Dr. Heidegger's Experiment
by Nathaniel Hawthorne (excerpt)
"Are we grown old again, so soon?" cried they, dolefully.
In truth they had. The Water of Youth possessed merely a virtue
more transient than that of wine. The
delirium which it created
had effervesced away. Yes! they were old again
. With a
shuddering impulse, that showed her a woman
still, the
widow
clasped her skinny hands before her face,
and wished that the
coffin-lid were over it, since it
could be no longer beautiful.
"Yes, friends, ye are old again," said Dr. Heidegger, "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!"
But the doctor's four friends had taught no such lesson to
themselves. They resolved forthwith to make a pilgrimage to
Florida, and quaff at morning, noon, and night
, from the
Fountain
of Youth.
Select the correct answer.
What allegory is found in this excerpt from Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment?
OA. Youth is eternal.
B. Old age can be a curse.
OC. Age does not equal wisdom.
D.
Precious things should not be wasted.
Wisdom comes with age and experience.
E.
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