Explain how the author develops the theme that home is a joyful and safe place with evidence from the text.

The author of the short story “The Ambitious Guest” starts by explaining the location of the home. The home is situated in a “cold dangerous spot” near a steep mountain. It is in the Notch of the White Hills which is referred to as the “bleakest spot of all New England,” with a weather that is exceedingly cold in the winter and has a sharp wind throughout the year. Yet, the interior of the house...

The author of the short story “The Ambitious Guest” starts by explaining the location of the home. The home is situated in a “cold dangerous spot” near a steep mountain. It is in the Notch of the White Hills which is referred to as the “bleakest spot of all New England,” with a weather that is exceedingly cold in the winter and has a sharp wind throughout the year. Yet, the interior of the house is safe and happy. The hearth in the house has a roaring fire that expels any cold, and the people of the house even laugh at each other’s jokes in spite of the scary sound made outside by rolling stones.

Indeed, the parents, children, and grandmother are each defined, using various adjectives, as being very happy: the parents’ faces have a “sober gladness,” the oldest girl is “the image of happiness,” and the grandmother is the “image of happiness grown old.” The house doubles up as a tavern, where lodgers only pay for food and accommodation. When a young male traveler enters the house, he says, “Ah, this fire is the right thing, especially when there is such a pleasant circle around it.” The author builds the theme that the house is a joyful and safe place by contrasting its warm interior with the cold exterior.