Bre'Asia James
English 310
Dr. Debord
11/3/2015
To Remain Innocent or Not
In Sarah Orne Jewett's short story, "A White Heron," Sylvia the protagonist in the story is faced with a difficult decision that threatens her innocence. The young girl battles to retain her innocence even though it could mean giving up material and emotional benefits she secretly longs for. Throughout the story we notice the dynamics of Sylvia and slowly but surely see her evolve into a person who is stronger than she first appears. After her quest to find the white heron you will notice how the experience was able to help her rise among certain obstacles and makes her powerful enough to make an important decision. The common themes of this short story …show more content…
Sylvia was born in the city, however it is said in the story that the young girl never truly "had been alive at all before she came to live at the farm (Jewett 1.2)". That is found interesting because one would think the first eight years of her life spent in the city would be the highlights of her life but on the contrary they weren't. While on the farm her only human company was her widowed grandmother, Mrs. Tilley. Due to her single companion, her grandmother Sylvia, had become "afraid of folks (Jewett 1.3)". Living in a lonely house, provided her with a sense of isolation which she somewhat enjoyed because of her fear of other people. Because of such isolation in the in the woods Sylvia became pretty much one with the creatures who lived there to the point where Mrs. Tilley says, "the wild creatures count her one o' themselves (Jewett)". One creature specifically, the milk cow, is seen to be highly …show more content…
Tilley, the grandmother shows hospitality to the previously mentioned hunter. Sylvia "had never seen anybody so charming and delightful, the woman's heart, asleep in the child, was vaguely thrilled by a dream of love (Jewett 1.26)" . The hunter is the complete opposite of what Sylvia is accustomed to. While in the woods she is " horror-stricken to hear a clear whistle not very far away. Not a bird's-whistle, which would have a sort of friendliness, but a boy's whistle, determined, and somewhat aggressive (Jewett 1.5)". When she finally laid eyes on the hunter she was petrified, he was described as tall young man with a gun, understable why the poor girl was scared. He soon convinced Sylvia that he wasn’t a threat and showed himself to be good company. After talking it is clear to see that Sylvia and the hunter share a common interest, birds. However, after more talking it is seen that their intentions are different. Sylvia loves the birds and sees them as family while the hunter is looking to collect birds particularly the white heron. The young girl doesn’t immediately approve of this small hobby of killing birds until she is promised something in return after helping him find the bird. She says "I can't think of anything I should like so much as to find the heron's nest," the handsome stranger would give ten dollars to anybody who could show it to me. (Jewett 1.24)". The offer is a great one because that is a great
English 310
Dr. Debord
11/3/2015
To Remain Innocent or Not
In Sarah Orne Jewett's short story, "A White Heron," Sylvia the protagonist in the story is faced with a difficult decision that threatens her innocence. The young girl battles to retain her innocence even though it could mean giving up material and emotional benefits she secretly longs for. Throughout the story we notice the dynamics of Sylvia and slowly but surely see her evolve into a person who is stronger than she first appears. After her quest to find the white heron you will notice how the experience was able to help her rise among certain obstacles and makes her powerful enough to make an important decision. The common themes of this short story …show more content…
Sylvia was born in the city, however it is said in the story that the young girl never truly "had been alive at all before she came to live at the farm (Jewett 1.2)". That is found interesting because one would think the first eight years of her life spent in the city would be the highlights of her life but on the contrary they weren't. While on the farm her only human company was her widowed grandmother, Mrs. Tilley. Due to her single companion, her grandmother Sylvia, had become "afraid of folks (Jewett 1.3)". Living in a lonely house, provided her with a sense of isolation which she somewhat enjoyed because of her fear of other people. Because of such isolation in the in the woods Sylvia became pretty much one with the creatures who lived there to the point where Mrs. Tilley says, "the wild creatures count her one o' themselves (Jewett)". One creature specifically, the milk cow, is seen to be highly …show more content…
Tilley, the grandmother shows hospitality to the previously mentioned hunter. Sylvia "had never seen anybody so charming and delightful, the woman's heart, asleep in the child, was vaguely thrilled by a dream of love (Jewett 1.26)" . The hunter is the complete opposite of what Sylvia is accustomed to. While in the woods she is " horror-stricken to hear a clear whistle not very far away. Not a bird's-whistle, which would have a sort of friendliness, but a boy's whistle, determined, and somewhat aggressive (Jewett 1.5)". When she finally laid eyes on the hunter she was petrified, he was described as tall young man with a gun, understable why the poor girl was scared. He soon convinced Sylvia that he wasn’t a threat and showed himself to be good company. After talking it is clear to see that Sylvia and the hunter share a common interest, birds. However, after more talking it is seen that their intentions are different. Sylvia loves the birds and sees them as family while the hunter is looking to collect birds particularly the white heron. The young girl doesn’t immediately approve of this small hobby of killing birds until she is promised something in return after helping him find the bird. She says "I can't think of anything I should like so much as to find the heron's nest," the handsome stranger would give ten dollars to anybody who could show it to me. (Jewett 1.24)". The offer is a great one because that is a great