commodities, despite seeming to live in a quitte modest and befouled environment. Additionally, a curiosity -- an intriguing factor -- is noted from the connotations of age and antiquity; how old is Dr. Heidegger’s study, and how old is the doctor himself? When did he start tinkering with objects of magic? The shelves certainly add an intriguing factor to the description of the excerpt. Moreover, specific diction is used once more when describing the magnificent book of magic -- Hawthorne writes, “[the book] was a ponderous folio volume, bound in black leather, with massive silver clasps.” (Hawthorne 471). The adjectives chosen by the author to describe the book each enrich the description of the excerpt with mystery and intrigue. The intentional use of the word ‘ponderous’ indicates that the book adds a significant level of intrigue to the excerpt because the book is a central focal point and ‘ponderous’ is essentially synonymous with ‘intriguing’. Also, the description of black leather emanates darkness, ominousness, and mystery caused by lack of information on the book’s contents and its power. To sum up, the author’s use of specific diction emphasises the mysterious and intriguing nature of the excerpt’s description.