Chris Cianfarini

Miss Fitzgerald
Cp English III
1/5/08
Dr. Heideggers Experiment
In the allegorical story Dr. Heideggers Experiment by Nathaniel Hawthorne,
Dr. Heidegger gives three of his old friends the chance to be young again and fix the
mistakes they had made in their life. When given this rare opportunity, all friends of the
doctor had made the same mistakes they made in their childhood. When the water from
the fountain of youth had worn off, the old friends of the Dr. had still not learned
anything. If I were given this opportunity to go back into my childhood and fix some
mistakes in my life I would use it rather than act as the old friends in the story.
Given the opportunity to fix some mistakes in my childhood, I would change
small, but crucial actions that I could have dealt with better. When fighting with someone
close to me I would like to go back in time to fix the way I handled things and treat the
friend better by having a little more temperance and patience with them. Having this
wise knowledge at such an early age, I would have been able to solve many disputes with
friends in a civil and caring way without hurting their feelings. Also, when listening to
my parents, I wish that I could step back and be able to see their point of view instead of
being one sided and not following their directions as close to their instruction as I could
have. Applying the knowledge that I have now, I would understand their reasonable

explanation they would give when told I am not allowed to do something and when
directed to do something, be careful to follow the directions closely.
Contemplating these new thoughts and ideas bestowed upon me throughout my
years of maturing, I would go back and change these small faux-pas to fix the small
complications in my childhood. Not making the same mistakes I made when little, I
believe that fixing these small mistakes would change a lot in my life and make it a little
more enjoyable then it already is. Unlike the friends of Dr. Heidegger, I would take the
second chance to fix the small mistakes in my life rather than make the same mistakes I
made the first time around.