An excerpt that reveals the allegorical nature of this story is the following quote:
"But the doctor's four friends had taught no such lesson to themselves. They resolved forthwith to make a pilgrimage to Florida, and quaff at morning, noon, and night, from the Fountain of Youth."
In the story, Dr. Heidegger gives his four friends an elixir, which is presumed to be water from the Fountain of Youth. The four friends have a brief moment of happiness as they are young again, but as soon as they start enjoying their newfound youth, they become old again, and Heidegger tells them of the lesson he just taught them. However, the 'four friends had taught no such lesson to themselves', which meant that they had not learned of their greed and foolishness. The ending quote states that they are making a 'pilgrimage to Florida' to find the Fountain of Youth to become young again. This indicates a pessimistic view of human nature by the author, as the four friends are made out to be greedy fools. The characters are meant to carry out the author's view on society, which gives the story an allegorical nature.
