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Hawthorne's "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment": Reality Or Illusion - College Essay

Hawthorne's "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment": Reality Or Illusion

In Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story Dr. Heidegger's Experiment,
one of the central ideas of the story revolves around the idea of reality
versus illusion. Of course the overriding theme of the story dealt with
the ethical dilemma of changing old age into youth, still a major part of
how the story was interpreted involved a personal decision on how you took
the story; as literal or figurative. The perception that appealed to me
the most was reading the text as literal, and concluding the experiment as
reality rather then a figment of imagination caused by the intoxicating
brew.

A couple of points that Hawthorne made led me to believe that the
story was indeed a true testament of the ...

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the rose regains life nobody was drunk or
had even attempted to drink the water. "The crushed and dried petals
stirred, and assumed a deepening tinge of crimson, as if the flower were
reviving from a death-like slumber;"(page 3) It is that clear cut, and
completely undeniable considering that five people witnessed the act and
not one had the slightest objection.

After the first drink of the potion until the last, I was still led
to the opinion that what the guests were experiencing was in fact real and
completely genuine. At this point I will point out that it is at this
exact moment where the issue of reality versus illusion begins to take
shape. However, while we left to toil with this intriguing notion, it
seems quite intentional on the part of Hawthorne to make us decide on
which side we are for. I would say his reasoning for dividing us would be
to point out that while it may be real or a delusion it's ethical and
moral message should be clear cut to everyone. ...

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Hawthorne's "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment": Reality Or Illusion. (2005, January 9). Retrieved January 8, 2026, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Hawthornes-Dr-Heideggers-Experiment-Reality-Illusion/20295

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"Hawthorne's "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment": Reality Or Illusion." Essayworld.com. January 9, 2005. Accessed January 8, 2026. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Hawthornes-Dr-Heideggers-Experiment-Reality-Illusion/20295.

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PAPER DETAILS

Added: 1/9/2005 12:41:21 PM
Category: English
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 800
Pages: 3

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