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The Great Stone Face (Hawthorne)

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17: 327: 84:, that at some future date a native son would be born within sight of the notch whose features would resemble the Great Stone Face; and when this face was seen, those who would see him would recognize that he was "the greatest and noblest personage of his time." This prophecy inspires an innocent youngster of the valley, Ernest, who feels within himself the quest to help uncover this hero. 119:
Face!' Then all the people looked, and saw that what the deep-sighted poet said was true. The prophecy was fulfilled. But Ernest, having finished what he had to say, took the poet's arm, and walked slowly homeward, still hoping that some wiser and better man than himself would by and by appear, bearing a resemblance to the GREAT STONE FACE.
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At that moment, in sympathy with a thought which he was about to utter, the face of Ernest assumed a grandeur of expression, so imbued with benevolence, that the poet, by an irresistible impulse, threw his arms aloft and shouted, 'Behold! Behold! Ernest is himself the likeness of the Great Stone
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As time passes and Ernest grows to manhood, the story from the notch is bruited about the United States, and others are also inspired. Unlike Ernest, the hope of some of them is that they themselves would be the hero of the tale. One by one, they revisit the valley to seek public recognition and
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The Great Stone Face, then, was a work of Nature in her mood of majestic playfulness, formed on the perpendicular side of a mountain by some immense rocks, which had been thrown together in such a position as, when viewed at a proper distance, to precisely to resemble the features of the human
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was often compared with that of the Old Man at that time, and Hummel asserts that the senator and the rock formation are still thought of together in common memory. Hawthorne certainly had Webster and his recent bid for the Presidency in mind when he wrote the story, though he is not named
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acknowledgment of this resemblance. The succession of would-be American heroes forms the body of Hawthorne's narrative. In succession, a merchant of immense wealth, a conquering general, a politician renowned for his skilled
107:. The writer, who (in contrast to the first three contestants) frankly acknowledges his failure to fulfill the prophecy, caps his visit to the notch by attending one of Ernest's impromptu sunset 111:. By popular demand, the congregation has asked Ernest to deliver his sacred remarks from a site at the base of the notch where the worshipers can see the Great Stone Face high above. 435: 427: 92:, and finally a brilliant writer return to the glen. After enjoying the brief plaudits of their admirers, the four men each reveal themselves to have 100:, recognized at once by the sensitive Ernest, that serve as foreshadows of their inability to live up to the expectations of their eager friends. 103:
During this string of disappointments, Ernest has become a spry but aged man. He has progressed from being a hill farmer to the position of local
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in 1850, and Hawthorne's readers would have been familiar with it. The face of the New Hampshire-born politician and statesman
81: 156:, in 2013 identified Hawthorne's short story "The Great Stone Face" as popularizing the real-life geological formation, the 72:, had sculptured his own likeness on the precipice. There was the broad arch of the forehead, a hundred feet in height... 356: 310: 261: 241: 639: 689: 540: 489: 403: 132:, at the time when he was working at the Salem custom house. It was first published on January 24, 1850, in 468: 349: 128:
Hawthorne likely began writing "The Great Stone Face" while living at 14 Mall Street in his native town of
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that prevent them from fulfilling the conditions of the prophecy. Each of them have slight flaws in their
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is imagined, by many locals and visitors, to resemble the shape and features of a human face:
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Hawthorne sets the scene in a rural valley located in an unnamed U.S. state that resembles
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until it crumbled into rubble in 2003. The "Old Man" was a well-known
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in 1852. It has since been republished and anthologized many times.
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of the valley includes a prophecy, alleged to descend from the
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specifically but is instead nicknamed "Old Stony Phiz".
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countenance. It seemed as if an enormous giant, or a
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in 1850. The story reappeared in a full-length book,
236:. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1980: 283–284. 114:Hawthorne describes the climax of Ernest's sermon: 717: 305:. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1980: 291. 256:. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1980: 292. 282:New Hampshire Division of Parks and Recreation 210:"The Great Stone Face: by Nathaniel Hawthorne" 154:New Hampshire Division of Parks and Recreation 357: 204: 202: 200: 198: 364: 350: 141:The Snow-Image, and Other Twice-Told Tales 40:The Snow-Image, and Other Twice-Told Tales 23:The Snow-Image, and Other Twice-Told Tales 20:"The Great Stone Face" as it appeared in 271: 269: 195: 15: 371: 718: 152:Patrick Hummel, park manager with the 147: 345: 266: 731:Short stories by Nathaniel Hawthorne 685:Hildegarde Hawthorne (granddaughter) 124:Composition and publication history 13: 277:"Monadnock Weekly Report 05.03.13" 14: 742: 319: 640:A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys 325: 303:Nathaniel Hawthorne in His Times 254:Nathaniel Hawthorne in His Times 234:Nathaniel Hawthorne in His Times 33:" is a short story published by 59:. A rock formation in a nearby 50: 690:Nathaniel Hawthorne Birthplace 541:Egotism; or, The Bosom-Serpent 295: 246: 226: 1: 404:The House of the Seven Gables 188: 138:. It was later collected in 7: 562:The Artist of the Beautiful 476:The May-Pole of Merry Mount 335:public domain audiobook at 176: 10: 747: 622:My Kinsman, Major Molineux 490:Dr. Heidegger's Experiment 45:Ticknor, Reed & Fields 705:House of the Seven Gables 680:Rose Hawthorne (daughter) 662: 631: 585: 506: 469:The Minister's Black Veil 455: 446: 379: 160:, which looked down upon 509:Mosses from an Old Manse 436:Doctor Grimshaw's Secret 670:Sophia Hawthorne (wife) 569:A Virtuoso's Collection 158:Old Man of the Mountain 675:Julian Hawthorne (son) 590:Other Twice-Told Tales 412:The Blithedale Romance 121: 74: 26: 548:Roger Malvin's Burial 534:Rappaccini's Daughter 116: 65: 19: 601:The Great Stone Face 428:The Dolliver Romance 332:The Great Stone Face 130:Salem, Massachusetts 31:The Great Stone Face 588:The Snow-Image, and 555:P.'s Correspondence 527:Young Goodman Brown 497:The Ambitious Guest 483:The Great Carbuncle 373:Nathaniel Hawthorne 148:Critical commentary 35:Nathaniel Hawthorne 726:1850 short stories 615:The Man of Adamant 396:The Scarlet Letter 166:tourist attraction 27: 713: 712: 658: 657: 301:Mellow, James R. 252:Mellow, James R. 232:Mellow, James R. 738: 648:Tanglewood Tales 632:Children's books 458:Twice-Told Tales 453: 452: 366: 359: 352: 343: 342: 329: 328: 313: 299: 293: 292: 290: 289: 273: 264: 250: 244: 230: 224: 223: 221: 220: 206: 135:The National Era 82:Native Americans 746: 745: 741: 740: 739: 737: 736: 735: 716: 715: 714: 709: 654: 627: 589: 581: 502: 448: 442: 420:The Marble Faun 375: 370: 326: 322: 317: 316: 300: 296: 287: 285: 275: 274: 267: 251: 247: 231: 227: 218: 216: 208: 207: 196: 191: 179: 162:Franconia Notch 150: 126: 94:character flaws 53: 43:, published by 12: 11: 5: 744: 734: 733: 728: 711: 710: 708: 707: 702: 697: 692: 687: 682: 677: 672: 666: 664: 660: 659: 656: 655: 653: 652: 644: 635: 633: 629: 628: 626: 625: 618: 611: 604: 596: 594: 583: 582: 580: 579: 572: 565: 558: 551: 544: 537: 530: 523: 520:The Birth-Mark 515: 513: 504: 503: 501: 500: 493: 486: 479: 472: 464: 462: 450: 444: 443: 441: 440: 432: 424: 416: 408: 400: 392: 383: 381: 377: 376: 369: 368: 361: 354: 346: 340: 339: 321: 320:External links 318: 315: 314: 294: 265: 245: 225: 214:Classic Reader 193: 192: 190: 187: 186: 185: 178: 175: 170:Daniel Webster 149: 146: 125: 122: 52: 49: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 743: 732: 729: 727: 724: 723: 721: 706: 703: 701: 698: 696: 695:The Old Manse 693: 691: 688: 686: 683: 681: 678: 676: 673: 671: 668: 667: 665: 661: 650: 649: 645: 642: 641: 637: 636: 634: 630: 623: 619: 616: 612: 609: 605: 602: 598: 597: 595: 592: 591: 584: 577: 573: 570: 566: 563: 559: 556: 552: 549: 545: 542: 538: 535: 531: 528: 524: 521: 517: 516: 514: 511: 510: 505: 498: 494: 491: 487: 484: 480: 477: 473: 470: 466: 465: 463: 460: 459: 454: 451: 445: 438: 437: 433: 430: 429: 425: 422: 421: 417: 414: 413: 409: 406: 405: 401: 398: 397: 393: 390: 389: 385: 384: 382: 378: 374: 367: 362: 360: 355: 353: 348: 347: 344: 338: 334: 333: 324: 323: 312: 311:0-395-27602-0 308: 304: 298: 284: 283: 278: 272: 270: 263: 262:0-395-27602-0 259: 255: 249: 243: 242:0-395-27602-0 239: 235: 229: 215: 211: 205: 203: 201: 199: 194: 184: 181: 180: 174: 171: 167: 163: 159: 155: 145: 143: 142: 137: 136: 131: 120: 115: 112: 110: 106: 101: 99: 98:physiognomies 95: 91: 85: 83: 79: 73: 71: 64: 62: 58: 57:New Hampshire 48: 46: 42: 41: 36: 32: 25: 24: 18: 646: 638: 600: 586: 507: 456: 434: 426: 418: 410: 402: 394: 386: 331: 302: 297: 286:. Retrieved 280: 253: 248: 233: 228: 217:. Retrieved 213: 151: 139: 133: 127: 117: 113: 105:lay preacher 102: 86: 75: 66: 54: 51:Plot summary 38: 30: 28: 21: 700:The Wayside 608:Ethan Brand 449:collections 447:Short story 183:Physiognomy 720:Categories 576:Feathertop 288:2013-05-26 219:2013-05-26 189:References 76:The local 388:Fanshawe 337:LibriVox 177:See also 78:folklore 663:Related 109:sermons 90:oratory 651:(1853) 643:(1851) 593:(1852) 512:(1846) 461:(1837) 439:(1882) 431:(1863) 423:(1860) 415:(1852) 407:(1851) 399:(1850) 391:(1828) 380:Novels 309:  260:  240:  70:Titan 61:notch 307:ISBN 258:ISBN 238:ISBN 722:: 279:. 268:^ 212:. 197:^ 144:. 624:" 620:" 617:" 613:" 610:" 606:" 603:" 599:" 578:" 574:" 571:" 567:" 564:" 560:" 557:" 553:" 550:" 546:" 543:" 539:" 536:" 532:" 529:" 525:" 522:" 518:" 499:" 495:" 492:" 488:" 485:" 481:" 478:" 474:" 471:" 467:" 365:e 358:t 351:v 291:. 222:. 29:"

Index


The Snow-Image, and Other Twice-Told Tales
Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Snow-Image, and Other Twice-Told Tales
Ticknor, Reed & Fields
New Hampshire
notch
Titan
folklore
Native Americans
oratory
character flaws
physiognomies
lay preacher
sermons
Salem, Massachusetts
The National Era
The Snow-Image, and Other Twice-Told Tales
New Hampshire Division of Parks and Recreation
Old Man of the Mountain
Franconia Notch
tourist attraction
Daniel Webster
Physiognomy




"The Great Stone Face: by Nathaniel Hawthorne"
ISBN

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