The Great Stone Face – I

"The Great Stone Face – I" is adapted from a short story by the American author Nathaniel Hawthorne. It is an allegorical tale about a boy named Ernest who grows up in a valley dominated by a huge natural rock formation called the Great Stone Face. Ernest is told a prophecy: one day, a person with a face exactly resembling the Great Stone Face will appear and become the greatest person in the valley. The story explores themes of idealism, the power of noble aspiration, character over wealth, and the fulfilment of potential through virtue.

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• Allegory: A story in which characters, events, and settings represent abstract ideas or moral qualities. The Great Stone Face represents the ideal of noble character and wisdom.
• The Great Stone Face: A natural formation of rocks on a cliff face that, from a distance, resembles a human face of great kindness, wisdom, and benevolence. Ernest gazes at it throughout his life, absorbing its qualities.
• Ernest: The protagonist — a simple, hardworking, thoughtful boy who grows up into a kind and wise man by constantly gazing at and aspiring to the qualities of the Great Stone Face.
• The Prophecy: An old legend says that a child born in the valley will one day grow up to be the greatest person there, with a face resembling the Great Stone Face.
• Key Themes: The power of aspiration, true greatness lies in character not wealth, the slow development of wisdom through reflection.

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From an early age, Ernest is captivated by the Great Stone Face. His mother tells him the legend, and he begins to gaze at the face daily, finding in it a kind of companionship and inspiration. The face seems to smile at him, encouraging him.

The first candidate for the prophecy is a man named Gathergold, a merchant who has become enormously rich. The townspeople rush to declare him the fulfilment of the prophecy — surely a great man must be wealthy! But Ernest studies Gathergold's mean, pinched face and realises he does not resemble the Great Stone Face at all. He is disappointed but not discouraged.

Gathergold represents the equation of wealth with greatness. He spends his money lavishly when he returns to the valley but remains fundamentally selfish and mean-spirited. When he dies poor (having lost his wealth), his golden statue is destroyed, and the townspeople quickly forget him. His "greatness" was illusory.

The second candidate is Old Blood-and-Thunder, a famous general. Again, the townspeople are excited — surely military glory equals greatness! But Ernest studies the general's coarse, war-hardened face and finds no resemblance to the gentle, wise Great Stone Face.

The general represents the equation of military power and fame with greatness. Like Gathergold, he is celebrated by society for external achievements rather than inner qualities. Ernest's quiet rejection of both men deepens the story's message: true greatness is internal.

While the valley waits for the great man to appear, Ernest grows up quietly, working on his farm, helping neighbours, and spending time gazing at and conversing (in his imagination) with the Great Stone Face. He becomes kind, thoughtful, and wise without seeking fame or wealth.

The story suggests that constantly holding a noble ideal before oneself — as Ernest holds the image of the Great Stone Face — gradually shapes one's character to match that ideal. This is a powerful argument for the importance of heroes, role models, and ideals in moral development.

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• Students sometimes think the Great Stone Face is a character who acts in the story. It is a natural rock formation that functions as a symbol and ideal.
• Gathergold and Old Blood-and-Thunder are foils to Ernest — they illustrate false ideas of greatness (wealth, power) against which Ernest's true greatness is measured.
• This is Part I of the story; Part II introduces the poet and reveals the true fulfilment of the prophecy.

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In a beautiful valley overlooked by the Great Stone Face — a rock formation of noble appearance — a boy named Ernest grows up inspired by the legend that a person resembling the face will one day appear. Ernest gazes at the face throughout his youth, absorbing its qualities of kindness and wisdom. Two candidates appear — the wealthy Gathergold and the famous general Old Blood-and-Thunder — but Ernest sees that neither truly resembles the face. He continues his simple, virtuous life, unknowingly becoming what he has always admired.