Dr Heidegger's Experiment Symbolism

The short story, “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a story about an old scientist who invites his four friends over to try an experiment. He gives them a drink that he says is from the Fountain of Youth, and they all become young, but only for a few brief moments. Each of the characters represents a basic human fault or flaw. Widow Wycherly represents vanity; Colonel Killigrew represents indulgence; Mr. Gascoigne represents corruption, and Mr. Medbourne represents greed. Widow Wycherely is very representative of vanity. We are told that in her prime, she was a great beauty. When she drinks the water, “she stood before the mirror, curtseying and simpering to her own image, and greeting it as the friend whom she loved