In "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment" Dr. Heidegger discovers the Fountain of Youth and shares its waters with his old friends. His friends become young again but forget what they have learned on their long journey through life. Only Dr. Heidegger does not drink from the water from the Fountain of Life. Perhaps, Hawthorne is telling us that old age has its own virtues, and trying to reverse the clock, to become young again, is not only unwise, but essentially pointless. Do you agree with this idea? Why or why not? It is human nature to wish to be a different age. Children wish to grow up quickly, and older person look back to their youth. What do you think the perfect age is?