Abstract
This study aims to offer insight into Nathaniel Hawthorne’s views on mortality and religion through an analysis of his negative portrayal of potions and elixirs. To this end, three distinct threads are analyzed. The first thread takes a historical approach, investigating the rudimentary state of medicine during Hawthorne’s lifetime in the 1800s. The second thread analyzes Hawthorne’s stories “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment,” “The Birthmark,” “Rappaccini’s Daughter,” and “A Virtuoso’s Collection” to explore the author’s recurring theme that what is wrong with humans cannot be made right on this earth. The final thread takes evidence from “A Virtuoso’s Collection” and “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment,” as well as Hawthorne’s unpublished novel Septimius Felton, to conclude that the author believed that when physical life is prolonged, spiritual life begins to deteriorate. A careful study of these three intertwined threads concerning potions and elixirs leads us to a greater understanding of Hawthorne’s worldview. (Chosun University)
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