The Ambitious Guest (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne
- First Published: 1835
- Type of Plot: Domestic realism
- Time of Work: The early 1800's
- Setting: Notch of the White Hills, Massachusetts
- Principal Characters: The Ambitious Guest, Mother, Father, Eldest daughter, Aged grandmother, Younger children
- Genres: Short fiction, Domestic realism
- Subjects: Family or family life, Death or dying, Storms, Ambition, Disasters, Natural disasters
- Locales: Massachusetts
The Story
“The Ambitious Guest” begins in a moment of great tranquillity, with a family cozily gathered around their hearth. Father and mother, eldest daughter and aged grandmother, are briefly described as assuming the guises of persons of their ages who are filled with great contentment. Although they are entirely comfortable, mention is made of the harsh winter weather and the dangerous position of the cottage, over which towers a mountain. The noise of stones tumbling down the mountain has often startled the family at midnight.
Throughout the story, a contrast is...
[The entire page is 1319 words long]
See Also:
Nathaniel Hawthorne (Cyclopedia of World Authors)Nathaniel Hawthorne (Short Fiction)Nathaniel Hawthorne (Long Fiction)Nathaniel Hawthorne (Dictionary of World Biography)Nathaniel Hawthorne (Identities and Issues)Theory of Short Fiction (Topical Overview--Short Fiction)
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