In “The Great Stone Face,” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ernest spends his entire life gazing at the Great Stone Face, reflecting on himself, and embracing inner wisdom gained from nature rather than the constructs of civilization such as institutionalized education. He realizes the truth that wealth, power, and fame do not easily lead to nobility or goodness. He believes in the ‘majesty, beauty, and goodness’ of nature and discovers the ‘divinity’ inherent within it. Hawthorne argues that nature guides humans to find their true purposes and that humans should discover the divinity and wisdom manifested in nature. By expressing this view, Hawthorne solidifies the foundation of 19th-century American Romantic literature.