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Widow Wycherly
Colonel Killigrew “wasted his best years … in pursuit of sinful pleasures,” meaning that, at the very least, he was probably an alcoholic—and now he suffers the negative effects of his behavior, both physically and spiritually. When he drinks from the Fountain of Youth, he becomes intoxicated and sings drinking songs. He is the most aggressive of the men in the experiment in his pursuit of Widow Wycherly.
Colonel Killigrew Quotes in Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment
The Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment quotes below are all either spoken by Colonel Killigrew or refer to Colonel Killigrew . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment Quotes
And, before proceeding further, I will merely hint that Dr. Heidegger and all his four guests were sometimes thought to be a little beside themselves,—as is not unfrequently the case with old people, when worried either by present troubles or woeful recollections.
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With this remark, the narrator gives readers reason to doubt the sanity of the story’s characters—and yet, as with so much in this tale, the only evidence provided is rumor. The passage is the first of many to raise the question of whether the characters are actually experiencing what they think they are experiencing, but the text leaves readers with no way of definitively answering this question. The result is that the distinction between reality and illusion (or delusion) is thoroughly blurred from the outset, destabilizing the story’s moralistic conclusion—for, if Dr. Heidegger himself is insane, how can the conclusions Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. E
“Before you drink, my respectable old friends,” said he, “it would be well that, with the experience of a lifetime to direct you, you should draw up a few general rules for your guidance, in passing a second time through the perils of youth. Think what a sin and shame it would be, if, with your peculiar advantages, you should not become patterns of virtue and wisdom to all the young people of the age!”
The doctor's four venerable friends made him no answer, except by a feeble and tremulous laugh; so very ridiculous was the idea that, knowing how closely repentance treads behind the steps of error, they should ever go astray again.
“Drink, then,” said the doctor, bowing: “I rejoice that I have so well selected the subjects of my experiment.”
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This passage is noteworthy for several reasons. First, it is unusual that a scientist or doctor performing an experiment such as this would give his subjects personal advice or guidance in this way. It’s not very scientific, and it raises the question of what Dr. Heidegger aims to accomplish or discover in conducting his experiment. Second, his response (that he has chosen his subjects well) can be read in two different ways. It may be read simply to mean that he is glad that his subjects are so disinclined to repeat mistakes that they have already made, but it seems Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimu
Yet, by a strange deception, owing to the duskiness of the chamber, and the antique dresses which they still wore, the tall mirror is said to have reflected the figures of the three old, gray, withered grandsires, ridiculously contending for the skinny ugliness of a shrivelled grandam.
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By suggesting that Dr. Heidegger’s enchanted mirror may have reflected the bodies of the four friends as elderly rather than youthful, this passage gives another clue that everything the characters think they are experiencing may be no more than an illusion—the product of drunkenness, or trickery, or madness. However, once again, the evidence presented by the narrator is less than concrete—based merely on rumor (“the tall mirror is said to have reflected” four old figures, but did it really?). Throughout the story, Hawthorne repeatedly and intentionally blurs the lines between reality and illusion, as well as between science and the Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptate
“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!”
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Dr. Heidegger, at the end of both the story and his experiment, has clearly concluded based on his observations that it would be a mistake to drink from the Fountain of Youth. The moral, it seems, is that to be young is to be immature, and therefore there can be no returning to the prime of one’s youth without sacrificing the wisdom and maturity that come with age. But this moralistic conclusion is complicated and perhaps undermined by a significant difference between Dr. Heidegger and his subjects: Hawthorne portrays Heidegger as a wise and moral figure, while his four friends Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placea
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Colonel Killigrew Character Timeline in Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment
The timeline below shows where the character Colonel Killigrew appears in Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment
...singular man” named Dr. Heidegger invites four “venerable” friends to his study: Mr. Medbourne, Colonel Killigrew, Mr. Gascoigne, and Widow Wycherly. All four friends are very old and have experienced a...
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...he lost his fortune in a risky business investment and is now very poor. Colonel Killigrew “wasted his best years … in pursuit of sinful pleasures,” and now he suffers the...
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All three men—Medbourne, Killigrew, and Gascoigne—were once Widow Wycherly’s lovers, and at one time they had been locked in...
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Not believing Dr. Heidegger’s story, Colonel Killigrew asks what effect the water has on the human body. Dr. Heidegger responds by saying...
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...bodies seem younger, their hair grows darker, and suddenly they are all middle-aged again. Colonel Killigrew remarks on Widow Wycherly’s beautiful appearance. Knowing that the Colonel’s compliments were not always measured...
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...he is talking about, or to whom, or what year he thinks it is. Colonel Killigrew is drunkenly singing “bottle songs” and eyeing Widow Wycherly. Mr. Medbourne has begun hatching a...
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Colonel Killigrew, Mr. Gascoigne, and Mr. Medbourne argue over who will be Widow Wycherly’s dance partner. One...
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