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Critics have offered many interpretations of the seemingly simple story, “A White Heron.”
It has been described as “a lamentation over humankind’s estrangement from nature” (Atkinson).
Other critics view the story through a feminist lens that rejects the predatory nature of men, as embodied by the young hunter, who offers “knowledge, money, sexuality, and a vision of the world” to Sylvie (Zanger.)
It has similarly been characterized as “a young woman’s declaration of independence from a patriarchal society” that would see Sylvie “raped, killed, stuffed and put on display in a man’s house” (Brenzo). Some critics have gone so far as to read this story as the recounting of an actual rape.
A gentler vision of the story views the protagonist as a young woman who rejects “heterosexual institutions in favor of the natural realm of the mother” (Held).
How do you interpret the central theme of this story?
Please address comments to others by name so that we can all follow along.
Be sure to include your SECTION NUMBER as there will be three sections of students participating in our discussions.
141 thoughts on “Week 3 Discussion”
As Sylvia, the protagonist of Sarah Orne Jewett’s “A White Heron”, develops into a symbol of femininity, her blossoming union with nature becomes increasingly at odds with a hunter who represents both sterile industrialization and sexual dominance. This juxtaposition between Sylvia, a nine-year old girl whose name means “spirit of the wood”, and the hunter, “a young sportsman…who carried a gun over his shoulder,” centers on the pursuit of a white heron, a fleeting emblem of nature and its preservation from human possession (Jewett 1-2). Sarah Orne Jewett’s voice shifts toward a series of supernatural-like images and events that facilitates a surging duality of the feminine in Sylvia: separation from man (Sylvia as “nature”) and attraction/adherence to man (Sylvia as “female”). In seeking the heron, the author’s inclusion of the pine-tree, “a great main-mast to the voyaging earth,” serves as the lightning rod to which both ends of Sylvia’s flaring femininity climax into revelatory attitudes that accompany a transformation into adulthood (3). Her choice to conceal the heron’s “secret” from the hunter implies that it has also become her secret; Sylvia becomes associated with the whole of nature as the “pageant of the world,” fulfilling a common belief in nature as feminine (3). Simultaneously, her refusal to expose the heron also implies that she is a woman, independent of man and desire (his and hers), able to possess secrets of her own even if it brings a loneliness that doesn’t concur with “the satisfactions of an existence heart to heart with nature” (3).
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David, yes, there is a strong distinction made in this story between the feminine and masculine worlds. The story is often read through a feminist lens because the depiction of the male presence penetrating the soft world of the female characters (including the milk-giving cow) is so negative. The young hunter tries to manipulate and use Sylvia for his own gain. Like the worst depictions of male behavior, he is selfish and deceitful and kills what he loves. He is a collector of trophies and values the birds for what they say about himself rather than for what they are in the context of nature. I always feel that if men like this one are what Sylvia is “giving up,” she is not losing very much. I like how you associate the feminine in this story with nature itself, full of its many secrets. The heron’s secrets, as you write, are also Sylvia’s secrets. And the wild, free heron is also symbolic of Sylvia herself. Thanks for the very insightful comments.
Hi David, great comment. I read this story about five to six times and every time I read it I come away with different sides either the hunter’s, the grandmother’s, or Sylvia’s side. Sylvia is a very strong individual and can stand on her own and keeping the secret of the heron shows her strength. I agree with you when you said ”the hunter who represents both sterile industrialization and sexual dominance” especially when he said he was going to pay all that money for the heron feathers.
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Syndoll, how interesting that with each new reading you came away with different ideas. I think this is one sign of a really good story. That continues to happen to me when I read many stories on our reading list. The meaning continues to expand.
Hello David, there are many different themes for this story and I agree with you on one of these themes being a distinction of masculinity and femininity especially. When reading this story the presence of nature v. industrialization and femininity v. masculinity is ever prominent the first time you read it. The hunter in the story is seen as both the dominant through many factors and is also seen as an interpretation to industrialization due to him trying to remove the white heron from its home. Sylvia can be interpreted as innocent, naivety, and ultimately nature herself and this is why some see this as a man disrupting the untouched world of a young girl. The hunter trying to manipulate Sylvia and use her for profitable gain, showing us the depiction of toxic masculinity.
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The theme that I interpret from the story is how Sylvia’s innocence turns into her gaining experience, knowledge and protecting another’s innocence. Sylvia lives in the country she is innocent and almost lives in solitude if it weren’t for her love for nature, her cow and grandmother. The hunter appearing challenges her innocent relationship she has with nature being that she rarely has other human contact she starts to develop feelings of love for him as he asks her to help him find the heron. Her feelings for the hunter caused her to go out and look for the heron, when she finds it, she returns home. She decides to not tell the hunter that she found the heron protecting its innocence. This decision leads her to have a deeper relationship with nature. It shows that her innocence can be misdirected and leads to her gaining more knowledge through experience.
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Heather, yes, we see Sylvia gaining experience in this story. Her climbing the pine tree from which she can finally see the world beyond the forest, is the perfect symbol of this. This image is one of the reasons some people associate the story with sexual initiation. However, the story does not have to be read this way. She learns who she herself is and what matters to her. She also comes to realize the depth of her commitment to nature. She protects the heron and she protects herself from the manipulation of the male.
Hello Heather! I agree that Sylvia’s new deepened relationship with nature comes along with a gain in knowledge through experience. I think there’s also an additional “experience” she’s able to derive knowledge from when we review her choice to protect the heron (and thereby protecting nature). When Sylvia refuses the hunter the information he craves, she is also denying herself the chance for exploring new and bewildering senses of romantic love, or at the very least, human connection. The additional “knowledge” she takes away from this is the “loneliness” she comes to discover when she chooses nature over man. This isn’t to say that I’m positive Sylvia was attempting to outright romantically pursue the hunter but nevertheless – 9 year olds should be more focused on nature anyway!
Hi Heather, you had mentioned a good point than me which is “how Sylvia’s innocence turns into her gaining experience, knowledge and protecting others innocence”. I agree with you if her innocence is misled, then the plot and ending of the story will change everything. For example, The young hunter will kill the birds it finds and kill other birds together. As you know he is a hunter and he must survive by hunting. In addition, he is interested in killing animals. Killing too many animals will make them endangered. This destroys the ecology of nature.
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Hi Heather, I like your response, it is a great summary with the theme of the story. Sylvia was innocent since she didn’t have any friends around her. Gaining experience also means that she learned how to make decisions when we are living moments of feelings. I think that she made the right decision because that is the place where she lives and she must protect the nature around her. This story shows us how a person grows up by making decisions.
I think the central theme of this story is how one’s youthful innocence can easily be manipulated and exposed to those who are self-indulged. Sylvia is a young girl from an isolated world where she lives alone with her grandmother and her only playmate is their cow. She is very well connected with nature and finds herself comfortable in this environment until a hunter comes along and challenges her love and loyalty for nature. At first Sylvia is afraid of the hunter since she is not familiar with him but starts to warm up to him as they spend some time together in the woods. She then starts to show some admiration for him and the hunter sees this as an opportunity to get her to sell out the white heron’s location. Sylvia’s attachment to the hunter and her excitement motivates her to look for the white heron but when she finds it, she realizes that she cannot betray her home and love for nature. In the end Sylvia makes a choice to protect the white heron and loses the hunter as a friend.
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Angela, yes, the theme of innocence versus experience and the manipulation of the experienced is very pronounced in the story. I love how strong Sylvia is, despite her innocence. Yes, she is briefly tempted, but her love and loyalty for nature outweigh the temptations the boy has to offer. “Manipulation” is definitely the right word because the young hunter employs all the tricks men use to get what they want. In being loyal to the heron, Sylvia is also loyal to herself and her values.
Hello Angela. The theme that you have found within the text of the youthful innocence of one potentially being manipulated and exposed is similar to what I found with the white heron symbolizing purity. I found Sylvia staying true to herself and her values to be the main example of these theme. I believe with the concept that Sylvia decides to stay pure to herself and not corrupt herself for any dollar amount or a potential love interest with the hunter, the author is telling the readers the importance of staying true to our pure selves.
Hi Angela!
I agree with everything you said, I believe that the hunter was definitely a threat to her innocence. I felt that he was only thinking about himself, and only wanted to use Sylvia for his advantage . It shows his selfishness and manipulation, her attachment, in my opinion is a way of her innocence slipping away. She was willing to do anything for him, (looking for the white heron), at the last moment she decided to spare the white heron. So I believe that signals that her innocence was kept.
Hi Angela, You are right about her love in nature. Nature gave her a sense of peace in her, the peace she didn’t have in herself when she was at the city. Silvia quickly adapted to the environment making it easier for her to travel on her own being independent. How do you think the story would of ended if she would of exposed the white heron’s location? I think the story would of had a different theme. Silvia would of experience innocent love, betrayal, and heartbreak. This story was very interesting, the theme of this story is still going on today. Older man manipulating the innocent lives of women in order to get what they want. Women standing up protecting their own voices and lives against the people.
Hello Angela! I agree with you on how you said “one’s youthful innocence can easily be manipulated and exposed to those who are self-indulged.” There is a lot of manipulation going on by the hunter and in my opinion people that take advantage of others weakness are so nasty and weak themselves. In the end you right she loses a looses a friend but her moral values are stronger. The author is trying to show us how we shouldn’t let others take advantage and that we shouldn’t do something if at the end of the day we really don’t want to do that thing.
Thanks David
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Hello Angels, I definitely agree with you on one the the themes being innocence v. experience. We can see this at the beginning of the story, because Sylvia lives a quiet and innocent country life. But the author demonstrates that this childhood innocence cannot stay intact because of human interference, which we can dedicate in the form of the young hunter’s character and appearance, leading to one gaining wisdom, the choice Sylvia makes is from experience to conserve nature and the white heron. The innocence changes into experience with complicated outcomes, but Sarah Orne Jewett is suggesting that experience and comprehension are inescapable and that nature is able to give comfort to those who have to make sacrifices in order to achieve wisdom.
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The theme most noticeable in the short story “A White Heron”, is the dilemma of faithfulness and the battle between industrialization and nature. The protagonist of the story, Slyvia, is the purest representation of innocence and of the unknown industrialized world. After meeting the hunter and feeling scared of someone unknown, we start to move towards her new relationship with industrialism. “She did not dare to look boldly at the tall young man, who carried a gun over his shoulder, but she came out of her bush and again followed the cow, while he walked alongside.” The boy is looking for a white heron and is willing to pay Slyvia for it. The story continues the theme, as the little girl starts to express feelings of love for the boy. He represents, dominance, stability, monetary goods, and the industrialization Slyvia has not yet be exposed to. As an inexperienced and normal young girl, Slyvia goes out to find the heron to express her love for the hunter. This theme of solitude that the young girl lives in, represents her sleepless night, wanting to go out and explore. We then are exposed to her encounter with the white heron. We notice that the connection to nature and her alignment with the white heron startles her decision of revealing the location of the nest. When Slyvia returns to her home, we reach the climax of industrialization vs nature, as well as love vs solitude. Slyvia decides to not give up the location of the heron, although she loves the boy and is curious of the stability he might be able to offer her. I find that this theme exists in present time, just in a less extreme way. We see middle America men and woman moving to big cities to leave their solitude and become more industrialized, weather it is for love or for monetary reasons. This theme in my opinion does not represent rape in any way. I believe that as humans we are confronted with countless options and life paths to take. The way we identify ourselves and grow to be experienced and independent is based on the decisions the young girl had between love and nature.
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David, thanks for the thoughtful post. One of the things I love about this story is that it contains many themes and can be legitimately interpreted (with reference to the text) in so many ways. You are a reader who rejects that the theme of rape is prevalent, but can find excellent evidence for the nature versus industrialized world idea, as well as the conflict of love versus solitude.
Hello David Bar-Aharon, I enjoyed reading your post. I agree that the theme has to do with the battle between industrialization and nature. I found myself noticing this as well, especially when Sylvia decided to protect the heron. Though while reading your post I noticed you wrote she was not yet exposed to industrializm even though it is mentioned she came from the city multiple times. Did you mean industrialization in a different more metaphorical way at this moment in your writing? Thanks!
Course – 0534
“A white Hero” is a short story where the persuasion and manipulation of the men put the loyalty and innocence of Sylvie to test, who is the protagonist of the story. I personally interpret the story as the last chance for the existence of a virgin world haunted by death. The ruthlessness, cynicism of men, and his hypocrisy destroying the natural world where he lives. The innocence of a girl who is dazzled by knowledge and where consciousness was stronger than persuasion. The love of nature and preservation of life prevail over extinction and discovery. Where a question comes up: Why do men kill the same things that he says he wants? Section 0534
Hi Raquel, It is a great response that makes us think a little bit more about the story. The man was trying to persuade her an innocent to show him where is the hero. But Sylvia decided not to show him because it is the place where she lives and those animal are their friends. It is really what you say “The love of nature and preservation of life prevail over extinction and discovery”. Respect to your question “why do men kill the same things that he says he wants?” I think that because he is a hunter he is going to appreciate when the animals are died rather than when they are alive.
The theme of this story is about the evolution of Sylvie as a young child. She is starting to understand the rules of nature versus the rules of man.
A farm is in many ways the perfect place to understand nature. Every animal has its own job, and it is expected to deliver, very much like a Woman in the 1800s where they have many obligations and few choices often controlled by the men in their lives. The hunter represents the greed of men and the destruction of nature. Sylvia does not understand how he can kill something he seems to love so much.
He has a large collection of stuffed birds and is willing to give up all his vacation time to get the white heron. Sylvia shows we all have a choice and duty to nature. The Large tree represents the heights she can reach by going against patriarchal society. At the top she sees a vast world. Hope. She comes down with new perspective and does not give up her friend the Heron for a man’s collection.
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Kevin, I like your comments about Sylvia having a choice. I think most readers applaud her when she makes that choice and protects the heron, as well as herself. I admire this character. She is so young and inexperienced, yet she seems to have a surety about her own nature and what she truly values. She remains true to these values and to what she loves, and it is only an outside voice at the end of the story that asserts itself and wonders what she has given up.
Hey Kevin,
I really enjoyed reading your analysis. You correctly represented the greed of the man and the love to nature that Sylvia has. I loved how you represented the height of the tree as a defiance against patriarchal society. I never thought about it that way. Your split of the story from before and after the tree climb puts the analysis in a much clearer perspective. I think that like that tree, we all experience life battles that question our perspective and make us gain life experience. Thank you for your post
David.
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Sarah Orne Jewett’s short story “The White Heron” tackles many different underlying themes that readers can conclude based on their reading. After further readings into this text, I found the white heron to symbolize purity within the narrator Sylvia. This is demonstrated in how she refuses to lead the male to the creature to murder it. Just like the animal, she wants to stay living her life the way she wants, in her case as an independent woman. She rejects the money in favor of being true to her pure values of having these animals roam the earth freely with no disturbance regardless of the male’s intentions. All of these ways of interpreting the reading contribute to the interpreted theme of nature and feminism that has been described all work in the concept of the short story and I would not be surprised to know that the author had both of these concepts in mind when writing the story, but I find the theme of purity and feminism to be the most arguable when it comes to the story as a whole.
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Richard, yes, the pure whiteness of this bird also supports the idea of the symbolism of purity. It’s so good to be aware of how symbolism enriches understanding of the characters and themes. Many readers feel that Sylvia maintains her own purity and values in her resistance to the sexual and material temptations of the hunter.
Hi Richard,
I like your interpretation on the story and how the white heron is symbolized as “purity” within the narrator. In the end when Sylvia makes a choice to protect the white heron, the white heron now lives as a reminder for Sylvia that she did the right thing. Even though she has lost the hunter as a friend, she has stood her ground and did what she felt was right to herself and the white heron. This was a beautiful story, in my opinion, about how a girl who could’ve lost herself to someone but came to realize it in the end before it was too late.
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Hello Richard,
I also like your comment about the white heron and what it represents.
Another animal I have been thinking about is the cow. The cow can also represent freedom. The cow is always going wherever she wants to. Finishing the day when she feels like, always somewhat late. I think Sylvia respects that of the cow. Sylvia and the cow both walk to their own beat. They are both free spirits.
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Kevin, yes, the cow is a real character in this story. Of course, cows are female. They are gentle and they are milk-givers.
The theme I found most prominent in “A White Heron” was feminine independence as nature vs. mankind. In this story, the farm and forest are an insular world, with Sylvia’s grandmother as Mother Earth and Sylvia as Mother Nature. The grandmother owns the farm and Sylvia knows the land and creatures in it. Sylvia embodies young independence. At 9 years of age, she left her mother’s home in the city and went to live with her grandmother, leaving her known world behind. Her grandmother runs a farm with only the help of a child.
When the man enters, his presence disrupts the world. While Mother Earth graciously makes space for mankind, Mother Nature is a bit more wary, choosing not to speak or give things away to an unknown visitor. The man needs things from Sylvia and her grandmother, he comes in and takes. Just as mankind takes resources from the Earth. He needs a “friend,” a place to stay, a meal, and wants Sylvia’s knowledge of the location of the Heron so he can take its life for his satisfaction. As Mother Nature, Sylvia watches the man, she accompanies him, listens to him, observes him, but she gives nothing away, remaining objective. The author mentions her gray eyes several times, which could symbolize objectivity, the gray area that is neither right nor wrong.
Just as Mother Nature keeps a balance, so does Sylvia. Once she spots her friend the bird, she does not give away its location, but she also doesn’t send the man in the opposite direction. She once again becomes an observer. Listening as the man leaves the farm and as her world returns to normal, she wonders “Were the birds better friends than their hunter might have been, — who can tell?” She chose to let nature take its course.
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Hey Lauren! I never considered the idea that the mentioning of the “gray eyes” could symbolize objectivity in Sylvia’s perception of her surroundings – including the hunter. It caused me to let out a verbal “oooo”. During my read, I personally started to give way to the idea that similar to, lets say the boy in “Araby” or Hughes in “Salvation”, that we’ve come to a point in Sylvia’s development that will have a profound effect on her, possibly elevating her to some level of adulthood. And surely this choice she makes at the story’s end could possibly be the catalyst for this elevation. In saying all of that, I felt that the “gray” symbolized a sense of fogginess in Sylvia’s perception. Maybe she was coming to see the hunter’s deception or that her idea of romantic love with this hunter was in itself unclear. But this idea of objectivity you bring up makes sense also – I think that’s really a fine interpretation for one of the story’s more underwritten uses of imagery.
David and Lauren, I’m intrigued by this “gray” conversation.
Hi David,
That’s so interesting! I do not think I would have picked up on the “gray” symbolizing fogginess! To me, Sylvia was so clear and wild and independent. I interpreted the story mostly from the perspective of Sylvia’s relationship with self. Both of her growing independence as a girl and as symbolic Mother Nature, the way she communes with the Heron from afar, rather than relationship with other (the hunter/mankind).
Going back and giving a closer read to the interactions between Sylvia and the hunter, I can definitely see what you mean. The line, “the woman’s heart, asleep in the child, was vaguely filled by a dream of love” is closely followed by the line about her gray eyes being “dark with excitement.” This shift in her eye color circles to your point of her idea of romantic love with the hunter being foggy. There are so many different ways to read and interpret! I enjoyed your viewpoint as well, thank you for sharing it with me!
Ashley
The theme I got from this story is that Sylvias closed off world, (her lack of experience), caused her to go out her way to find the heron and strengthen her relationship with nature. Introducing the hunter is showing a threat to her innocence. Sylvia has feelings for the hunter considering the fact that she doesn’t have much human interaction. Sylvia looks for the heron for the hunter, and when she finds it, she keeps the secret to her self. Her love for nature also caused her to spare the herons life. It shows that her innocence is fragile, and her love for nature grows. She learns from this experience to be more stronger and keep her love for nature.
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Thahina, thanks for the good comments. Please be sure, however, that your posts meet length requirements. I think the theme of innocence is very prevalent in this story. It is fragile, but there seems to be a paradox. While Sylvia chooses to preserve her innocence from the hunter, she does climb to the top of a tree and she does see the world and acquire knowledge that she never had before.
Hey Thahina, I totally agree with you in the area that the hunter was a threat to her, A threat to her innocent soul and pure mind. She easily gains feeling because coming from a big city where there’s lot of communication to completely zero contact with the outside world, it was a easy gateway to her and using her knowledge for the guidance he needed. He was a experienced man that knew how to convince people with his words. Words that attracted Silvia to him.
Thahina, I didn’t even think to connect that the hunter was a threat to her innocence! But that is a very good point and observation. I think this was a very good connection you made with the story. I also enjoyed that you wrote about how even though initially, she was going to find the heron for the hunter, she decided to keep the heron and its location to herself. She chose herself and her love for nature over her love for the hunter!
Claire, it’s wonderful to agree with others, but can you add to the conversation about in doing so?
Sylvie is a very caring and kind girl. Instead of selling bird location’s for money, she also refused the temptation for money. For example, in the story we can see that when the young hunter asked Sylvie if she could stay at her home for one night, she was kind and decided to let him stay at her home for one night. Because Sylvie is a kind girl, she made the act of staying with him. In reality, whenever we meet strangers, we will resist contact with them because it is a subconscious mind in our minds. In addition, we don’t know what attempts strangers have against us, such as robbing our property and threatening our safety in life. These things can happen. Beside that, Sylvie has taken control of the bird’s position, but she did not reveal it to the young hunter. The author has portrayed the protagonist in the story as having kindness and protecting animals.
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Hello Mei, I think you have brought up an interesting point! Usually, we are taught to stay away from strangers. I did find it interesting that Sylvia chatted with and, more importantly, invited this unfamiliar man into her home. I agree with how you’ve interpreted the central idea. Sylvia being kind yet not giving into temptation. Even though she thought of endless ways to use the “reward money,” she was not swayed by the man’s money, charm, or good looks. Sylvia stayed true to herself!
Mei, I can agree with you on your comment here! When i was reading and the man wanted to go back with her, I got a very uneasy feeling about it. I was trying to tell her “no! Don’t let him go with you!” I thought for sure he was bad news. I think that Sylvia was thinking about the animals less as her lesser that she needs to protect and more of her equal. Since she doesn’t have any other companions, the animals were more like her friends.
Claire, just wait until you read the story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” by Joyce Carol Oates, which we will be reading later in the term. Your inner voice will be screaming at you.
Mei Yan, yes, I think we as modern readers feel alarm at the intrusion of the stranger. And, in fact, this young hunter has nothing good to offer. We have to keep stories in historical context too, however. This story was written in a different, far more trusting time. We know from the text that the young hunter has often been housed by strangers on his various expeditions.
Hi Mel! I also agree about Sylvia. She’s most definitely someone who chooses on a daily basis to put the needs of the animals she shares her environment with over her own. While for a moment, she considers succumbing to her materials, knowing that those ten dollars might help her and the woman she’s staying with greatly, the minute she gets back in touch with nature and sees the heron with her own eyes, she immediately remembers why she fell in love with it in the first place, and her attitude changes. When the opportunity of material things was given to her, she chose the animals first.
In the “White Heron” by Owen Janett the central theme I understand is manipulation of love, money, and the innocence of a girl with struggles of understanding herself. A nine-year girl that does not understand the meaning of self-love yet still sees him with “loving admiration.” She does not understand her emotions still is fascinated by him. She was manipulated into “love” by the young sportsman. He gives her attention and talks to her making her feel special like she had never felt before. “As for Silvia herself, it seemed as if she never had been alive at all before she came to live at the farm.” She discovered love with a complete stranger. The young sports man was conscious she was new in the farm, it was a great opportunity for him. All he wanted was that “rare white heron.” Throughout the story the I imagined her as the white heron, the unreachable, beautiful, valuable bird. Silvia was so mind washed by the money and her love for the sports mans she was ready to give up the white heron. She wanted to trade his love for the white heron. Silvia was so determined in finding the heron she climbed the highest pine tree herself alone. Silvia risked herself for him. Silvia, a young girl that discovered self-love comes in different forms and no money in the world can have control of what you want more.
Mariana, I find it lovely how you express your association of Sylvia with the “unreachable, beautiful, valuable” girl. You are so right that these words can be applied to this young girl at the end of the story. She becomes (or has always been deep inside) each of these three things.
In the “White Heron” by Owen Janett the central theme I understand is manipulation of love, money, and the innocence of a girl with struggles of understanding herself. A nine-year girl that does not understand the meaning of self-love yet still sees him with “loving admiration.” She does not understand her emotions still is fascinated by him. She was manipulated into “love” by the young sportsman. He gives her attention and talks to her making her feel special like she had never felt before. “As for Silvia herself, it seemed as if she never had been alive at all before she came to live at the farm.” She discovered love with a complete stranger. The young sports man was conscious she was new in the farm, it was a great opportunity for him. All he wanted was that “rare white heron.” Throughout the story the I imagined her as the white heron, the unreachable, beautiful, valuable bird. Silvia was so mind washed by the money and her love for the sports mans she was ready to give up the white heron. She wanted to trade his love for the white heron. Silvia was so determined in finding the heron she climbed the highest pine tree herself alone. Silvia risked herself for him. Silvia, a young girl that discovered self-love comes in different forms and no money in the world can have control of what you want more.
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I will interpret the theme of this story as a young and innocent girl Sylvia being manipulated by a hunter for his own interest, who is highly experienced contrary to sylvia. The protagonist of Sarah Orne Jewett’s “ A White Heron. The hunter is this story that shows the character of a bad person who has a lack of love and uses others for its own gain. On the other hand Sylvia is described as an innocent young girl who admires nature, but her innocence and love of nature made her gain some experience as her heron’s secret. I think someone like Sylvia who lived in solitude beside her grandmother and the cow will be easily manipulated, but as the story shows, she was open minded regardless her innocent, she acted wisely to protect herself and also protect the heron from the hunter, which many of us will fail to achieve today.
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Souadou, I agree with you that Sylvia, even though she is still a child, possesses a deep kind of wisdom. As nature has its own wisdom, so does she.
After reading ‘A White Heron,’ I have interpreted the central theme to be about staying genuine. In this case, to nature. Rather than exploiting for money (which is a temporary gain) or impressing a new friend. Being that Sylvia is extremely knowledgable of the woods and “the wild creaturs counts her one o’themselves,” she has a genuine connection to that environment. When the “handsome stranger” comes along looking to disrupt the wildlife, Sylvia struggles to choose between remaining true and giving in to greed. Although they both share an admiration for nature, there is a difference. The animals are Sylvia’s friends, and for the man, the white heron is nothing but a trophy. Even with the charm, good looks, and money, in the end, she stays genuine, preserved the beauty, and possibly the longevity of nature. Sylvia proved she values the world around her and also cared for her animal companions.
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Hello Faith,
I agree, his charm and good looks disguised his true intention. As a hunter, he preys on the vulnerable and Sylvia was no exception. She questioned why he would want to kill what he said he loved, almost instinctively knowing something wasn’t right about him. She indeed remained true to herself, the purity she always possessed, even when she was not conscious of it. Once she found her strength and value she was not willing to hand it over to someone would destroy it. She keep her to herself.
I can’t help but to imagine Snow White in your description of Sylvia with her animal friends.
Faith, I too am struck by Sylvia’s sense of self. She remains “genuine,” as you write. Even though she is young, she is clear-eyed. She is able to weight the temptations of the hunter, which are both material and sexual in nature, keeping true to what she believes and values.
Hi Faith,
I agree, even when the “handsome stranger” tries to tempt Sylvia with money because of her knowledge of the woods he thinks he can manipulate her to help him hunt and kill one of his favorite birds. As a child Sylva question why would kills something he loved, she loved the animals too but viewed as friends. Even with the temptation from the stranger Sylvia stays true to herself and her friends in the woods.
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I believe that the central theme of this story is the importance of finding loyalty and being true to what you think is right. Sylvia had only alliance with her grandmother, the cow, and other animals and creatures of the woods, when another person is added to her equation, she has to decide whether to give her loyalty to him as well. She was afraid and not so pleased when she first met the hunter in the woods, but grew to like him. She had feelings towards this man she had not had before towards anyone. I think the hunter knew this as well, and used that and the fact that he was offering money to Sylvia and her grandmother to try to get her to show him the heron. He knew that she was loyal to the animals of the woods but by offering kindness, friendship, and money, he thought he could convince her to betray that loyalty and show it to him instead.
Claire, yes, loyalty to what one loves is another pervasive theme in this story. It is loyalty to nature, to others, and maybe most importantly, to herself.
Hello Claire,
I absolutely agree that one of the more notable themes of this piece addresses the significance of loyalty to oneself. Sylvia slowly becomes comfortable with the idea of giving up her own autonomy and replacing it with blind obedience. She doesn’t question this change until she reflects on her moment of independence in the pine tree: she recalls the moment of freedom she shared with the white heron, and the beauty of the world laid out before her, and ultimately decides that the loyalty to herself and her beliefs far outweighs the materialistic gain and prospective companionship of giving it up.
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The story of ” A white heron” by Sarah Ome Jewett, Sylvia is a 9-year-old girl living with her grandmother in the woodlands of the Maine countryside. She loves examining the woods while caring for the cow. The narrator describes how she has been able to see the forest from a distance and feel it. Sylvia’s grandmother tells her she can only see the trees when she walks through the woods. This shows that Sylvia is very independent and wants to be able to go out and explore the woods. Sylvia also wants to have the freedom to do what she likes without having to worry about anyone else. She talks about her feelings towards nature and how they make her feel.
I could interpret the central theme of this story as a tale of the young girl’s life in the woods. The story describes the young girl’s journey to adulthood. The author uses many techniques to show the theme of the story. One technique used was symbolism. The author uses symbols to show how the girl is going through life. Sylvia’s love for the natural beauty for the forest that made her want to go out and explore the woods. Even when she went to explore the woods with a stranger hunter man for the heron to hunt. Another symbol used was the setting. When Sylvia goes out to the woods, she sees a tree. It is beautiful and has an old pine tree on it that stands tallest in the forest.
The story was interesting to me because the way Sylvia did for the heron was very different from what I thought about it. When the stranger offered her money I thought she would tell him about the heron and get the money, but she didn’t keep it to herself. I was thinking of how much money she had. But then I realized money can’t buy everything and so does her love for nature and industrialization.
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Hello Humayra,
I believe her keeping the Heron a secret despite her wanting the money was a pivotal part of the story. The author, Sarah Orne Jewett empowered not only the character but the reader. This is a story that teaches a life lesson we all will face at some point. I agree there was a lot of symbolism. For instance the hunter with his gun is symbolic to destruction, a white heron symbolic of purity. “A White Heron,” was indeed a great read.
Humayra, didn’t you feel like cheering when Sylvia declined the hunter’s offer of money? I think many readers have some sense of unease for a while, wondering if the young girl will allow herself to be “bought.” Then, when she stays true to herself, we are happy.
In “A White Heron” the central theme in my opinion is the evolution and innocence of Sylvia and her growing experience as a kid. A little back story, Sylvia lives on a farm with her grandmother and their cow. You can imagine and see that she has a deeper connection and attachment towards nature rather than man. In this story the hunter is a metaphor for greed in my opinion. I believe the only reason she had helped the hunter in the first place is because she had minor feelings of affection for him, It felt like a new experience for her and he took advantage of that. After agreeing to help look for the Heron, she finds it. Although she did help the hunter find what he was looking for she couldn’t possibly let him kill such an innocent creature and betray her love for nature. To me this come down to, man vs nature and that’s never how it should be, nature is what’s keeping us alive. This ties in to a feminist view on the story because her not giving up the Heron to the hunter shows that she is a woman who does not need a man to tell her what to do or look after her. The quote from the story “the satisfactions of an existence heart to heart with nature” (3) shows us that her heart belongs more to nature and the world than it does to any man.
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David, yes, greed is a factor in this story. This is not a hunter who is killing for food. He is seeking out a rare bird for his own personal gratification and ego. He will stuff the bird as a trophy the purpose of which will be to show it off to others.
I think the central team of the story is the battle between Innocence and experience. Even when thinking about nature itself, I can see nature as the innocent who offers all it has and industries as an experienced who takes advantage and uses nature to reach its goals.
But I think the story wants to show us that everyone has a chance to make a decision and change the game at any point. Sylvia is an inexperienced, innocent, lonely girl who can be vulnerable to the hunter who is an experienced, powerful, masculine figure of the story. The man can help her overcome her vulnerabilities. He will give her money, and she seems to like him. She has two choices. She can choose to take the new, stable, happier life that the man can offer or be loyal to her true nature and values in the cost of refusing this comfort.
She chooses the hard path after taking a look at the “whole world from the top of the pine-tree” which I think represents knowledge and awareness. I do believe that we can interpret this as a patriarchal society in which women have two main choices. Obey to the higher power and what they have to offer, or go chose the hard path, take on the challenges and risk what they have, to be loyal to themselves and their values and the only way to do so is by gaining a better insight of the world around them.
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Hi Afsanesh,
I agree with you, Sylvia is a very intelligent and innocent woman. She has a very good sense of humor, which makes her seem like a very smart person. I found it fascinating when you said . “She can choose to take the new, stable, happier life that the man can offer or be loyal to her true nature and values in the cost of refusing this comfort”. She did feel in love with the hunter man, but she chose to stay with her nature. Sylvia is forced to discover that violating her values would be more painful. Her individual values which leaves her sad because she has to break the hunter’s spirits.
Afsaneh, yes, the large theme of innocence versus experience runs through this story. I always do feel that, while Sylvia remains pure and true to herself, she also gains knowledge of the world and of her own power to choose and, in fact, become a protector of the living things she loves.
Hello Afsaneh,
I agree with you in the sense of her being vulnerable compared to the hunter. You’re right about women having two paths in life. Either being true to themselves and choosing their own path or living in the set standards men think they have on women. I can see now why this story, from the very beginning, follows her decision making and puts her to the test in order to realize that she can choose her own path in life.
The central theme of this story is a girl who loves nature and being hit with reality of protecting what she loves. Sylvia’s love for nature is out of this world. With the way she goes on and on about the description of nature tells us about the love Sylvia has for nature and will do anything to protect it. Suddenly, Sylvia is being put to test by manipulative hunter. The hunter comes off as being nice and needing help with a place to spend a night but comes off with his main intentions as to why he finds himself there at the moment. As soon as the hunter unveils his intentions, Sylvia is left with the thought of saving the life the white heron in context. She goes with the hunter in search of this bird having in mind her own rescue mission. For one, Sylvia wanted to protect the course of nature and not allowing anyone especially the hunter to destroy it for their selfish reasons. In this world, everything is not about money and sometimes we need to go out of our comfort or free zone to protect or keep what we love. Sylvia could have taken the money because they sure needed it but she did not. The happiness that comes with people knowing that we sacrificed something great in order for them to feel safe is priceless.
Mercy, I like that you have noticed the evidence of Sylvia’s intense love for nature. She is at one with the creatures of the woods, who seem to regard her as one of their own. Even with the tree that she climbs is described as being protective of her. She is also keenly aware of her own love for nature; moreover, she is willing to sacrifice for this love.
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Hello Mercy,
I enjoyed your central theme because it fluxed one the nature aspect of good vs evil. At the heart of “A White Heron” lies the conflict between conserving nature and exploiting it for financial gain. The stranger wants to shoot, kill, and stuff the elusive white heron for his personal collection, and he offers Sylvia money to help him find it. Her
conscious choose to save the bird. Like you pointed out because she has a love for nature.
The story “A White Heron” by Sarah Orne Jewett is an exploration of a young girl developing a new understanding of the world around her as well as her role in this world. It is also the story of early consciousness in a child, that moment when you realize the levity of your decisions and actions and how they can affect and change the world around you.
When we first meet our main character the 9 year old Sylvia, she is innocent and in this innocence completely attuned with the nature around her, this is highlighted when Jewett describes the playful nature between sylvia and the cow, stating that the young girl found searching for the cow to be “a consolation to look upon the cows pranks as an intelligent attempt to play hide and seek and as the child had no playmates she lent herself to this amusement.” This shows us her connection to the animals and nature around her.
Outside forces arrive though when Sylvia meets a young man, who is hunting for a white heron. She is first very afraid and shy of the man, but over time her curiosity helps to lower her guard. In lowering her guard she sees the man in a new light watching him with “a loving aspiration” and it seemed she was “vaguely thrilled by the idea of love.” This Innocent girl gives away that she’d like to help the young man through her fixed attention, and he takes advantage of her admiration.
In hopes of gaining this young hunter’s appreciation the young girl climbs to the top of the highest tree in order to find the heron. While perched atop the tree she sees her perch as she sees the herons nest, a secret place. She spots the heron as it flies and “perches on a pine bough” near hers. She learns the secret home of the heron and also realizes her place within this community. Knowing that revealing the heron’s location will mean its death she decides not to tell the young hunter of her findings, leaving her innocent dream of love crushed, and his deal of manipulation thwarted.
She Grows older by keeping her secret, she realizes the fragile state of life, she learns sacrifice and the sinister dealings of others in this world.
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Hey James,
I was intrigued by the way you pointed out the cow and the girl’s relationship, and how it shows her innocence. I also agree with how her being attuned with nature plays into her innocence. However, the way I saw her choice of not revealing the heron’s location differs from yours in that her rejection of the hunter actually serves to preserve her innocence. I also like how you noted the hunter’s intention to use her to get what he wants.
Sarah Orne Jewett’s, “A White Heron,” represents a battle between spirit and carnality in my interpretation. Sylvia’s unexpected encounter with the young hunter, provoking fear, admiration and covetousness, designed to minimize her being only awakened it. On the journey to her spiritual maturation she was not left unscathed. The bruises and scrapes while climbing the tree to reach a higher vantage point symbolizes the challenges of growth. The victory did not come from just merely observing the Heron. She found what nurtured her, strengthened her, challenged her and what most could not find for themselves. She conquered the desires of her flesh for a greater satisfaction. This was my take on Jewett’s story, however it was fascinated to read the interpretations from various critics.
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Arlene, you have an interesting emphasis here on the struggle in this story that leads to awakening. So much of what you write here describes the various elements of Sylvia’s struggles and the rewards that she gains. “She is not left unscathed” is most certainly true, but I think readers sense at the end of the story that the struggles are well worth what she wins.
Hello Prof. Conway,
I agree. This is what I found interesting about the various interpretations. Ultimately, all of them led up to the same theme despite the perception of the events in the story.
Hello Arlene,
Your analogy of the tree is a observation I wish I took the time on in my explanation. I think it is a easy thing to overlook, yet there are so many layers to that point in the journey. The detail given in the story seems more like a scene in a movie than anything else, and it’s not hard to play the scene out in our heads has Sylvia moves from branch to branch and even makes the fateful leap to the other tree.
Bit of a run on sentence there at the end. Oh well Ha
So considering that some people have decided to view this story through a feminist sense, I re-read the story closely. After re-reading, I can definitely see where they come from. To me, this analysis proves to have more weight considering the clear age difference between Sylvia and the hunter. Since Sylvia is just nine years old, and the hunter is definitely much older, and considering the feelings Sylvia develops for him, there’s clearly a different power dynamic occurring here. The hunter is an older man hoping to exploit this little girl’s feelings, with the goal of finding the bird, and enticing her with money. So that’s something I caught later on. My initial interpretation, however, and what I believe is the central theme of the story, is a rejection of materialism and the things of the world that encourages you to stray away from the things that bring true happiness. Despite being so deeply attached to the nature surrounding Sylvia, she’s initially so eager to give the man the white heron. But all this changes after she climbs up the tree, and is able to see the place where she calls home in full view. In an instant, she reconnected with nature, and after seeing the heron, realized that the bird’s life and her attachment to nature was not worth ten dollars.
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Hello Caleb,
I agree, even if the amount of money had been greater, I still believe she would make the same decision. This reminded me of the biblical story of Judas Iscariot who made the choice to hand Jesus over for money, later to regret it, once Jesus was crucified. My interpretation was the conflict between spirit and flesh, good and evil. The tree symbolizing the Tree of Knowledge in which she had to climb to come to a higher level of self. I liked that the events although simplistic gave way to such abstract interpretations and yet concluded the same. “A White Heron,” was an artistic body of work.
I agree with you Caleb Acosta. With the huge age difference, we can somewhat view through a feminist sense. Moreover the story did not give details as to whether the hunter showed interest in Sylvia or not. I think he just needed someone or an easier way to make his job easy or in other words fulfill his goal. I think if the hunter had met a male or even an older person….he would have offered the same kind of reward to anyone who had showed him what he was looking for.
Sarah Orne Jewett’s, “A White Heron”, rejects the idea of feminine obedience and emphasizes the challenge with internalized patriarchal value in a subtle yet still pronounced way. Sylvia finds herself entranced with the hunter and slowly begins to sacrifice her own moral understanding of nature and the world around her for this stranger who offers her nothing but a materialistic perspective and manipulation. What’s interesting here (and crucial to the understanding of the story) is that Sylvia herself never actually actively observes this change in her own behavior: it all appears to happen subconsciously. After seeing what the world has to offer, her values and independence are challenged. However, despite the loneliness that accompanies this decision, she ultimately trusts her own inhibitions and chooses not to reveal the whereabouts of the white heron– the white heron representing feminine autonomy in this situation. This is Jewett’s commentary on feminism and female independence from the toxicity of masculine influence whether it was intentional or not.
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Hey Emily, you make good points about the story. I enjoy the premise of the rejection of female obedience. I see an example of this when Sylvia kept the the heron’s nest hidden, despite the love she had for the hunter, she stood stronger on her love for nature and loyalty to the heron. She was not a victim of her emotions, but was even more self-disiplined rejecting the hunters bribe. This story feels untrue because Sylvia is just a little girl, but she is a little that knows her priorities and what comes first!
While reading “A White Heron”, one of the themes that came to mind was a coming-of-age (with a twist). Although a coming-of-age story usually depicts a youth’s journey into adulthood, “A White Heron’ contains similar attributes. The 9-year-old girl Sylvia meets a young hunter who suspects that she has seen the white heron he’s been looking for. With the advent of the hunter came new and unfamiliar feelings for Sylvia; feelings of fear, excitement, curiosity, admiration, as well as ambition. The hunter represents the adult world, where one values money and desires (shooting and preserving birds for his collection). The old pine tree served as an adventure for her as she felt the exhilaration of climbing it and the view she will see from the top. As she made it to the top, she sees two hawks flying in the sky: “and Sylvia felt as if she too could go flying away among the clouds.”
The twist, however, is that she decides to turn away from the transition that would lead to adulthood. After she climbs down the tree, she stays silent on the heron’s location, rejecting the hunter’s money and “friendship”. Her decision to protect the bird in a way symbolizes the preservation of her youthful innocence.
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Johnson, I agree with what you write here. But I always feel that there is a bit of paradox. Yes, Sylvia retains her innocence in one sense, yet I feel she gains knowledge too—including knowledge about herself, which will determine the way she lives the rest of her life.
“A white Heron” by Sarah Orne Jewett is a short story in which young Sylvia must decide whether or not to reveal the location of the white heron’s nest to a hunter.
Over the course of the story, there are several themes that develop the narrative of the story. From my reading, a conflicting but prominent theme of the story is the choice for nature of civilization. When the narrator describes Sylvia as never being more alive when she’s on the farm depicts this theme. The metaphors employed by Jewett comparing Sylvia to the “wretched dry geranium” speaks bout Sylvia thriving in the countryside, as would the geranium being transplanted from town to country.
The introduction of the hunter who pursues the white heron is from the city and is therefore tainted by civilization and industrialization. In this context, Sylvia’s decision to preserve nature (by keeping the heron’s nest a secret) or profit from its consumption (by revealing the location of the heron and accepting the hunters bribe) is a reiteration of the conflict that is described. And Sylvia’s decision to keep the Heron’s nest a secret, is the authors way of showing us where her heart always lied afterall.
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In the story ”A White Heron” by Sarah Orne Jewett we meet Protagonist a nine-year-old girl named Sylvia. Sylvia was chosen out of seven other children I think they saw that wild streak of an outdoor adventurous kid in her personality so she was the best choice. She is exactly like a bird. Feeling bored and tired with her life in the town with her mother, Slyvia finally feels happy and free to explore and do whatever she wants much like the heron who has traveled far from its usual habitat as the hunter mentioned. When Sylvia sees the heron when she climbed the tree, she witnesses this first hand; a heron, getting away from the busyness of town to the peace of her grandmother’s home.
There are underlying themes on perspective and connection as we know that Sylvia and the hunter enjoy birds but appreciate them in different ways; Sylvia enjoys watching and studying them and the hunter enjoys hunting them and preserving them, the latter being less humane. Despite this difference, Sylvia still ponders and feels love for the hunter because he was very charming and kind.
I interpret the theme as love, fear, and innocent ”She could not understand why he killed the very birds he seemed to like so much” (Jewett 1-5) that scared her. Sylvia loves the young sportsman ”She had never seen anybody so charming and delightful”(Jewett 1-5). This seems so innocent ”the woman’s heart, asleep in the child” (Jewett 1-5) makes me think of the innocent love.
Syndoll Clarke
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The theme of “A White Heron” is very rich in vast array of topics, but I would list the environmentalism as the most important as the name of the story itself suggests, a kind of a wonderful bird that is being driven to extinction. Purposefully, the author made a character named Sylvia, who has willingly exchanged her life in an industrialized city for the life in the countryside, where she can still be able to explore nature in its marvelous forms. For Sylvia environment is life itself and she proves it when she gives up both material interests and human love just so a White Heron bird can continue living.
It is clear that human exploitative nature is exposed throughout the story, for example when the productivity of the cow is connected directly to the cow’s own fate: “if the creature had not given good milk and plenty of it, the case would have seemed very different to her owners”(line 6, Part 1), or by mentioning remaining of a single tree of its kind since the other were chopped down: “a great pine-tree stood, the last of its generation”( line 1, Part2), culminating with the hunting to extinction of White Heron birds for their pricy feathers.
Armend, to me your comments seem particularly apt as we watch the fires burning relentlessly in California and Oregon. The natural world is being devasted. Ninety percent of forest fires are created by human beings.
This interpretation of “A White Heron” is I feel, a bit more simplistic or grounded than the interpretations offered pre-discussion, which with exception to (Atkinson), seem spotted with presuppositions as the avenue to their conclusions.
Though I think we can all see the hero archetype, I see a tale connecting the innocence in humanity with that of nature. In this excerpt “she remembers how the white heron came flying through the golden air and how they watched the sea and the morning together”, the author shows how Sylvia now cherishes the life around her, and respects the autonomy of the forest “she cannot tell the heron’s secret and give its life away”. This respect is something I think we lose when disconnected from nature. Since Sylvia came from a manufacturing town, we can assume she is familiar with this disconnect, even if it had an influence in her psyche unknowingly. So in conclusion, I think the theme is reflected in her choice, and realization that is easier for a child of innocence to come to, and that is hoping to do her part of some small measure to safeguard what innocence is left in nature and herself.
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The central theme i interpreted from the story “ A White Heron” is it takes time for someone as Innocent as Sylvia to open up to anyone especially a man like the hunter. Who shows a perfect definition of masculinity. Being closed off and isolated from the world made her that way. So in the story when slyvia first meets this man she shys away from him, even when he asked for her name, she couldn’t even say her name out proper because she was so afraid. In the dinner table whilst the man was talking with enthusiasm, sylvia was still closed off and distant. After when the man and her took a walk in the forest and talked to her about birds. Sylvia started to open up and see the man as a gentle kind person. From that she learned that not every stranger is scary and to open up more because good things can come from it.
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Osamende, be sure that you distinguish theme from plot. Plot refers to the events in a story, while theme refers to the large ideas in the story. Your post here mostly recaps elements of the plot. Also, I think you have some misunderstanding about the nature of the hunter. His “kindness” is false. He uses it to manipulate Sylvia into telling him where the bird is so that he can kill it and add it to his collection.
I interpret the central theme of “A White Heron”, by Sarah Orne Jewett in several different ways that can relate to what has been described by Atkinson, Zangler, and Brenzo. Ultimately, I have interpreted the central theme of the story as something that is coming-of-age. The story begins with emphasizing Sylvia’s innocence by touching base on her connection with nature, especially the cow, Mistress Moolly, after relocating to the countryside from living in an urban setting. This is then compromised once she finds herself interacting with the Stranger that happens to cross paths with her. As Sylvia and the Stranger begin to get to know one another, Sylvia is confronted with having to choose the trust of this man over the unspoken commitment she has developed with nature. The Stranger tests this by enticing Sylvia to give up the location of the White Heron that he is determined to hunt. This test is an example of Sylvia’s test of making a decision of pursuing adulthood or maintaining her child-like state. Sylvia ultimately decides to protect the Heron by not disclosing the location of its nest, thus representing the preservation of Sylvia’s innocence.
Ironically, this story does not represent a typical coming-of-age story. If anything, it. shows a regressed coming-of-age theme by highlighting how Sylvia chose to maintain her relationship with nature and not confront an adult-like decision that would have benefited the Stranger.
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Soraya, yes, there is an element of paradox in Sylvia’s retention of her “innocence.” And yes, she does choose a certain kind of innocence. I think this partly involves refusing to dirty herself with material concerns or to give in to the self-serving seduction of the young man. On the other hand, as you note, she makes a decision about what matters most to her and about what she values and loves. I see this decision as being wise and mature. Interesting how she is able to maintain one kind of innocence even as she makes a critical choice about her own life and how she chooses to lead it.
In the story “A white heron” by Sarah Orne. The author describes the setting it is in a woods, where only live Sylvia and her grandmother Mrs. Tilley. Sylvia loves nature especially the birds. There are no friends to play with Sylvia that is why she plays with her cow. After she met with a hunter in the woods she fell in love with him. The hunter conveys her to show him where is the habit of the heron the kind of bird he was looking for. Sylvia decided to show him where is the heron but in the end, she didn’t. I think that the theme of this story “A Withe Heron” is loyalty because even that she is in love with him she decided not to show him where the hero is. Sylvia doesn’t want a bird of her living place to be killed, because they are their truly friends.
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The theme I interpreted from the story was self-discovery meaning how the little girl learns so much experience without knowing much from life at all. Sylvia changed in a significant way. She used to feel very comfortable when she was in nature more than around humans. Sylvia met a bird’s hunter, she admired him but at the same time she was very confused about him because he seemed to love the birds but a the same time he wanted to kill the bird. Sylvia was so innocent but she knew a lot. The hunter offered her money to reveal the bird’s location, she refused to give him the bird’s location because knew what was going to happen if she gave him the location. She already knew what was right from wrong, she was also discovering herself more and more. SEC.0503
In the story “The White Heron” the protagonist is a nine year old girl names Sylvia who has developed an attachment to nature. Her interactions with the world are very limited as she only lives with her grandmother. The central theme of this story is breaking out of manipulation. When the hunter arrives, he quickly becomes part of her life. As time progresses, Sylvia begins to develop feelings for this hunter. He is the first person she has interacted with that is from the outside of her small world. The hunter, who is more experienced with life, notices Sylvia’s small crush and manipulates her by offering money to whoever can help him find the heron. The hunter represents humanity’s greed and overdone self-preservation. He also represents temptation. Sylvia eventually finds where the heron is. However, she decides against giving up the heron’s position. She stays loyal to her connection with nature. Sylvia seeing the heron symbolizes Sylvia looking at her morals in the eyes and deciding to stay true to herself. The difficult climb down from the tree symbolizes Sylvia standing her ground. This story is about breaking out of manipulation.
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Hi Marisa! I appreciate reading your views on how Sylvia avoided manipulation. I must agree with you, especially given that she was faced with several instances that she could have easily succumbed to the antagonist’s agenda. I believe that Sylvia is a strong-willed character in which we all, as individuals, can learn from, especially when it comes to standing up for what you believe in. It is important that we continue to uphold our own morals and “stand our ground”. I liked how you touched base on the symbolism in the story as well.
The story “A White Heron” by Sarah Ome Jewett, introduces a young girl named Sylvia, who resides in a tucked-away farm in the woods, in the state of Maine with her grandmother. We first meet our character roaming the woods alongside a Cow. Sylvia’s ability to explore the woods alone enhances the already known fact that she has a strong connection to them, as well as her grandmother and her cow being the only things she has. Sylvia is also seen playing with her cow. While out there Sylvia runs into a hunter who then asks to stay over. Mrs. Tilley then explains to the hunter how well Sylvia knows the forest, the hunter then offers her grandmother and Sylvia 10 dollars if she can lead him to a white heron.
Which leads me into my interpretation of the central theme of this story is the shift of innocence, in the beginning of the story, Sylvia is introduced as a young girl with not many people in her life besides her grandmother and her cow. She is seen playing with the cow in the woods, referring to the cow’s games as “pranks” and suggest them as an “attempt to play hide and seek.” Sylvia’s love for nature and everything within it also exhibits a major sense of innocence. She views the woods as her sense of peace and seems to be interested in nothing else but that. The shift begins when Sylvia meets the Hunter. The hunter portrays himself as a helpful individual, who is offering money for a small price but also using Sylvia’s innocence for his gain, assuming she wouldn’t know otherwise. She then takes a liking to the hunter and is willing to help him find the bird, knowing what good that money can do. Until she realizes his true intentions and is then left to make a decision. When she goes about trying to find the white heron by herself, her innocence is then taken back once she climbs the tree she then goes on to keep what she saw a secret and I believe it’s because realizes her true self, her love of nature, the woods, a place where she calls home.
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Hello Senia,
I agree with your interpretation of the central theme of this story. I think Jewett made Sylvia’s character that of both a child and young girl to emphasize on her innocence. This innocence was threatened by the Hunter though I do not think Sylvia was fooled for a second. The Hunter told her and her grandma exactly why he was in their neck of the woods and Sylvia saw him hunting firsthand but grew to like him, nonetheless. The true conflict comes into play when her innocence is tested by the decision to give the Hunter the location of the Heron’s dwelling or protect it. Although it wavered momentarily her innocence was maintained throughout the story because she was responsible enough to stop herself before betraying the Heron. Her innocence won.
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I resonate with Zanger’s interpretation of “A White Heron” the most. Though the man introduced himself to Sylvia in a rather warm and assuring manner, the reality of the situation was that he was there to kill. Sylvie is regarded as part of the forest “There ain’t a foot o’ ground she don’t know her way over, and the wild creaturs counts her one o’ themselves. Squer’ls she’ll tame to come an’ feed right out o’ her hands, and all sorts o’ birds.” Sylvia felt rather at home in the forest. Jewett supports this statement writing “They were going away from whatever light there was, and striking deep into the woods, but their feet were familiar with the path, and it was no matter whether their eyes could see it or not.” So when she finds the area where the Heron rests she didn’t disclose it to keep the peace. I think it’s interesting that although Sylvia loved the forest she could also admire the ornithologist outside of his profession. She wouldn’t disclose the location of the long sought after Heron but she also wouldn’t make a bold statement in opposition to the man. It reads like she’s caught a crossroads of sorts. I think this plays towards the fact that although she is deeply connected with the forest she’s still a child.
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I think that this story is kind of a coming of age story. Sylvie is an innocent young girl that doesn’t fit in with people and feels more connected with nature. She is being manipulated by this hunter with promises of money to reveal where the bird is but she figures out which is more important, her loyalty to this profound love for nature or that. She realizes her connection to nature is much stronger and she cannot betray it for the hunter. She is oblivious to the fact that this man has bad intentions and is trying to corrupt her mind. The only thing that keeps her from revealing the bird’s location is her undeniable love for nature. In the second to last paragraph it says “when the great world for the first time puts out a hand to her, must she thrust it aside for a bird’s sake? The murmur of the pine’s green branches is in her ears”. In this internal conflict, Sylvie realizes that what some may consider the smart thing to do is not what she feels is right. I think this story may also be about morals and discovering them yourself.
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I interpret the central themes of this story as the faults of industrialization, the innocence, and the independence of a young girl. Both are presented through the perspective of Sylvia. She accompanies the hunter on his hunt the day after they meet and she wonders, “…she could not understand why he killed the very birds he seemed to like so much.”. This is a perfect representation of how many people treat the planet, we live here but treat it with disrespect and take it for granted. The innocence of Sylvia is presented on the walk with the hunter, she discovers many new things about the forest and is given a knife, “..which she thought as great a treasure as if she were a desert-islander.”. This shows her innocence that comes from being isolated. In the end, she “declares independence” from the male, the hunter, by concealing the location of the white heron and even rejecting a copious amount of money for it, thus showing she is capable of making decisions by herself and does not need anything the male can provide.
– Section 0504
While reading “A White Heron” by Sarah Orne Jewett, I had a couple of themes come to mind. The first being the main character Sylvia coming to age or adulting in a sense. The story started off with this innocent little girl named Sylvia or as her grandmother called her “Sylvy”, bonding with her cow and enjoying nature for what it is. As she heads how she runs into a stranger who is holding a gun and has asked to stay the night at her place. Now at this point she hasn’t dealt with this type of situation before so she was terrified. As she got to know this stranger she started feeling emotions that she has never felt before. That’s where the coming to age happens because the stranger who turns out to be a hunter test the innocence of Sylvia by having her assist him in hunting down a rare bird by the name of Heron. Being that she was really close to nature from running around the forest all day and taking care of her cow, this was a lot to ask for. At the end, she found out where the bird had its nest and seen the beauty within the bird and nature all around when she climbed the tree. She put all her feelings for the hunter to the side and stood up to what she believed in and didn’t give up the birds location to the hunter even though, herself and her grandmother were poor and could’ve used the money the hunter offered for her assistance.
Section 0503
Hello Everyone,
My name is Shai from section 0504
“A White Heron” is a story about a girl named Sylvia who lives with her grandmother. Sylvia’s best friends and only friends are the forest, her cow, and the other animals she discovers during her trips in the woods. I enjoyed reading this story so much, I felt like I am living Sylvias conflict with her and found myself wondering what is the “right choice” and what would I do if I were in her shoes.
Many themes can be found in this story, but in my opinion, the central theme is the conflict between her Innocent and her responsibility. I think those two words represent her conflict between childhood and maturity, and I was happy to read that her childhood innocence has won the battle. Her entire behavior and feelings towards the forest and the animals represent childhood- a world with no worries. She wonders around, exploring, and enjoys her feelings and lets herself carry away. Then she meets the hunter, who represents adulthood. He offers her a new point of view; he tries to change the way she feels and the way she sees the woods and the creatures she meets there. He is trying to convince her to expose the location of the White Heron net in return for money, which in the I see it, ruin her innocent point of view about the woods.
I think these represent our world, showing we all born innocent, with no prejudices, no worries, and no reason to be afraid. Sylvia allows a strange person to stay the night in her place. She is kind, pure, and find the good and beauty in the world creatures- both people and animals. But then, the world interferes and tries to change her believes by entering a toxic person to her life. She is tempted to go the wrong way, into adulthood, but in the end, she rejects his offer and chooses to stay true to herself, as I think we should all try as well.
Welcome to the group, Shai!
Shai
I love your point about how this may prove we are born innocent! I have always contemplated whether humans are inherently good or bad and I felt like this story was trying to prove that they are all good deep down despite the greed that challenges our morals. I also found the self-doubt Sylvie faced in the end very interesting. It proves how naive and willing to give the man that is trying to manipulate her another chance. Even though she is naive this was he clear decision for her.
The way how I interpret the central theme of the story is a way of manipulation and self reflection of people with less experience. Throughout the story Sylvia expresses to herself how she holds romantic feelings to the hunter but the truth is the hunter does not love her back and is trying to use her to accomplish his goal. In the end Sylvia learns this and it she ends up not telling the hunter the location of the animal he is looking for, the hunter eventually leaves and Sylvia ends up in a contemplative thought, thinking if she should of told him and in hopes tell him about her feelings or be happy with the decision of not telling him. Thus we see in the end how she fights with herself wondering if it was a mistake or the right thing to do even if she never knew she was being minipulative.
0503
I think the theme of “A White Heron” by Sarah Orne Jewett is how people’s innocence can be manipulated by others that are hedonistic. Sylvia feels more comfortable in her environment than being around others. Sylvia meets a hunter who likes to hunt birds and she doesn’t understand why he hunts animals that he loves. Sylvia was afraid of the hunter because she never met this person before but overtime spending time together Sylvia started to get comfortable. So the hunter takes that as an opportunity to manipulate her to get the location of the white heron. Sylvia starts to realize after her eagerness that she couldn’t help him find the white heron because she didn’t want to betray her fondness for her environment. In the end, Sylvia choose to protect the white heron and not becoming friend with the hunter
0534
To me it sounds like when the word “rape” is used, not literally rape but it’s saying that the hunter is using the girl to get what he wants. He wants the birds. He’s being extremely manipulative, and because of how young and innocent the girl is, he is expecting her to fall for it. I think its so creative how they use rape as a way to explain whats happening because its so similar to what it really sounds like is happening in the story. Its more like he’s raping nature. like when people cut down trees to use it for whatever materials. Its for personal gain. they don’t care that its hurting the forest or destroying habitats. They just know that it has what they need so they want to take it.
I interpret the theme of “A White Heron” by Sarah Orne Jewett as a child’s innocence vs adulthood. Sylvia is a young girl who loves nature and animals. While on a walk with her cow she encounters a hunter, her first response was to leap in the bushes. But once she got to know the hunter a little more she realized his view of nature was different compared to hers. He hunted and stuffed his favorite birds unlike Sylvia who viewed them as friends. The hunter offers a reward to help him hunt for the white heron. I believe the hunter represents adulthood with his knives, guns and money. But instead of Sylvia transitioning into adulthood she clings to her innocence as a child. She finds the white heron but instead of leading the hunter to it’s location she sends him off empty handed. At the end of the story she questions herself asking “Were the birds better friends than their hunter might have been, — who can tell?” But since Sylvia let the white heron live, she still a strong child with freedom, happiness and independence.
Section: 0534
the theme that I got from ” A white Heron” is that Sylvia is a young and innocent girl was confronted with a situation that proves her innocence but also builds upon who she really is and what she believes and in return gets knowledge of how other people can try to make you do things that you don’t believe in. Sylvia is a young girl who lives in the country and hasn’t had much experience with other people. The hunter in the story try’s to get her to find a heron and tell the hunter so he can kill it. She listened due to her inexperience with other people and being manipulated by this hunter. once she finds the heron she then listens to her true self and Dosent help the hunter because that’s truly not who she is. her inexperience and innocence lead her to realize her connection with nature all because of the requests of a random hunter whom she thought she liked.
section 0503
From the very beginning of the story, Sylvia seems to be in love with her new life at the farm. Her innocence is portrayed in the way she plays hide and seek with the cows while trying to bring them back. She’s comfortable in her new home. I can see why critics would say that the hunter took advantage of her in a way. Offering her the ten dollars tested her way of thinking about herself instead of the heron. Though there are mulitple themes here, I think the most important one is how the hunter clearly showed how greedy he was and her willpower was strong enough to center herself and realize that she had to protect the heron. The money wasn’t enough for her to give up the heron and it goes to show that men think they could have their way with women even if they’re clearly at a young age. Luckily, Sylvia knew better than that. I wouldn’t say that she was raped in any way but instead her innocence was put to the test by a man.
Section 0504
Nathaly,
I also believe the theme is about her willpower to fight greed and corruption the hunter is trying to put in her mind. She’s still very young and innocent and although you would think that would be an easy task, she is growing an understanding between right and wrong on her own.
At the climax in the story “A White Heron,” the protagonist, Sylvia, has to decide whether to help the hunter locate and kill a rare and stunning white heron, or to keep this animal safe by not giving up the whereabouts of its nest. To me this choice in the story can be viewed as an allegory for conflict between nature v. industrialization. When the author of this story, Sarah Orne Jewett wrote the story by 1886, both the industrial revolution’s fruitful promise and the damaging outcome on nature were obvious. Furthermore, factories and mills that had defined the southern landscape of New England were moving north towards the woods in rural Maine that Jewett adored. Within this context, the decision of whether to protect nature by keeping the heron’s location a secret or make a profit from its depletion by giving up its location and accepting the hunters pay off is up to Sylvia and is also a statement of the opinions she had on industry. Ultimately Sylvia’s decision is to keep the white heron’s nest a secret, which is the author’s way of suggesting that valuing nature over industrialization is the correct thing to do.
Section: 0503
I can agree with you Zakiyah, Having it kept a secret than just receiving a pay was a better alternative. Her decision was to keep the heron where it belongs, rightfully in the woods. You make a valid point about valuing nature over industrialization. Our world is so consumed in capitalize that no one really thinks ethically anymore. Everyone wants that payoff that compensates them in the long run.
Section: 0503
“A White Heron” is a short story by Sarah Orne Jewett in which a young girl named “Sylvia” should decide whether to tell others, hunters, to the location of “the White heron’s nest” I feel like Young Sylvia feels more comfortable in nature than around other humans because she is always around them. I like the fact that she refuses to accept the money when the hunter asked her the hideout of the ‘White heron’s nest’. she doesn’t understand why a hunter would want to kill the bird as she admires them.
Section: 0503
Fatimata, this post does not address the question. Also, please be sure that posts meet the length requirements. See “Information about discussion Boards” in COURSE INFORMATION.
In “A White Heron”, Sylvia is seen as a person who admires nature and loves being surrounded by what it has to offer. She goes off in the woods in the night because she finds it to be quite exhilarating but later on she finds herself with a man carrying a gun. Finding a young male in the middle of the night doesn’t seem to please her. It states that “The enemy had discovered her and called out in a very cheerful and persuasive tone, “Halloa, little girl, how far is it to the road?” and trembling Sylvia answered almost inaudibly, “A good ways.” (1) Her innocence has led her to a dangerous path. The young male asks for her help and she took it not knowing what the future might hold. She agrees to help him find the heron. After finding the whereabouts of the heron Sylvia doesn’t tell him anything about it. The bond she held for the heron caused her to think twice rather than giving it up. Her character changed from being naive to a brave and optimistic girl who develops an even stronger connection with nature.
section: 0503
Hello Victor
I totally agree about the young girls love for nature. In contrast, to the stranger, wildlife is not something to be treasured in itself as Sylvia treasures it, but something that must be killed and stuffed to admire for all time, something that must be manufactured much like things were manufactured in her industrialized former home. To Sylvia, these animals are her friends, her real friends she gained when she left the taunting red faced boy of her old town behind.
I believe the main theme of White Heron was a of independence. Sylvia was able to make a choice against being pressurred in a sense to do other wise. Especially being a young girl its very easy to be influenced especially by elders and someone who is intending to present dominance over someone else. I think was important very adult of her to make her own decision regarding whether she wanted him to kill it. As far as patriarchal theme’s it was very plausible, I feel like since he asserted his dominance and even the grandmother agreed to let her go into the woods was very suspicious to me. As a parent I would not agree to that, and I definitely wouldn’t feel comfortable at all. I thought the central theme was one of dependence. Sylvia was able to make those decisions on her own and made real life and death decision passed the outside influences.
Section : 0534
A “White Heron” approaches the coming-of-age theme in a unique way. Traditionally, coming of age stories describe a young person’s journey to adulthood. Typically, the character experiences events that lead to their loss of innocence, after which they see the world in a new way. “A White Heron” showcases many characteristics of a classic coming of age story Sylvia is nine years old and approaching puberty. She meets a stranger who offers her an alternate viewpoint to her own a monetary reward for helping him hunt the elusive white heron. The stranger, who seeks to kill and stuff the heron, has a completely different view of nature from Sylvia’s, and she feels both threatened and excited by it: “No amount of thought … could decide how many wished-for treasures the ten dollars … would buy.” In this way, the stranger, with his knives, gun, and money, clearly represents the adult world. To join his world, which she considers with “the woman’s heart, asleep in the child,” Sylvia will have to trade in her “childish” love of nature to value money, or self interest, instead.
Unlike the traditional coming of age story, Sylvia rejects the transition. She clings to her childhood innocence and sends the stranger away disappointed. At the end of the story, she questions whether she will be happier in her childlike or adult state when she asks, “Were the birds better friends than their hunter might have been?” She answers her own question with another question, “Who can tell?” Sylvia maintains personal happiness, freedom, and independence by rejecting the expected transition into adulthood.
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