The Great Stone Face: Tales of Identity and Destiny in the White Mountains

"The Great Stone Face" and "The Ambitious Guest" are two tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne that explore themes of identity, destiny, and the human condition, set against the backdrop of the White Mountains. In "The Great Stone Face," a young boy named Ernest grows up in a valley overshadowed by a mountain formation resembling a human face. A prophecy claims that a man bearing the likeness of this face will one day appear and become the greatest and noblest person of his time. As Ernest matures, ...