Transcript Nathaniel Hawthorne “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment” Nathaniel Hawthorne 1804-1864 • Born in Salem, Massachusetts • Puritan Background • Ancestor of John Hathorne – one of the three judges in the Salem Witch.

Nathaniel Hawthorne
“Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment”
Nathaniel Hawthorne 1804-1864
• Born in Salem,
Massachusetts
• Puritan
Background
• Ancestor of
John Hathorne
– one of the
three judges in
the Salem
Witch Trials
Hawthorne’s Background
• Began writing after college
at Bowdion College in
Maine
• Spent many years in
seclusion – starving artist
• Held many jobs including
writer, publisher, working at
a custom house, and
consul in England
Hawthorne’s Background
• Nathaniel's father, a sea captain, died
in 1808, leaving his wife and three
children dependent on
relatives. (Nathaniel was four years
old).
• A leg injury forced Hawthorne to
remain immobile for a considerable
period, during which he developed an
exceptional taste for reading and
thinking.
Hawthorne’s Background
• The only son, he was adored by both his
mother and his two sisters.
• Returning from Bowdoin, Hawthorne
spent the years 1825 to 1837 in his
mother's Salem household. Later he
looked back upon these years as a
period of dreamlike isolation and
solitude, spent in a haunted room. During
these "solitary years" he learned to write
tales and sketches that are still unique.
Hawthorne’s Background
• Recent biographers have shown that
this period of Hawthorne's life was less
lonely than he remembered it to be. In
truth, he did have social engagements,
played cards, and went to the theatre.
Nevertheless, he consistently
remembered these twelve years as a
strange, dark dream, though his view of
the influence of these years varied.
Hawthorne’s Background
• By his own account it was Hawthorne's
love of his Salem neighbor Sophia
Peabody that brought him from his
"haunted chamber" out into the world.
His books were far from profitable
enough to support a wife and family, so
in 1838 he went to work in the Boston
Custom House in hopes of finding a
pleasant and economical home for
Sophia and himself.
Hawthorne’s Background
• Hawthorne obtained in 1846 the
position of surveyor (one who maps out
new lands) in the Salem Custom House,
but was relieved of this position in 1848
because of his political ties. His
dismissal, however, turned out to be a
blessing, since it gave him time in which
to write his greatest success, The Scarlet
Letter.
Hawthorne’s Background
• Hawthorne formed a memorable
friendship with novelist Herman Melville
(1819–1912). The association was more
important to Melville than to
Hawthorne, since Melville was fifteen
years younger and the much more
impressionable (easily influenced) of
the two men. It left its mark in
dedication of his Moby-Dick, and in
some wonderful letters.
Hawthorne’s Background
• In 1852 Franklin Pierce was elected president
of the U.S., and Hawthorne, who wrote his
campaign biography, was appointed to the
important overseas post of American consul
(advisor) at Liverpool, England. He served in
this post from 1853 to 1857.
• In 1857 the Hawthornes left England for Italy,
where they spent their time primarily in
Rome and Florence. They finally returned to
the United States, after an absence of seven
years
Hawthorne’s Background
• Hawthorne's health began to fail him. Since
he refused to submit to any thorough
medical examination, the details of his
declining health remain mysterious.
Hawthorne died on May 19, 1864. He had
set off for the New Hampshire hills with
Franklin Pierce, an activity he had always
enjoyed, hoping to regain his health. But he
died the second night in Plymouth, New
Hampshire, presumably in his sleep.
More Background
• Married Sophie Peabody in
1825
• Was friends with Henry
Wadsworth Longfellow,
Ralph Waldo Emerson,
Henry David Thoreau,
Herman Melville, and
President Franklin Pierce
His Themes in Writing
•
•
•
•
Moral allegories
The sinful man
Hypocrisy
The Dark side of Human
Nature
• Religion
• Often based on
the history of his
Puritan ancestors
and the New
England of his day.
His Most Famous Works
• Novels
– The House of Seven Gables
– The Scarlet Letter
• Short Stories
– “The Minister’s Black Veil”
– “Young Goodman Brown”
– “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment”
And Now, Nathanial Hawthorn’s Short Story
“Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment”
Some Basics…
• Characters
–
–
–
–
–
–
Dr. Heidegger, a scientist
His friends:
Colonel Killagrew,
Mr. Medbourne,
Mr. Gascoigne, and
Widow Wycherly
The Fountain of Youth
Fountain of Youth & Ponce de Leon
•
•
•
Juan Ponce de León (1474-1521) accompanied Christopher
Columbus on his second voyage to the New World in 1493, and
became the first governor of Puerto Rico 16 years later. There
he was said to have heard from the local tribes about a
remarkable place called Bimini where a natural spring
bestowed youth and prosperity on those who drank from it. His
search for these miraculous waters was said to have been one
of the reasons he sailed north from Puerto Rico on March 4,
1513 on a voyage of exploration. He had in his pocket a grant
from the King of Spain giving him the right to rule whatever
lands he should find.
Sailing northward along islands in the Bahamas, he then turned
west and crossed open water until he reached what seemed to
be a large island that he named La Florida, the land of flowers.
What he had found was the future United States of America. So
perhaps it could be argued that he did indeed find the
promised land of youth and prosperity. He is believed to have
reached Florida in the vicinity of St. Augustine or somewhere
further south. This is also the site of one of the claimants to
possession of the actual Fountain of Youth.
Ponce de León's Fountain of Youth National Archaeological
Park can be found at 11 Magnolia Avenue, St. Augustine, FL
32084, and stands on 15 acres of parkland. It even has a
fountain, where people dutifully drink the water. Whether that
has done them any good is not known.
“Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment”
as an Allegory
• What is an allegory?
– A story where everything is a
symbol to create a 2nd layer
of meaning
– Used commonly to instruct
especially in religious matters
– Think about names, colors,
people, events, objects
– In other words, you name it
and it could be a symbol for
something
One Last Thing…
Some other literary terms to
consider:
• Imagery: words and phrases that recreate vivid sensory experiences for
the reader. Usually imagery is visual,
but often it is written to the senses of
smell, hearing, taste, and touch
• Foreshadowing: A writer’s use of hints
or clues to indicate events that will
occur later in a story
• Simile: a figure of speech that
compares two things that have
something in common using like or as
• Mood: the feeling or atmosphere that
a writer conveys with his or her words
Assignment…
• Read “Building Background” on
page 501.
• Read “Dr. Heidegger’s
Experiment” on pages 502-513.
• There will be a basic quiz on the
PowerPoint and the story
(PowerPoint is online for your
viewing enjoyment)
• Underline in pencil examples of
literary elements