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?
O A.
Youth is eternal.
O B.
Old age can be a curse.
OC. Age does not equal wisdom.
O D.
OE
Precious things should not be wasted.
Wisdom comes with age and experience.
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