ead the passage from “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment,” Part 2 by Nathaniel Hawthorne. As you read, think about how the setting, the characters, and the plot interact to influence the scene and its meaning.

Question

They all gathered round her. One caught both her hands in his passionate grasp,—another threw his arm about her waist,—the third buried his hand among the glossy curls that clustered beneath the widow’s cap. Blushing, panting, struggling, chiding, laughing, her warm breath fanning each of their faces by turns, she strove to disengage herself, yet still remained in their triple embrace. Never was there a livelier picture of youthful rivalship, with bewitching beauty for the prize. Yet, by a strange deception, owing to the duskiness of the chamber, and the antique dresses which they still wore, the tall mirror is said to have reflected the figures of the three old, gray, withered grandsires, ridiculously contending for the skinny ugliness of a shriveled grandam.

How does the specific setting seen in the mirror hint at how the conflict will end?

Group of answer choices

The characters see themselves as beautiful in the mirror.

The characters behave as young and foolish people, but as their reflections reveal, they remain old.

The characters look old to each other and become much wiser while they are young.

The characters will remain young forever and never grow old.

Answer 1

The specific setting seen in the mirror hints at how the conflict will end by showing the characters behaving as young and foolish people, but their reflections reveal that they remain old. This suggests that despite their attempts to regain their youth and passion, the reality is that they are old and unable to escape their true age and appearance. Ultimately, this conflict will likely result in a realization of their own mortality and the futility of trying to turn back the hands of time.