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The Ambitious Guest
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Character Analysis
The Guest/the Stranger
The guest is the central character in “The Ambitious Guest.” Hawthorne utilizes direct characterization when the narrator describes the guest as a “proud, yet gentle spirit” and someone who is often solitary because of the “lofty caution of his nature” (302). He is both haughty and kind, as demonstrated by his grand ambitions and his ability to develop an instant kinship with the family.
The guest catalyzes the plot because he is an external force who comes into the family’s private space and changes the dynamic of the evening. When the guest shares his desire to be remembered after death, he disrupts the family’s usual domestic routine and prompts them to talk about their own ambitions.
By the end of the short story, the guest’s greatest fear, which is to be forgotten after his death, is realized. His craving for “Earthly Immortality” and the irony of his oblivion develop the themes of Ambition Versus Fate and The Desire to Conquer Death (307).
The Father
The father is an important supporting character in “The Ambitious Guest.” At the beginning of the story, the narrator establishes that the “faces of the father and mother ha[ve] a sober gladness” (299). The juxtaposition of “sober gladness” indicates that the happiness the parents experience is tempered by the hardship and loneliness of living on a dreary mountain. Even though the family “h[olds] daily converse with the world” through their interactions with the travelers passing through the Notch (299), they are largely isolated. The father seeks to provide for his family as the head of the household, yet he carefully eschews greed, such as when he doesn’t invite the group of travelers to stay at his inn lest he appear “too solicitous of gain” (304). The father is a humble man who has known both hardship and happiness.
Like the protagonist, the father has dreams that demonstrate the tension between ambition and fate. Rather than dwelling in a dreary, isolated place, he wants to live in “Bartlett, or Bethlehem, or Littleton” (303). He desires to be integrated and well respected by society, as shown by his dream of serving in the General Court. However, like every other character in the story, he dies with his wishes unfulfilled.
The Eldest Daughter
The eldest daughter is another key supporting character. The narrator highlights the daughter’s blithe demeanor and physical beauty, referring to her as “Happiness at seventeen” (299) and a “mountain-nymph” (304). As the story goes on, the narrator provides glimpses of loneliness under her jovial bearing. In addition, she acts as a foil to the guest. A foil is a character who reveals the traits, motivations, or values of another character through comparison. She counters the guest’s lofty ambition of having a monument built for him with the reply, “It is better to sit here, by this fire […] and be comfortable and contented, though nobody thinks about us” (302). Her contentment with a simple, anonymous life emphasizes his ambitious nature.
Despite her disinterest in glory, the daughter cherishes dreams of her own. She complains of feeling lonesome, and the guest interprets this loneliness as a desire for romantic companionship. However, Hawthorne does not provide the daughter’s direct thoughts. Instead, her sighs and expressions are interpreted by the guest. This is one example of how the women have more subdued and private ambitions than men in “The Ambitious Guest.” According to the guest, the daughter dreams about the domestic sphere, and the mother does not talk about her own dreams at all. As a foil to the guest, the eldest daughter counters the protagonist’s hunger for glory and renown.
The Grandmother
The grandmother is another secondary character, and she develops the theme of Ambition Versus Fate. The narrator describes her as “the image of Happiness grown old” (299), and her dream is primarily concerned with death. Fearing an old superstition that the dead will arrange their own garments neatly unless someone else does this for them, she wishes for one of her children to hold a mirror in front of her dead body so that her spirit may see that everything is all right. However, the grandmother’s ambition is left unfulfilled because her body is never found, let alone given a proper burial. Almost immediately after she expresses her desire, the story reaches its peak and the landslide occurs, leading to all of the characters’ deaths. The fact that the grandmother’s superstition is the last ambition shared makes the story’s grim ending even more haunting.
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By Nathaniel Hawthorne
