If Time Could Be Saved In A [in a] Bottle :: Essays Papers

If Time Could Be Saved In A [in a] Bottle [Nice title -- I wish more students put more thought into their titles.] 1 Anyone who has much exposure to the geriatric population knows that some elderly people are very content with their lives. Even though their bodies may not possess the same physical capabilities that they did in youth, they are surrounded by an aura of contentment that almost make one envious of the inner peace reaped as compensation for a life lived to its fullest capacity. [SV Agr - 1] Given another chance at youth, they would not change the path their lives have taken. [The first two paragraphs could have been combined into one.] 2 There arc others who are bitter with the game that mother nature has played with them. They feel they have not been dealt a fair hand by fate and this is reflected in their manner both physically and spiritually. This is an accurate portrayal of the four friends in the short story written by Nathaniel Hawthorne entitled "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment." [Titles] As the theme of this story reveals, given a second chance at life, is it possible for a person to change their behavior. [The theme of a work should probably not be stated as a question, i.e., either the work suggests that people can change their behavior, or that they cannot. This essay, for example, goes on to suggest that they cannot (or at least that they do not).] 3 Each of the four friends had chosen a lifestyle in which they had temporarily basked in the glow of prosperity, only to lose everything that represents success and respect as a result of their behavior. The description of Dr Heidegger's study -- dim, old fashioned, covered with cobwebs and dust -- parallels the physical description provided by the narrator of the four friends that have gathered for the experiment. The strength of their bodies has faded and left them withered and wrinkled shells of their former selves. The dark, dank atmosphere of the study reflects their melancholy personalities. They are characterized as gray, decrepit, sapless, miserable creatures. Although the the four friends had the opportunity in life to create their own pleasant memories to recall, each of them chose a path in life that left them with no fond recollections.