In his short story "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment", Nathaniel Hawthorne makes a point of granting all the characters different human vices in an attempt to 'instill in the reader a lesson of learning from their mistakes. When the reader first learns about Dr. Heidegger and his guests, the author gives some information about all the characters. It becomes clear that Mr. Medbourne is known for his love of money, the Widow Wycherly for her pride, Colonel Killigrew for his lust for sinful pleasures, and Mr. Gascoigne for his abuse of power and hypocrisy. From what is shown, all characters possess the greed trait. When given the chance to return to their youth, they repeat the same mistakes. The first guest the reader meets in the story is Mr. Medbourne, known for his tendency to devise schemes to make money. He proved to be the most prominent example of greed in history. Greed, also known as avarice, is an intense selfish desire for something like material wealth or gain. At the beginning of the story it was said: "Mr. Medbourne, in the vigor of his age, had been a prosperous merchant, but had lost everything through frenzied speculation, and was now little better than a beggar. (Dr. Heidegger 502). In other words, Mr. Medbourne had been his own demise and now had little social stature as a beggar. Although he knows this, when given the chance to return to his youth, he goes straight back to his intrigues. Vanity is excessive pride or admiration in one's own appearance or accomplishments. In the story, the person who most faithfully embodies this vice is the Widow Wycherly. When she is given the chance to return to her youth, she wastes it admiring herself in the mirror. During their second chance with you... middle of paper... and rich schemes to make quick money and Colonel Killigrew immediately returned to drinking and lust. Meanwhile, the widow Wycherly was beginning to admire herself and Mr. Gascoigne was once again preoccupied with politics. They were all ordinary people that Dr. Heidegger had chosen for his experiment, but each guest displayed some form of greed. Dr. Heidegger was able to use his friends to confirm his suspicions that people never really learn from their mistakes. His friends, to him, were just guinea pigs used to prove something. Works Cited Hawthorne, Nathaniel. “Dr. Heidegger's experience. The language of literature. Ed. Arthur N. Applebee. Evanston, IL: McDougal Littel, 2000. 500-513. PrintPoe, Edgar Allan. Critical essay on "Dr. Heidegger's experience." Short stories for students. Ed. Sarah Constantakis. Vol 30. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Print.