The Ambitious Guest Essay Introduction
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Ambitious Guest,” first published in 1835 in *The
New-England Magazine* and later included in *Twice-Told Tales*, follows a young
traveler who spends an evening with a family living in the dangerous Notch of the White
Mountains. The family welcomes the stranger into their home, where conversation turns
toward their hopes for the future and the traveler’s desire to accomplish something
significant before he dies. Their peaceful gathering is suddenly threatened by an
avalanche, forcing the family and their guest to confront how little control they have over
their fate. Through the contrast between human ambition and the unpredictable power of
nature, Hawthorne examines mortality, the desire for lasting significance, and the limits of
human plans.
