I love reading some of these classic short stories. They serve as a record of human lives through the ages and from different perspectives. In the 1830s the sale of opium was rising rapidly under the Qing dynasty, Australia’s creation is decided and Melbourne is founded, Charles Masson conducts his excavation work around Kabul Jalalabad where he notes that Kabul in 1833 is a model of tolerance. In New England Hawthorne penned The Ambitious Guest.

In this short story Nathaniel Hawthorne tells a well-known story of those parts in the Willey tragedy in New Hampshire. On August 28, 1826 an entire family was killed while fleeing to safety. The home from which the fled remained undamaged.

Commentary on the story has suggested that the real protagonist is nature itself (Christopher Johnson) and “The Ambitious Guest” is really Hawthorn expressing his own desire to become someone famous, at the beginning of his career (Brenda Wineapple, Hawthorne’s biographer).

It is a wonderful tale despite the tragedy that follows. There is so much hope and happiness in the home, and then…

Enjoy!

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PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!