In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment, the rose symbolizes the passage of time and the inevitability of aging. The rose is described as having been given to Dr. Heidegger by his fiancée, Sylvia Ward, who died on the eve of their wedding. The rose has been preserved for fifty years, and when Dr. Heidegger places it in the elixir of life, it briefly regains its youthful beauty before withering again.
This transformation of the rose serves as a metaphor for the fleeting nature of youth and beauty. It highlights the theme that time is irreversible and that attempting to reclaim lost youth is ultimately futile. The rose’s brief rejuvenation mirrors the temporary effects of the elixir on Dr. Heidegger’s elderly friends, who also revert to their old ways despite their momentary return to youth.
Thus, the rose in Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment is a powerful symbol of the natural cycle of life, the inevitability of aging, and the futility of trying to escape the passage of time.