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Heideggers Experiment, Rappaccini's Daughter, And The Birthmark

508 Words3 Pages
Some think of science as advantageous, while others believe it can be immoral. Acts of science can lead to manipulation of the natural world and cause those performing the experiments to “play God.” Nathaniel Hawthorne 's short stories “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment,” “Rappaccini’s Daughter,” and “The Birthmark” each incorporate characters that attempt to alter a natural aspect of life and in turn are met with failure. It is through his short stories that Nathaniel Hawthorne reveals opinion of science: Men should not engage in scientific studies that require them to act as God.
In Hawthorne’s short story, “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment,” Dr. Heidegger is characterized as a scientist who wishes to determine the effects of water from the Fountain of
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