In this short story, Nathaniel Hawthorne describes the civil unrest in the new city of Boston due to the failure of the English king to meet their needs; and he has sent his own officials to govern the colonists against their will. When the governor decides to hold a procession in the name of the King showing his dominance of the colonists, an unknown old man in high-ranking robes steps out of the crowd and blocks the procession, causing the English officials to turn back with their tails between their legs.  This old man, who is dubbed “The Gray Champion” by the Bostonians, has never before been seen by anyone in the town; just as he appeared suddenly to defy the governor, he disappears when the governor has fled.  The old man in this story is a symbol of the colonist’s defiance to the King and his representative in the person of the governor.  The author conveys hope for the colonists through this one man’s ability to defy the governor, suggesting that it will eventually lead more and more people to find the courage to stand up for themselves..  The story’s tone is very uplifting and inspiring because if the Champion can defy the governor then maybe it is possible to do even greater things in the name of liberty.  One of the ontological question Hawthorne touches on in this story is “does a person act alone or an integral member of society?”