Ivy Joy C. Oxino- Dr. Heidegger's Experiment
OXIÑO, Ivy Joy C. January, 2012
ELT 599B (2nd Sem 2013-2014) Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment
What is the THEME of the story? Examining this story in a more general moral and truth aspect, it seeks to advocate and to pursue repentance to human’s engagement to transitory things. It provides moral value about human’s battle against getting old and death. Using formalistic view, the theme can be best exemplified from Dr. Heidegger’s line, “Yes, friends, ye are old again, and lo! the Water of Youth is all lavished on the ground. Well–I bemoan it not; for if the fountain gushed at my very doorstep, I would not stoop to bathe my lips in it–no, though its delirium were for years instead of moments. Such is the lesson ye have taught me!” This suggests Hawthorne’s opposition for admiring personal beauty without considering the inner qualities of a person. Observe that in the story the character’s battle is getting back to becoming young and that they forgot that what makes the person pleasing is not the aesthetic value rather the innate value. Considering the historical/biographical perspective, the theme of this story can be underscored as abandonment of man to repentance. Nathaniel Hawthorne is known as a Moralistic writer in America in the 19th century because of his themes advocating a life of piety, respect and religiosity and his provision of a backdrop for a psychological exploration of the themes of sin, repentance, and morality. (Merriman, 2007). In here, it can be attested that Hawthorne’S moralistic view is applied, because the when Mr. Medbourne, Mr. Gascon, Colonel Killigrew, Widow Wicherly were given chance to be young again, instead of becoming remorseful, they still committed the same mistakes they did before.
How do the elements of fiction help support the theme?
To further discuss how other elements of fiction help support take a look of the following:
Setting: The setting is in Dr. Heidegger’s study room. It can be portrayed as an
ELT 599B (2nd Sem 2013-2014) Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment
What is the THEME of the story? Examining this story in a more general moral and truth aspect, it seeks to advocate and to pursue repentance to human’s engagement to transitory things. It provides moral value about human’s battle against getting old and death. Using formalistic view, the theme can be best exemplified from Dr. Heidegger’s line, “Yes, friends, ye are old again, and lo! the Water of Youth is all lavished on the ground. Well–I bemoan it not; for if the fountain gushed at my very doorstep, I would not stoop to bathe my lips in it–no, though its delirium were for years instead of moments. Such is the lesson ye have taught me!” This suggests Hawthorne’s opposition for admiring personal beauty without considering the inner qualities of a person. Observe that in the story the character’s battle is getting back to becoming young and that they forgot that what makes the person pleasing is not the aesthetic value rather the innate value. Considering the historical/biographical perspective, the theme of this story can be underscored as abandonment of man to repentance. Nathaniel Hawthorne is known as a Moralistic writer in America in the 19th century because of his themes advocating a life of piety, respect and religiosity and his provision of a backdrop for a psychological exploration of the themes of sin, repentance, and morality. (Merriman, 2007). In here, it can be attested that Hawthorne’S moralistic view is applied, because the when Mr. Medbourne, Mr. Gascon, Colonel Killigrew, Widow Wicherly were given chance to be young again, instead of becoming remorseful, they still committed the same mistakes they did before.
How do the elements of fiction help support the theme?
To further discuss how other elements of fiction help support take a look of the following:
Setting: The setting is in Dr. Heidegger’s study room. It can be portrayed as an