The Great Stone Face
The Great Stone Face is a short story that Hawthorne wrote in his later years, pursuing the ideal image of mankind.
A boy named Earnest hears a legend from his mother that a child will be born who is destined to become the greatest person of his time.
His countenance will bear an exact resemblance to the Great Stone Face,
a rock outcropping formed on the side of a mountain.
Earnest himself lives a sincere and humble life, waiting for the mountain image to be fulfilled by a living person.
As time goes on, he meets a rich merchant, a heroic military man, and a poet.
But none of them come close to that of the mountain image.
Hawthorne wrote many works that contain moral themes.
The Great Stone Face is one of those works.
The value of a great man does not depend on worldly fame, riches and power, but through constant self observation, as his speech and thoughts should also match his actions in daily life.
