Reflection of 'The Ambitious Guest'

         If someone asks me about the difference between animals and humans, I would say it as ‘free will’. Free will is the ability to control or manage one’s action and decision. While the desire makes people motivated, free will works as a brake and an accelerator which can speed up or slow down their action. The desire to be better also exists in other animals, but it is the free will what helps people to be human: rational, or sometimes warm-hearted.

         'The ambitious guest' is about those who failed to achieve their ambition. The family who used to be peaceful and modest became vain after they met the ambitious guest who talked about the city life and all those ‘leaving one’s name’. Being fanatic about the mysterious, appealing city life, the family rushed out of the house, and they ended up buried by the rock.

         In ‘The ambitious guest’, Hawthorne depicts the tragic ending of those who chased the vanity. It seems like Hawthorne wanted to warn the readers by showing the mountain slide that didn’t happen before the ambitious guest appeared.

         Some might think that this tragic incident was due to the ambition itself. However, what I think is that it is not the matter of ambition. Whether the pursuit of ambition would turn out to be tragic or not depends on the presence of free will. In other words, when chasing one’s own dream or ambition, one should know when to speed up or slow down. In the case of that family, it can be interpreted that they failed to have a free will.

         As for my case, I have done a lot of challenges. I planned to go abroad (England), I learned how to play Haegum (Korean fiddle), and I tried to do water-skiing. Some of them succeeded while others failed. To recall my experiences, I thought that the difference between succeeded case and failed case is the presence of free will, somewhat rationality.

        One of the experiences I want to say is the experience of water-skiing. Last summer, in the school activity, I had an opportunity to learn water-skiing. Being ambitious after watching others enjoy waterskiing, I made a grand plan to properly stand during water-skiing. Because I was too passionate at then, instead of listening some advices from the teacher, I just tried to do water-skiing and start off. And the result was pitiful. After less than 1 minute, I had to stop water skiing and just went back to the pier. I wasn’t able to stand up of course, and I also had to struggle to get out of water. It is the result of no free will, no control. If I had listened to what the teacher said, the tragic, pitiful incident wouldn’t have happened.

         Shortly, I think that free will is crucial in the success or realization of ambition or dream. It is easy to have an ambition, engine, but it is not easy to have a free will, the brake, to control the ambition. This can be the lesson that people should remember. 
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Comments!(before editing)
-So yeon Min: How do we verify that humans are the only species that possess free will? (Even though people often assume this fact as common sense) Also, what do you exactly mean by "free will"? Your writing would have been better if you had developed more on the point that the result of the ambition depends on the purpose. I do personally agree with your point, and I think your writing will turn out marvelous if you clarified on some points above.


-Yeji Park: You said "somewhat misleading will or purpose". How are we going to define the term "misleading"? Do you think that the city life is "misleading"? What is the desirable type of ambition then? You said "the ambition can turn to be (+) or (-) depends on one's thoughts or ideals. So are these thought/ideals chosen by the society or personality? Please clarify the "standards" of what makes ambitions (+) or (-), and I look forward for your revised reflection:)


-Rhee Jiyoon: You implied that chimpanzees have no ambition while people have "a desire to be or to live in better condition." But I disagree with you and I think chimpanzees-among other animals that you have mentioned to not have a free will-may also have some other kinds of ambition, according to your definition of ambition. I think even puppies would want to "live in a better condition"! In your essay, I hope you develop your idea further about how a pure ambition can "turn to be positive or negative", then your essay will sound even stronger!


-Chonghyun Ahn: I would have to say that I disagree on your definition of ambition as "the combination of human desire and free will". In that sense, Hawthorne's description of mountain people is also ambitious, it would be impossible to not to be ambitious. Anyway, great writing :)