Nathaniel Hawthorne's 1850 short story ''The Great Stone Face'' is a story about nature, divinity, and a prophecy. It begins with a mother and her young son, Ernest, who live in a prosperous valley. What sets this place apart is a local mountainside with rocks that strongly resemble a wise and benevolent face. The mother tells her fascinated son of the local legend, that a man whose appearance matches the Great Stone Face will return to the valley. That man is destined to be, ''the greatest and noblest personage of his time.'' Young Ernest is drawn to the tale and hopes fervently that such a man will appear in his lifetime.

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Ernest grows up working the fields and playing in the woods of the valley. He becomes a quiet, strong, smart kid, although he has no formal schooling. Ernest spends a good portion of his day in respectful, almost prayerful, contemplation of the Great Stone Face. A