Sarah Orne Jewett explored in her story “A White Heron,” a young girl’s temporary relationship with nature. Sylvia, a nine-year old heroine who lives in New England woods with her grandma, leads a simple, rural life. Sylvia’s urban past is barely a memory, so she immerses her self in pastoral work. Sylvia’s actions are further complicated when a charismatic man hunter enters the picture. She has to decide whether she wants her companionship with the alluring newcomer or her loyal animal friends. Sylvia must balance morality with responsibility as she strives to befriend her new friend. Jewett’s “A White Heron”, a story rife with internal conflict, sees the protagonist, Sylvia, committing herself to protecting nature, rather than complicity in its destruction. This is a part of her transition to womanhood.

Sylvia’s innocence as a child is strongly associated with both her culture and environment at the start. Jewett’s descriptions of Sylvia in the beginning create a picture of a childlike wonder, a simple and innocent way of looking at her environment. Sylvia searches for her “childish patience”, and she has “all of the time that was available, but very little use of it”. These details portray Sylvia’s age and purity, free from the influence of her previous city. Sylvia isolates herself further from society because she doesn’t interact with anyone except her grandmother and animals. Her independence is based on the fact that “never has there been such a child wandering around outside in all of history!” Sylvia also needed to escape the city’s bustle to experience new things, just like her uncle Dan. Sylvia meets the hunter, the first step of her rite-of-passage, and she is forced to change her beliefs. The whistle of the young man is used to paint him as a villain. This detail is included to highlight the contrast between Sylvia’s environment in the woods and her city life a year earlier. This implies the intentions of the hunter, but also creates sexual tensions that threaten Sylvia’s connection to her home. Sylvia has never been in a relationship before. This is likely the first time she’s felt love for someone. Her “heart beating like crazy” when asked to find out where the heron was, shows a certain excitement about what could happen to her animals. This shows her maturity, as she’s surpassed her youthful innocence. But the ornithologist needs to be questioned more.

The hunter’s character is manipulative, and he encourages Sylvia for her own benefit to assist him. He manipulates Sylvia’s grandmother and also the reader to conform to his image. He poses at first as the gun-toting antagonist, symbolizing destruction of her once uninhabited land. The hunter’s character is changed after Sylvia reveals her identity. This word, “companion”, is used throughout the entire story to describe Sylvia’s animal companions. Sylvia’s contradictory ideals are reflected in the hunter’s labeling himself a “companion” to her. He plays the role as temptation and takes her away the animals she’s become so fond of. Sylvia only interests him because he is “exploitative”. His intention is to colonize Sylvia and the sanctuary she lives in. He is a powerful influence on Sylvia’s youthful curiosity and wonder. He inspires her by his desire to go and find the heron. It is an example of the instability that they share.

Sylvia’s young admiration of a hunter affects her and causes her to have a conflict about whether or no she should assist him. The ornithologist uses her age to manipulate her. Sylvia is only valued by the ornithologist because it allows him to achieve his goals. Sylvia processes her feelings in real-time — she watches the hunter in “loving awe” and realizes how “the child’s dream of love, slept in the woman’s heart”. The hunter may have had similar feelings towards a nineteen-year-old, but his actions do not reflect sympathy with her connection to nature and innocence. He exploited Sylvia by bypassing her “family pains”, giving her the jack-knife she requested, and demanding that Sylvia reveal the location where the heron lives. Sylvia blossoms into a rite of passing when she refuses the hunter’s request to disclose the location of heron.

Sylvia undergoes a physical and mental transformation during her ordeal. She betrays the forest’s loyalty in order to find the hiding place of the heron. Her betrayal of nature is also noted by her. Sylvia understands how the hunter influences her outlook on nature. Her desire to seek out the rare bird’s hideout suggests that her mindset is affected by human interaction. It is a bit gruesome to see her travel. As she climbs, “clumsy” and “stiff” fingers scrape dry twigs across her legs. The journey isn’t easy. In fact it’s harder than she thought. Once she locates the hiding place of the heron, her journey is rewarded. She learns to appreciate the natural beauty, and this keeps her honest. After the descent from the oak, her old worn frock was smeared in pine pitch and torn. Sylvia’s rugged appearance shows that she took steps to make her decision. Her transition led to a transformation of her physical appearance.

Sylvia’s decision is based on the value she places on her environment, which sets a lesson for her young life. Sylvia’s regret at disappointing her human companion is accompanied by a twinge of guilt. Sylvia misses an opportunity once she starts to question herself. She wonders how she can be nine years old but still turn her back on the wonderful world when it reaches out its hand. She and her grandmother could benefit from the hunter’s money and social interaction. Sylvia’s refusal of help to him will have a much greater impact on future prospects. A hunter represents her darker desire to avoid losing her innocence. She sacrifices her familiarity, but she does not give up the innocence of a child. She’s also alone when she goes out to hunt the heron in the early morning. This suggests that sometimes it is necessary to leave familiarity behind to learn from new experiences. The narrator then calls on loyalty to save the day. “That which was hurt when the guest left later, that which could have served, followed, and loved as a canine loves!” Sylvia has a youthful outlook about love, which shows an unbalanced devotion of ‘puppy loves’. This shows further instability in their relationship. Sylvia is still able to hear “the echoing of his whistling haunting the pasture paths …”” as a less desirable outcome. This expresses her regret at having disappointed the hunter. After the hunter’s departure, she continues to reflect upon her choice. She will be haunted by her decision, as she was “forgotten even her sorrow when the gunshot sounded and the piteous scene of sparrows and thrushes falling silent to the ground …”. This detail conveys Sylvia’s regrets in her present and upcoming decisions. Luckily, Sylvia has nature’s comfort to help her through heartache.

Sylvia’s experience triumphs over her naivety, as she is now able to see the value of her womanhood. Sylvia feels regret for the complex nature of her transformation, as she struggles with mild heartbreak. Sylvia’s innocent is not corrupted by her decision to save the white heron. Instead, it’s tailored for maturity and loyalty. Jewett’s focus on Sylvia and whether or not she regrets her decision to save the heron demonstrates that her mindset has changed. She is now more responsible. Sylvia has a loyal relationship with nature, and is not concerned about preserving her temporary affection for the hunter.

michaellang

Michael Lang is a 33-year-old professor and blogger who is passionate about writing. He has been blogging for over 7 years and has written for various online publications. Michael is also a seasoned professor who has taught at the college level for over a decade. He is currently a professor of English at a community college in the Midwest.