A White Heron Essay

A White Heron Literary Analysis
Countless stories of various heroes and heroines have all followed the same cycle from the
beginning to the conclusion of a hero's life. The cycle begins from an event affecting the hero's
life leading them on a quest that is typically filled with some form of adventure. The hero is
equipped for the quest with a type of power or aid from the supernatural to support them against
trials. Typically, the trials are used to prove ahero's worth and even bring a change of behavior
within the character. A difficult sacrifice is then made by the hero as they near the end of their
journey, and will come to experience either physical or metaphorical death, to which they are
rewarded significantly. The short literature titled "A White Heron," written bySarah Orne Jewett, fits
the hero archetype by the main character experiencing a sudden adventure full of trials to the reward
of the quest's completion.
Within the story, "A White Heron," the reader is first introduced to the young main character,
Sylvia, whose everyday life is interrupted by an unexpected event. As Sylvia is leading her cow
home through the forest, she hears an unusual whistle. Her curiosity leads her to meeting a
seemingly lost, yet handsome man she had never seen before. Sylvia learns that the man is a
hunter, and especially has a passion for hunting birds. The hunter claims he is specifically looking
for a white heron and he is willing to give Sylvia and her grandmother 10 dollars if she finds its nest
for him.
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Choice In A White Heron
Choice in Naturalist and Realist Works Part of human nature is believing that an individual has
choice in what happens in his or her life. A literary style emerging after Romanticism, Realism, and a
sub–genre of this style, Regionalism both argued that free will is existent among humans, even if
this free will is limited. A literary style that was influenced by Darwinism,Naturalism, posited that
choice is an illusion and an individual has no say in what happens in his or her life. Both of these
styles offered an interesting view of choice and how individuals are influenced to make their choices.
Realism is an American literary style that emerged after the Civil War. Some common
characteristics of realism are a focus on common people and realistic...show more content...
Out of the four main characters, the oiler worked the hardest at keeping the boat going towards the
shore. The captain, who was injured by the shipwreck, could contribute very little to the cause of
survival. Even though the oiler worked the hardest, he did not make it to shore with the rest of
them men. Crane's work shows that no matter how hard one works he or she is only reacting to the
forces that change their life. The pessimistic view that naturalist authors shared was that someone
could work very hard to overcome his or her destiny; however, he or she was still subject to heredity
and nature's fate for his or her life. Crane also posited that, in the end, nature will have its say in how
and what happens in an individual's

Gender Identity Literary Theory : A White Heron
Discussion Board #3 – Using the Gender Identity Literary Theory.
"A White Heron".
This short story portrays the resistance that feminist concepts give way to. Our story having the main
character as a nine–year–old little girl who embarks on a journey that yearns for the young girl to
come from a state of innocence to a state of knowledge about the world around her. She becomes
illuminated in her environment once her grandmother has brought her to live in the rural
countryside. Knowledge and nature seem to be key reoccurring elements, signifying some of the
elements that the feminist analytical approach targets as a unique discourse of feminine
characteristic. The author being female, it can be argued that an underlying attempt is submerged
...show more content...
To tie this together, with wealth and power, an insensitive male culture is able to exploit the
harmony of the world he dominants, which is a significant point made in feminist movements.
Sylvia and the young man take on an expedition into the woods to find the white heron. The young
man hopes to seduce Sylvia to gain more knowledge of the prized white heron. When the seduction
occurs, there are several poignant emotions that the author describes of the young girl, which directly
leads the reader into the second perspective which is "her initiatory journey." Young Sylvia is thrust
into a yearning for womanhood, which is depicted in the story "the woman's heart, asleep in the
child. This part is important because of its portrayal of a masculine device at using the innocence of
a young girl's heart to obtain his needs.
The journey she must embark upon is more an upward that an outward one, a direction that
emphasizes not only the limits of her environment but points to her affinity with the bird. We think
of the journey to knowledge as more of a flight applying bird–like characteristics to Sylvia. "With
her bare feet and fingers, that pinched and held like bird's claws to the monstrous ladder" and
"Sylvia felt as if she could go flying away among the clouds...truly it was a vast and awesome
world!" Sylvia has recognized her own independence.
Ultimately the concluding choice that Sylvia makes coincides with

The Meaning of A White Heron Essay
The Meaning of A White Heron Through life experiences we learn that some things in life are
more important than money. By using the "Archetypal Cycle of Human experience" I will be able
to explain the importance of each stage in the story " A white Heron" by Sarah Orne Jewett. The
story " A white Heron" is about a nine–year–old girl named Sylvia. The author starts the cycle
/framework by implying through the character's age that Sylvia has a certain innocence that only a
young child early in life can possess. This is the first stage in the cycle of human experiences, the
innocence stage. Sylvia had moved from the city to the country in order to live with her
grandmother when she was eight years old. Sylvia used to live in a...show more content...
This sparked an interest in the man, and he talked about his bird collection and that he was out
there to get a white heron. The man asked if Sylvia had seen a white heron, but she did not reply.
The man said that he would pay ten dollars to anyone who could show him the location of the
white heron's nest. Sylvia thought of all the treasures that she could buy with that wealth. This
paragraph contains the third step in the cycle because of the range of emotions that she
experienced and the choices she made. The third step is all about experiences, trial an error and
temptations. Sylvia was no longer thinking/acting with a good heart; she had been taken control of
by greed. The next day the man goes out in search for the white heron and Sylvia accompanied him.
While they were looking for the heron the man gives Sylvia a jack–knife. Sylvia starts to like the
man because he is kind and sympathetic. Sylvia could not understand why he killed the birds that
he liked so much. Sylvia has now started to develop certain feelings for the man. The man stayed
the night again at the house and all that Sylvia could think about was climbing the pine tree to find
the white heron so she could gain the man's approval of her. This paragraph is the fourth step in the
cycle because of the internal emotions that she had created. The fourth step is death, psychologically
or internally (what you believed about your standards). The author has Sylvia develop feeling for the
man

Theme Of Gender Roles In A White Heron
"A White Heron", written by Sarah Orne Jewett, is a timeless classic of a girl finding a heron and
keeping it a secret from a man she meets in the woods. There is a lot of symbolism in the story, but
it also talks about the difference between the gender roles of the characters in the story and their
approach to the natural world. This is a major facet especially in the time period the story takes place
which is during the 1880's. The author shows moments where gender roles fit the norms of the times
but what is more fascinating is the focus given on the changing gender norms that conflict with the
time period. I will give my opinion of the gender roles and also discuss two other opinions from
other literary analysis by Aubrey E. Plourde and Effie Heotis.
During my research, I discovered the roles that men and women played during the 1880's and how
they fit into the character's roles of "A White Heron". Men were considered more strong,
intelligent, and courageous. Women on the other hand were to have virtues of modesty,
compassion, and chastity. They were driven by their emotions. Also, women were expected to be
passive and men aggressive. We see this type of passive description in the story when it says, "She
did not dare to look boldly at the young man" (Jewett 439). Even when Mrs. Tilley was bragging
about Sylvia's knowledge about nature, the author describes her as "The little girl that sat very
demur" (Jewett 440). Another example of traditional gender roles is even

What Is The Nature Of A White Heron
Although A White Heron is such a short story it says so much about America and some of the
ideals that were held at the same time this was written/set, it embodies the purity and innocence of a
new America. The story is also a microcosm for nature and the drive for expansion; it only shows a
sliver of what is happening in the world but it still embodies those qualities. It encompasses not only
the beauty and hope that Sylvia discovers while searching for the white heron, but also the strength
and determination that she gains through saving the herons from the hunter. America is a beautiful
and hopeful nation, but it's also strong and determined to protect what is right and good. Sylvia at
her core is the epitome of America itself; young, adventurous, and full of spirit.
The tree seemed to lengthen itself out as she went up, and to reach farther and farther upward. It
was like a great main–mast to the voyaging earth; it must truly have been amazed that morning
through all its ponderous frame as it felt this determined spark of human spirit winding its way
from higher branch to branch. The first line talks about a tree stretching itself out, growing. Which
is what America was doing. Like Sylvia and the tree, the country was growing, becoming its own
'being' by expanding westward and developing the Frontier. Next is the voyaging Earth. A voyage
typically means a long journey, a quest to find something new, like the West. Like how Sylvia takes
a journey within

Symbolism In The White Heron
The White Heron depicts a story of a little girl who leads a life of respect and love of nature rather
than that of fortune. Early on in the story, she meets a boy who is a self–proclaimed ornithologist, a
scientist that studies birds. He is willing to pay ten dollars to whomever can show him the White
Heron he had once seen. It is now up to Sylvia, the young girl, to make a decision either in favor
of the ornithologist or the white heron. Ultimately, she will be making a decision to acquiesce to
male dominance or not. The pine tree in which Sylvia climbs in order to see the white heron up
close can be represented as a symbol of life. "Now she thought of the tree with a new excitement,
for why, if one climbed it at break of day, could not one see all the world, and easily discover
whence the white heron flewВ…" (Jewett 466). The tree actually takes on the characteristics of
an animal, when Sylvia is climbing the tree and the twigs scratch her with "angry like talons"
(Jewett 466). Sylvia continues on this obstacle up and up the tree, and continuing on towards her
revelation. The birds of the forest begin to sing louder and louder as Sylvia climbs, meaning she is
coming ever so closely to the top of the tree or the climax of her new life. She finally sees the white
heron and is eager with anticipation to tell the boy of the path to find it. Sylvia ventures home and
the young ornithologist and Sylvia's grandmother are both waiting for her. "He can make them rich
with money;

A White Heron Setting Analysis
Sarah Orne Jewett was born in South Berwick, Maine in 1849. Jewett and her two sisters led a
happy and carefree childhood. Reached artistic maturity with her publication of A White Heron and
Other Stories in 1886. A White Heron is about a girl named Sylvia who lives with her Grandmother
on the New England countryside. Sylvia meets a hunter who is looking for a rare white heron. A
theme of choice appears in this story through her choice whether to help the heron or help the hunter
find the heron and take the money. A theme of youth also appears through the situation of Sylvia
changing herself just to help the young hunter. Setting is important because the hunter wants to
diminish the countryside while Sylvia wants to save it. Jewett's

Critical Analysis of White Heron Essay
Critical Analysis of White Heron The White Heron is a spiritual story portraying great refinement
and concerns with higher things in life. A 9 year old girl once isolated in the city found fulfillment
in a farm surrounded by nature. Too those less unfortunate, money charm and other attractions can
be intoxicated; Sylvia did not bite. She could have helped her situation and found a way to wealth
but in the end she realized that it wouldn't help her to be the person she wanted to be. This paper
will illustrate a critical analysis of the story of White Heron and focus on the relationship between
the literary elements of the story, plot, characterization, style, symbolism and women's concerns that
are specific to this period. Plot...show more content...
As she is developing, she is tantalized by the societal norms he represents. She is ready to give up
the backwoods (a symbol of herself) for all he (a symbol of society) has to offer. Convinced of
that, she sets off to find the secret of the elusive white heron and in order to find the heron, she
had to climb to what was literally the top of the world for her, the top of the pine tree. The world
from the top was different than the city and it was different from the woods at ground level. From
the top her perspective about the world changed, it was vast and awesome, and she understood her
place in it more than before. She understood it to mean more than to sacrifice her own self for the
gifts this man had to offer that were tantalizing but incapitable with her personality and true self.
Characterization The motive behind the hunter is he wants to shoot birds, study them and stuff
them. QUOTE. The young hunter is not a bad person except he kills birds. Interesting he does not
see the irony that he likes birds so much that he kills them. Sylvia is a young but matured 9 year old
not conflicted between leaving the city and coming to a rural area but conflicted between nature and
a charming young man although in the end Sylvia stays true to her own

A White Heron Character Analysis
The protagonists of each stories " Hills Like White Elephants" and "A White Heron" have conflicts
with another male character, whom they have a romantic relationship with one another. The male
characters, the American and a young ornithologist hunter, share a similar ambition of getting what
they want. The American wants his female love interest to have an operation, claiming that it is the
best option for their relationship. As for the young ornithologist hunter, he has a desire to catch a
rare bird, but is having difficulties locating it. Although these strong leading female protagonists, Jig
and Sylvia, are in certain situations where they do not have a solid agreement with the other male
characters. The story progresses for both protagonists,...show more content...
As Sylvia wanders around the city, she meets a young ornithologist. The ornithologist merely
asks Sylvia for help to search for a rare bird. The ornithologist's tone may sound as if he was
desperate for this creature, "I would give ten dollars to anybody who could show it to me" (Jewett
61). She soon discovers that they both share a common interest for animals and nature. At this
moment, Sylvia found the ornithologist charming and wants to build a friendship with this
character. As the story progresses, Sylvia realizes that the ornithologist is a hunter and changes her
interest in him, as it states in the text, "Sylvia would have liked him vastly better without the his
gun" (Jewett 61). In this situation, Sylvia rethinks to herself on making her decision, according to
the text, "Wondering over and over again what the stranger would say to her, and what he would
think when she told him how to find his way straight to the heron's nest" (Jewett 64). Whether she
should go against what she believes in to protect a rare bird and receive ten dollars, to help support
her family or ruin a relationship with the hunter. In the end, Sylvia stays true to what she believes in
and did not reveal the bird's location. By choosing this decision she has risked her new relationship
with the

Literary Analysis of 'A White Heron'
Literature Analysis Part 1 Throughout the history Fiction has been used by many writers to
emphasize on environment and the importance it has in our lives. "A White Heron", is a great
example of how an article can effectively grip the attention of the reader and delivering a vital
message at the same time. On the other hand fact based articles are based on truth, research and
years of hard work but unfortunately most of the time they fail to capture the common reader
proving interesting to only subject area experts or environmentalists. A White Heron written in
1886 is about a girl who comes to her grandmother's house in the country side she falls in love with
the nature and after some time adjusts in the new surroundings. Being familiarized with the
surroundings, a hunter offers her a considerable reward for finding a Heron for his personal
collection. Being human she agrees to find the bird and accompanies the hunter but fails to find the
heron. Later on she goes alone and finds the bird's nest by climbing on the tallest tree, this in turn
reignites her love and passion for the nature and the thought of helping the hunter and killing of the
Heron becomes cynical. She keeps it a secret and Hunter goes back without his prize. (Jewett, 2009)
On the other hand "Reducing, harmful, drilling and mining" is an article that emphasizes on the use
of coal in fulfilling our energy needs and the impact coal drilling and mining has on the environment
of the surrounding areas. It

A White Heron
One's view on something often changes when you look at it from more than one point of view.
Morality plays a significant role in any decision making process. It is hard to justify any decision
that is not moral. Sarah Orne Jewett's "A White Heron" has many elements of nature, and of the
preservation of what Sylvia holds dearly. The thought provoking short story evokes emotions of
caring, loving, and fear. All of these emotions are shown by different settings and characters in the
story. It is difficult to sacrifice something that is loved to acquire a personal gain. Sylvia is not
willing to disrupt the beauty of the forest for a personal gain. She and her grandmother really do
need the reward that is being offered to them by the hunter....show more content...
At that moment her mind was made up. This is when she knew what to do. She was not going to
sell out the heron for a reward. Getting payed at the expense of others leaves one with an empty
feeling. Love is a key emotion that is brought about in the story. It is first depicted with Sylvia's
feelings for the hunter. On the contrary, she seems to have an equal love for the forest. Both of
these feelings of love are strong, however, she can choose only one. Sylvia's initial love for the
hunter is shown here: "What a spirit of adventure, what wild ambition! What fancied triumph and
delight and glory for the later morning when she could make known the secret! It was almost too
great for the childish heart to bear" (391). Sylvia is quite eager to impress the hunter, and prove
herself worthy to him. Her love of the hunter is simply infatuation, whereas her love of the forest
is real. She becomes infatuated with the hunter after she hears his kind voice: "I have been hunting
for some birds," the stranger said kindly, "and I have lost my way, and need a friend very much.
Don't be afraid," he added gallantly. "Speak up and tell me what your name is, and whether you
think I can spend the night at your house, and go out gunning

The White Heron Literary Analysis
Analyze theme In the story "The White Heron" by Sarah Jewett, a young girl named Sylvia gives
up a lot of money to save a rare bird called a white heron from being killed. The lesson I learned
from this story is that you should never let greed keep you from doing what's right. I really liked
ready "The White Heron" because it was very descriptive of things like Sylvia and her
surroundings. As I kept reading the story I felt like I connected with her. I also understood why
she gave up the money to save the white heron. The reason for that is, I have always hated when
people were trying to kill endangered animals. If I was in that kind of situation as Sylvia, I would
have done the same thing she had done. Sylvia moved to a farm

A White Heron Summary
Summary Sarah Orne Jewett's "A White Heron," the maximum popular of her short memories, is a
prime instance of a "nearby shade" story in its depiction of the lifestyles of selected vicinity–in this
case, her native Maine. Jewett explores the internal war that a transplanted town girl reports
between her newly acquired love for nature and her herbal and awakening hobby within the
opposite intercourse. Sylvia, who is aware of where the uncommon white heron has its nest, should
decide between allegiances to the things of nature and the gratitude and friendship of the young
hunter who seeks to feature the white heron to his series of stuffed birds. Within the first part of
the tale, Jewett establishes Sylvia as a "toddler of nature" who is rather cautious of humans. After
having spent the first eight years of her lifestyles in a "crowded production city," where she has
been stressed via a "terrific purple–faced boy," she is now at domestic inside the "out–of–doors."
Her grandmother, who rescued Sylvia from the city, believes that Sylvia had never been "alive"
until her arrival on the farm. In keeping with her grandmother, "the wild creator's counts her one
o' themselves." In truth, when Sylvia first seems, she is using domestic a cow named Mistress
Moolly that is defined as Sylvia's "valued associate." Sylvia feels more at home with her "herbal"
society than she does with "folks. "As an end result, while she hears "a boy's whistle, determined,
and quite aggressive," she is "horror–bothered," however the younger guy overcomes her worry and
accompanies her to her grandmother's farm. Having spent the day looking, he seeks meals and
refuge for the night time, and Mrs. Tilley obliges him. The young hunter discusses his collection
of birds, listens to Mrs. Tilley speak approximately her son Dan's looking, and learns that Sylvia
"knows all about birds." He then gives ten greenbacks for facts about the whereabouts of the white
heron. The following day, Sylvia accompanies him as he hunts, and his "kind and sympathetic"
behavior wins her "loving admiration," despite the fact that she cannot recognize why he kills the
very birds he professes to like. The second part of the tale issues Sylvia's selection to climb the

A White Heron Reflection Essay
Introduction Literature is a big part of my life considering that I love to write poetry, but I have
been so busy with life that I placed my writing to the side as secondary. I was pleased to take this
class and I feel that I gotten reintroduce to reading and a piece of me have been awaken. To my
amusement the three pieces of works that sparked my interest are the first three that we were
assigned to read. Mark Twain novel "The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn" that was published in
1884, I enjoy this novel because of the different adventures that Huck encounters. Brett Harte "The
Luck of the Roaring Camp" That was published in 1868, This short story commanded my attention
and I was emotional attached almost instantly. Sarah Orne Jewett "A White Heron" was the third
pieces and it was published in 1886.This story intrigue me with nature and how the story develops
around it. These wonderful masterpieces are intriguing to me because they are three totally
different writing styles and stories concepts that can be seamlessly connected with literary
elements. The way the authors wrote their pieces were amazing for that story, but I find it
fascinating how we can float down the river with Huck and be in a western with Roaring Camp
through imagery. How the use of the tone can bring the same hope of Roaring Camp to the Woods
of "White Heron". Each story had characters that develop and did it with the used of something
symbolic.
Imagery
Each author use of Imagery is not to just bring

In A White Heron , the author, Sarah Orne Jewett, describes a young girl who interacts with a
number of elements that cause her to discover who she is and what she stands for. Sylvia, being
only nine years old and coming from a large family from the demanding city life , is moved to her
grandmother's remote farm where she finds herself to be comfortably isolated from the rest of the
world. This, in fact, suits her lack of social ability, and so she finds herself becoming one with
nature: both the plants and animals. When a young hunter, with whom she comes to admire greatly,
comes along and tries to destroy apart of 'her', she finds herself in a conflicting position. Sarah
Jewett's writings had mainly avoided romantic topics by...show more content...
It causes the reader to perhaps question their own decision making and shows the author's avoidance
of romanticism. Using romantic appeal takes away from the intentions of the story; Furthermore, this
intention being the sacrifice of love to another being and, instead, to the appeal of nature.
(Consider a better transition into the new topic. You can add transition word or add connecting
sentence to the previous paragraph) Realism is the key style in A White Heron . This element avoids
a 'fairy tale' feeling to the story and, rather, allows it to focus on more important issues. The
author shows this in Sylvia's development of her feelings towards the sportsman and how she
regards those feelings in order to embrace individualism and knows that "whatever treasures were
lost to her, woodlands and summer time, remember!" the wilderness is a part of who she is
(Jewett 71). This is the point where she neglects her feelings for the hunter and, instead, realizes
her own true feelings towards the countryside and what it has offered to her and will continually
provide for her own spiritual and personal needs. Not only is realism used in Sylvia's focus on
real–life–in–the–moment events, but in other minor uses such as the setting. The story takes place
within the parameters of Sylvia's "clean and comfortable...little dwelling" in a middle to lower level
class community that "does not rebel at the companionship of hens" (Jewett 65).

A White Heron by Sarah Orne Jewett
Temptation is a tricky thing. It is often difficult for one to make the 'right choice' because both
options commonly appear as being equally good or bad. In Sarah Orne Jewett's short story, A
White Heron, a young, naive Sylvia faces temptation in it's truest form. She is forced to make a
tough choice, where her decision would either benefit her or save an innocent creature. This story
depicts an age–old strife that still plagues society today which exists as the internal struggle between
greedily disclosing or taking something for personal benefit, or selflessly giving something up so
others can have the opportunity to flourish. In the beginning, innocent Sylvia is searching for her
run–away cow when she comes across a hunter. Initially, she is wary of the strange man, but
eventually she warms up to him. Over the course of the story, her fondness towards the man
grows into strange feelings, which her naive mind deciphered as her first 'crush'. "Sylvia would
have liked him vastly better without his gun; she could not understand why he killed the very birds
he seemed to like so much. But as the day waned, Sylvia still watched the young man with loving
admiration. She had never seen anybody so charming and delightful; the woman's heart, asleep in
the child, was vaguely thrilled by a dream of love" (Par. 26). Living in the secluded forest with her
Grandmother, she was curious about these feelings since they did not often get too many visitors.
The hunter began to tell stories

The White Heron Theme Essay
The White Heron
Theme Essay
The name of this story is "The White Heron." Sarah Jewett wrote this loving, caring story about how
money isn't everything in life. The theme for "The White Heron" is that caring for others is bigger
than money and stuff like that, because money can't buy you feelings. I liked this story because it
gets you to understand that caring for someone or something, is more important than money and
buying things.
The plot of this story is a hunter finds a house out back in the woods, inside this house is a little
old grandma and a little kid named Sylvia. The grandma welcomes him into the house and gives
him food and a place to rest. However, the family doesn't know that the hunter is trying to hunt a
very rare bird, the

Summary Of A White Heron By Sarah Orne Jewett
Hi, Robert~~
This is the most popular of her short stories, it discovers the inside conflict freshly learned her love
of nature and stimulate interest in the opposite gender. Sylvia, a shy nine–year–old, who recognizes
must decide between white heron's nest, which is a rare case, loyalty to belongings of nature and the
gratitude and friendship of white young hunters, who want that add to his collection of stuffed birds
(Hurn, n.d). Sarah Orne Jewett has fame as feminist and romantic through her pieces of literature.
Her works reflects her personal experience as a little girl in Maine (A white Heron' by Sarah Orne
Jewett: Summary, Symbolism, and Analysis, 2014).
With internal conflict, between want to keep the nest of heron, which is loving

A White Heron Essay

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A White Heron Essay