Elements Of Gothic Romanticism In Young Goodman Brown And Dr. Heidegger's Experiment

Through out the elements of Gothic Romanticism, the greatest involves the supernatural and mysterious events. This leaves the reader wondering whether such scenes actually did in fact occur or if the scene was a delusion created by the character’s subconscious desires and fears. Thus such uncertainty leads to the development of mystery and doubt within the reader. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” and “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment” utilize a common aspect of involving the impact of a single illusion or dream has upon the characters overall outlook; in “Young Goodman Brown” he develops this theme through the forest scene with the townspeople and how this leads to Brown’s utter loss in faith, while in “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment”,

The fact of the initial impact upon Brown’s mentality and changed outlook of the town’s people revolves around the imagined forest meeting which leaves him bitter and spiteful. Satan’s true intent was to make him: “A stern, a sad, a darkly meditative, a distrustful, if not a desperate man, did he become, from the night of that fearful dream”. Whether the forestry scene did in fact occur is truly a matter of the readers insight, however the overall impact that the scene had upon the story’s primary thematic detail of hypocrisy does evolve around the secrets of which the townspeople in turn remain to hold to themselves. Hawthorne’s works primarily emphasis upon the destructive impact upon his character’s psyche due to the Puritanical suppressive and hypocritical nature. Truly as Satan states: “’Evil is the nature of mankind. Evil must be your only happiness’”, which emphasizes upon the Puritanical moral of the initiation of sin and that sin is doesn’t only involve the manifestation of the thought but also the mere conception of any evil dead which lead many Puritan’s to die as miserable and spiteful people. Yet within the next work of literature the emphasis upon the ignorance of youth may spill into one’s old age, is evident through the deceitful nature of the doctor

Heidegger’s Experiment”, involves the narrator’s revelation of his deceptive nature, thus providing the reader with doubt; the whole scene of the old miserable people having become youthful again ends with questioning and doubt since there are several references to their antediluvian personage. Whether the four guest truly regained their lost youth is greatly debated since Hawthorne portrays his narrator as deceitful and untrustworthy, which leaves the tone of doubt and pondering over the truthfulness of the experiment. Yet if the water: “possessed merely a virtue more transient than that of wine”, implies the susceptibility of those who truly lack the knowledge and sense to decipher whether there does exist a cure to their youthful mistakes. Or whether the water was truly magical the doctor’s intent then would imply upon his desire to observe the impact of a second chase has upon his miserable acquaintances. Thus when he states: “’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’”, he has achieved his desired expectation of whether or not he would in fact return to his own foolish follies or not. Yet both of the works reveal the fact of malleability and ignorance that youth brings upon the characters and their evidential throes of death due to malice and endless sorrow caused by their encounter with the