Sarah Orne Jewett

I. AUTHOR’S BIOGRAPHY

• Sarah Orne Jewett (Sept 3rd, 1849 – June 24th, 1909)

- Born in South Berwick, Maine.

- An American novelist, short story writer and poet.
- Jewett's father was a doctor specializing in "obstetrics and diseases
of women and children.
- In later life, Jewett often visited Boston, where she was acquainted
with many of the most influential literary figures of her day; but she
always returned to South Berwick, small seaports near which were
the inspiration for the towns of "Deephaven" and "Dunnet Landing"
in her stories.
- Jewett was educated at Miss Olive Rayne's school and then at
Berwick Academy, graduating in 1866.

• Chronology

- At age 19, Jewett published her first important story “Mr.Bruce” in the Atlantic Monthly (1969),
and her reputation grew throughout the 1870s and 1880s.
- First book, Deephaven, a collection of related sketches (1877)
- 1880 Begins important lifelong friendship with Boston literary figure, Annie Fields (1834-1915).
After her husband, James T. Fields, dies in 1881, Fields and Jewett live together during parts of
each year and travel widely in Europe and America. Together they meet and visit with a number of
prominent contemporary writers
- A Country Doctor (1884)
- The Country of the Pointed Firs (1896)
- A White Heron (1886)
- Some of Jewett's poetry was collected in Verses (1916)
- The first woman to receive an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Bowdoin College (1901)
- 1902 Injured in a carriage accident on her birthday, she is incapacitated for the rest of her life.
Though she continues writing letters and visiting, she cannot sustain the necessary attention for
writing fiction.
- 1904 "A Spring Sunday," last story published in her lifetime.
- 1908 Meets and corresponds with Willa Cather.
- 1909 June 24. Dies at her home in South Berwick.

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 II. A WHITE HERON

• "A White Heron" is a short story of Sarah Orne Jewett.

• First published by Houghton, Mifflin and Company in 1886, it was

soon collected as the title story in Jewett's anthology A White Heron and
Other Stories.

III. CHARACTER ANALYSIS

► SYLVIA

1. Role in the story

• The protagonist in the story.

• Appearing throughout the progresses of the story.

• Sylvia is our hero.

• The internal battles of Sylvia is the main stream of this story.

2. Background
• The nine-year-old granddaughter of Mrs. Tilley

• Sylvia lived in a city environment for the first eight years

• Then, Sylvia came to live with her grandmother in the Maine woodlands

• Sylvia’s mother – daughter of Mrs. Tilley living in California (page 54, pa 3, line 3)

• Sylvia had no playmates but a companion – a cow named Mistress Moolly

• Sylvia helped her grandmother graze the cow and pick the berry in the berry time

3. Appearance
• A little girl

• Pale face

• Shining gray eyes

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• Very young

4. Personality

• Being afraid of human:

- On one hand, she's a girl born in the city—but on the other, she never felt truly alive until she
moved out to the county with her grandmother
 “as if she never had been alive at all before she came to live at the farm” (line 15, pa 1, page 52)

+ At the farmhouse, Sylvia is isolated; her only companion is a cow.

→ Sylvia may be lonely, but she is not lonesome.

+ In the manufacturing town, she had been unable to embrace society.

 “the thought of the great red-faced boy who used to chase and frighten her made her hurry along
the path…” (line 2, page 53)

+ Scared of “horror-stricken” by the whistle of a man (the hunter)

- Sylvia hides from the hunter by stepping aside into the bushes
 (“Sylvia left the cow to whatever sad fate might await her, and stepped discreetly aside into the
bushes”, line 4, pa 2, page 53)
- She considers him as an enemy.
- She does not dare to look directly at him.
- Whenever he asks, she barely manages to answer.

• Love nature:

- Though the first 8 years of her life were spent "in a crowded manufacturing town", Sylvia feels "as
if she never had been alive at all before she came to live at the farm“.

- Sylvia does not mind such isolation while living in a "lonely house" and a "hermitage”.
- Sylvia spends her meal to feed the jay-birds.
- Sylvia is a "woods-girl" whose heart beats fast with pleasure at the song of thrushes.
- The milk cow that Sylvia's charge is also her "valued companion" and her playmate.
- The most typical detail proving Sylvia’s nature love:

+ Sylvia is challenged with whether or not she should tell the hunter she saw the bird.

+ But finally, she decides that she can play no part in bringing about the bird's death.

 "she remembers how the white heron came flying through the golden air and how they watched the
sea and the morning together, and Sylvia cannot speak; she cannot tell the heron's secret and give its
life away." (line 4, pa 4, page 59).

• Curiosity:

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 - Sylvia is curious to see all the world, the view below the top of pine tree, especially the hidden nest
of white heron.
 Make a plan to discover the secret of white heron (“Now she thought of the tree with a new
excitement… hidden nest?” last sentence, page 56).

• Uncommunicative and introverted:

- Sylvia always keeps her thought in her mind.

 "Sylvia whispered, she wish, she was just thinking, Sylvia kept an awed silence, Sylvia does not
speak after all" are some phrases show that Sylvia just talks to herself.
- The short and simple answers of Sylvia to the hunter: "A good ways", "Sylvy".
- There is no conversation between Mrs. Tilley and Sylvia. Mrs. Tilley talks to her granddaughter and
receives no reply.
 “Yes, you’d better speak up for yourself…silence” (line 1, pa 7, page 53).

5. Conflict

• NATURE LOVE • HUMAN ADMIRING AND SELF VARIETY

The white heron: the nature world
- When the time comes to reveal the secret,
she realizes she cannot speak.
 “What is it that suddenly forbids her and makes
her dumb?... must she thrust it aside for a bird’s
sake?”.
- Her chance vanishes as she recalls the
moments she shared with the heron in the
early morning.
 “How they watched the sea and morning
together, and Sylvia cannot speak, she cannot tell
the heron’s secret and give its life away”.
The hunter: the society of her past and human
- Sylvia's attachment to the hunter is not just
friendship or affection but loving admiration.
 "Sylvia still watched the young man with loving
admiration…dream of love." (line 9, pa2, page 56).
- Self-variety: The hunter can make them rich
with money, he has promised it.
 “I would give ten dollars to anybody who could
show it to me.”.
- Sylvia is stirred with his offer.

 “No amount of thought, that night, could decide

how many wished-for treasures the ten dollars…”.

► THE HUNTER

• Represent the industrialization that threatens to conquer and destroy nature in order to satisfy
human greed.

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• Also represent the human companionship (Sylvia and the hunter).

1. Background
• He is an ornithologist, who has made a collection of birds for five years.

 “I am making a collection of birds myself...hunting for these five years.” (p. 55)

• He comes to the countryside with aim of finding a white heron for his collection.

• He comes across Sylvia in the woods and stays at her grandmother’s house.

2. Appearance
 “the tall man, who carried a gun over his shoulder” (p. 53)
 “The handsome man” (p. 55).
 “The young sportman” (p. 56).

• A tall, handsome, young, sportman man.

• Masculine and charming.

3. Personality

- He always explains the reason before he asks for a night’s lodging.

 “I have been hunting for some birds...early in the morning.” (p. 53).
 “Then he bade Mrs Tilley good-evening...have a night’s lodging.”(p. 53).

- He likes to show his goodness and friendliness.

 “...the stranger said kindly...he added gallantly” (p. 53).
 “Sylvia kept him company, having lost her first fear of friendly lad, who proved to be most kind
and sympathetic.” (p. 56).

- He feels free and comfortable when talking about his job and his purpose.
 “Oh no, they’re stuffed and preserved...and I have shot or snaked every one myself.” (p. 55).
 “I can’t think of anything I should like so much as to find that heron’s nest.” (p. 55).

- He freely shows his anger when Sylvia failed to help him find the heron.
 “Dear loyalty, that suffered a sharp pang as the guest went away disappointed later in the day” (p.
59).

 “The young man had known the horrors of its most primitive housekeeping...the companionship of
hens.” (p. 54).
 “I would give ten dollars to anybody who could show it to me.” (p. 55).

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  “The guest did not notice this hint of family sorrows in his eager interest in something else.” (p.
54).
 “Oh no, they’re stuffed and preserved, dozens and dozens of them...shot and snaked every one
myself.” (p.55).
 “He brought down some unsuspecting singing creature from its bough.” (p. 56).

- He spends lots of money and time to find the heron.

 “I would give ten dollars to anybody...my whole vacation hunting for it if need be.”
- He loves birds and has large knowledge about them.
- He seems to just be eager when talking about birds.
 “And it would have a nest perhaps in the top of a high tree , made of sticks, something like a
hawk’s nest” (p. 55).
 “He told her many things about birds and what they knew and where they lived and what they did
with themselves.” (p. 56).

► MRS. TILLEY: Her character gives us significant insight into Sylvia’s family life and
background.

1. Background
• She is Sylvia’s grandmother, who owns a farm in rural Maine.
 “She had buried 4 children, so Sylvia’s mother and a son (who might be dead) in California were all
the children she had left.” (p. 54).
• She had made the unlikely choice of Sylvia out of all her grandchildren and returned to the farm (p.
52).
2. Appearance: The old woman (p. 54 & p. 59).

3. Personality
• Kind and hospitable
- She is pleased to offer the stranger a place to stay and gives him a warm welcome.
 “Dear sakes, yes,” respond the hostess, whose long slumbering hospitability...for the gentleman,
Sylvy!” (p. 54).
- She always pays attention to what the guest says and reacts.
 “Do you cage’em up?” asked Mrs. Tilley doubtfully, in response to this enthusiastic
announcement”.
 “Mrs. Tilley gave amazed attention to all this”.

• Honest
- She can tell the stranger about her family affair and reveal her family sorrows.
 “The hostess gossiped frankly, adding presently that she had buried four children...if it had been so
I could.” (p. 54).

• Generous and love family

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 - Although she felt so sad because his son didn’t write letters, she didn’t blame him.
 “She explains sadly...I don’t blame him” (p. 54).

• Possess a better understanding of Sylvia

- She picked her granddaughter for the country
- She realized that Sylvia’s sensitive nature
 “There ain’t a foot o’ ground she don’t know her way over...if I hadn’t kep’ watch.” (p. 54)

► THE COW (MISSTRESS MOOLLY)

1. Background
• The cow belongs to Mrs. Tilley.
• “She is Sylvia’s beloved playmate in the absence of human companions out in the country” (p. 51).
• “She is a good milker” (p. 54).
2. Appearance
• “She wears a loud bell” (p. 51).
• “The old cow” (p. 51 & p. 52).
3. Personality
• “a plodding, dilatory, provoking creature in her behaviour” (p. 51)
• Naughty
 “on the contrary, it was her greatest pleasure to hide herself away among the...still it would not
ring.” (p. 51)
• Intelligent and wary
 “Though this chase had been so long that the wary animal herself had given an unusual signal of
her whereabouts” (p. 52)
 “The old cow was not inclined to wander farther, she even turned in the right direction for once as
they left the pasture” (p. 52)
 “The cow gave a loud moo by way of explanation.”

► THE WHITE HERON: He symbolizes nature and the damage that society was doing to
nature in the late 19th century.

1. Background
 This is the rare heron, which the hunter is finding.
2. Appearance
 “A queer tall white bird with soft feathers and long thin legs.” (p. 55)
 “a white spot of him like a single floating feather” (p. 58)
 “steady sweep of wing and outstretched slender neck and crested head.” (p. 58)
 “the wild, blight, slender bird” (p. 58)

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 - A beautiful and rare heron.

3. Personality
• Love freedom.
• The heron and nature are in harmony.
 "for the heron has perched on a pine bough not far beyond yours, and cries back to his mate on the
nest and plumes his feathers for the new day!”.

► DAN TILLEY

1. Background
• Dan is Sylvia’s uncle and Mrs. Tilley’s only living son ( though she is not totally sure about
that)
• “He was a great hand to go gunning” ( p. 54).
• “He left home many years ago and has lost touch with his family” (p. 54).

2. Personality
• Dan and Sylvia share a deep personal connection to wildlife and both feel a call to explore
nature.
 “Dan, my boy, was a great hand to go gunning...pa’tridges or gray squer’ls while he was to home.
He’s been a great wander” (p. 54).

• Do not care about his family a lot.

 “he’s no hand to write letters” (p. 54).
 “Dan an’ his father they didn’t hitch” (p. 54).

IV. SETTING

1. Place
• The story is set near the coast of Maine. It is set on a farm. Sylvia moved there from the city to live
with her grandmother.
→ No human friends, has deep affection towards nature and the animals in it.
- She is very familiar with the woods
- She can instantly tell the difference between a bird’s whistle and that of a man

• The name Sylvia is also important: comes from the Latin Silva, meaning wood or forest

-> Silvia’s chooses nature instead of the hunter

2. Time
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• Late 19th century.
→ It would not have been unusual for a young girl living on a remote farm in the area to have had no
exposure to technology and little contact with people other than the grandmother with whom she lived.
-> The great connection between Silvia and nature than others

3. Environment

• Living in the country, surrounded by the lush forest and with the majestic ocean close by.
→ Sylvia is intimate with the land.
- “There aren’t a foot of ground she doesn’t know her way over,”

→ Her oneness with nature that she is unable to do what the fascinating stranger asks and to betray her
beloved white heron.

V. POINT OF VIEW
o Omniscient third-person narrator:
- Not present as a character in the story.
- Looks out or down on the events and who can see more than the characters themselves see
(especially, in this story, Sylvia almost does not talk).

→ See more deeply into Sylvia’s thoughts.

→ Help readers to understand the psychological development of Sylvia and the reason why she decided to
hide the heron from the hunter.

VI. FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

Figurative language uses figure of speech such as simile, metaphor,
personification… to be more effective, persuasive and impactful.
By using figurative language, writer gives readers new insights and appeal to
the sense of readers.

1. Simile

Simile is a figure of speech that makes a comparison, showing tow similarities

between two different things.
Use words “like” or “as”
 “she hunger her head as if the stem of it were broken” (p.53)

 “this was the best thrift…like a hermitage” (p.54)

 “the short summer night…the winter darkness (p.57)

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 “the sharp dry twigs…like angry talon” (P.57)

 “It was like a great main-mast to the voyaging earth” (p.57)

 “Sylvia’s face was like a pale star” (p.58) “pale” to symbolize her innocence and “star” to show
her good intention

 “Their gray feathers were as soft as moths” (p.58)

 “ a white spot of him like a single floating feather comes up from the dead hemlock…” (p.58)

 “the wild, light, slender bird…in the green world beneath”

 “loved him as a dog loves” (p.59) - a lowly animal shows “loyalty”, but it is not “human love”

2. Personification

Personification is a figure of speech in which a thing - an idea or an animal – is

given human attributes.

• The cow – Mistress Moolly

 It has name like a person

 Personal pronoun is “She”

 It has a person’s characteristics

- “though she wore a loud bell…it would not ring” (p.51) it thought to manage to not be found
- “Sometimes…play hide and seek” (p.51) it likes playing hide and seek with Sylvia
- “Though this chase…her whereabouts” (p.52) it feel worried when they are too late to go home
by giving an unusual signal to remind Sylvia
- “The cow gave a loud moo by way of explanation” (p.53)

 The cow becomes the best friends of Sylvia in the woodland.

- “but their feet were familiar…could see it or not” (p.51)

• The white heron

 personal pronoun “he”

 it was described with adjectives to describe a person

- It is a solemn heron, “the wild, light, slender bird” (p.58)

- “a white spot of him…with a steady sweep of wing and Outstretched slender neck and crested
head.” (p.58)
• Other objects
- “They were full of little birds…in sleepy twitters” (p.52).

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 - “listening with the sense of comfort….of a half-awakened bird” (p.57).
- “There was the huge tree asleep yet in the paling moonlight” (p.57).
- “The old pine must have loved his dependent” (p.58).
- “And the tree stood still and frowned…in the east.” (p.58).
- “woodlands and summer-time, remember! Bring your gift and graces and tell your secrets to this
lonely country child!” Narration.

3. Imagery

Imagery means to use figurative language to represents objects, actions and

ideas in such a way that it appeals to our physical senses.

• “The woodchoppers…pines and oaks and maples, had grown again. But…miles and miles away.”
(p.56) paint a picture of vast landscape surrounding the tree Sylvia is preparing to climb.
• “There was the huge tree…to the top of it” (p.57)imagine the size and magnitude of the tree
delivered a sense of risk and urgency of situation.
• “She crept out along the swaying oak limb at last, and took the daring step across into the old pine
tree.” (p.57) add excitement to the event.
• “More than all the hawks…gray-eyed child” (p.58) this picture shows how Sylvia stood out from
the other common objects. The girl has more courage than all of them.
• “Sylvia’s face was like a pale star…she stood trembling and tired but wholly triumphant, high in
the tree-top.” (p.58) accentuate the struggle Sylvia endured on her adventure, as well as the
victory she achieved from it.

4. Irony

Irony is a figure of speech in which words are used in such a way that their
intended meaning is different from the actual meaning of the words.

 Irony in A white heron

• It was a cow that had given a signal of her whereabouts.

“Though this chase had been so long…her whereabouts” (p.52).

• The hunter loves birds but kills them.

“She could not understand why he killed the very birds he seemed to like so much.” (p. 56).

 Symbolism:
1/ The white heron
 A white heron: the companionship of the natural world
• The color white: represents the purity of rural life

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 • Becomes friends with Sylvia: When she goes out on her own to find it for the
hunter, only the heron sit with Sylvia as they ”watched the sea and morning
together”
• Their brief moment together has a big impact on Sylvia (unable to betray its
location, pulled right back to her connection with, respect for, nature).
• Maybe it’s the fact that Sylvia sees a little bit of herself in the white heron. She
recommitted to her country ways.
The white heron

- It’s rare “that the rare bird was one of her acquaintances”

- It’s an “immigrant”: “perhaps it was only migrating, or had been chased out of its own region by
some bird of prey”.

Sylvia

- Sylvia’s thought and behavior is very rare at her age

- Sylvia moved from a crowded town to the country because she “afraid of folks”, “the noisy of
town”, “the great red-faced boy who used to chase and frighten her”
th
 The heron symbolizes the damage that society was doing to the nature in the late 19 century
- An interest in beautiful birds especially, women would wear stuffed birds, extravagant feathers in
their statement hats.
- Plume hunting: the hunting of wild birds to harvest their feathers, typically for use in fashion.

2/ The name “SYLVIA”

- The root of Sylvia’s name is “sylvan”, the word that means relating to characteristic of the wood or forest
- Sylvia is connected or compared to various aspects of nature: a flower, a bird, a star.
- She know that the heron’s value is worth more than money.
“ The murmur of the pine’s green branches is in her ears, she remembers how the white heron came
flying through the golden air and how they watched the sea and the morning together…” (page 59, para 4,
line 3)
 The forest, the heron, even Sylvia, are all one: They are nature- innocent and lovely and corruptible by
humans.

3/ Sylvia’s journey to the top of the pine tree – her journey of maturity
 It’s harder than she thought
- Sylvia claim up the tree “ It’s harder than she thought”
- Sylvia make decision not to reveal the white heron’s nest: “many a night Sylvia heard the echo
nd
of his whistle haunting… the loitering cow.” (page 59, the last para, line 2 )
When Sylvia decides to keep silent, she suffer and feel sad because the young man leave soon. She still
remembers him in many later days.
 Sylvia’s struggle : “Climbing to the top of the tree” vs “keeping the white heron secret”
- Climb up the pine tree
+“The sharp dry twigs caught and held her and scratched her”
+“The pitch made her thin little fingers clumsy and stiff” (page 57, para 4)
- Not tell the young man of the heron’s nest
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+ “The old grandmother fretfully rebukes her”
+ “He can make them rich with money” vs “they are poor now”
+ “He is so well worth making happy, and he waits to hear the story she can tell” (page 59, para 3)
To climb up to the top of the pine tree, Sylvia has to struggle with sharp dry twigs, the pitch. To keep the
bird’s secret, she has to overcome her grandmother’s pressure, her wish for 10 dollars treasure and her wish
to make the young man happy.
 “Sylvia’s at the top of the pine tree” vs “Sylvia triumph over herself”
- At the top of the tree:
+ “Wholly triumphant”
+ “There was the sea with the downing sun”
+ “ West ward, the woodland and farms reached miles and miles … awesome world” (page 58, para 2)
 When Sylvia is at the top of the pine tree, its likes a “real open eyed”. When Sylvia not tell the place of
white heron’s nest to protect it, she becomes mature. She wins herself.

 Writing style of Sarah Orne Jewett in “A white heron”:

• With a vivid eye for detail, Jewett fills “A white heron” to the brim with vibrant descriptions
with deep, emotional undertones.
“The cow stopped long at the brook to drink, as if the pasture were not half a swamp, and Sylvia
stood still and waited, letting her bare feet cool themselves in the shoal water, while the great twilight
moths struck softly against her.”(page 52, para 3, line 2)
“There was the huge tree asleep yet in the palling moonlight, and small and silly Sylvia began with
utmost bravery to mount to the top of it, with tingling, eager blood coursing the channels of her whole
st
frame, with her bare feet and fingers, that pinched and…”(page 57, para3, 1 line)
• She rarely uses any hard-to-understand words opting instead to making the story’s natural
imagery.
For instance, of the tallest pine she write, “the stately head of this old pine towered above them all
and made a landmark for sea and shore miles and miles away.”( page 56, para 3, line 5)
• Jewett makes you can feel what the characters are feeling
Sylvia isn’t just scared by the hunter, she is “horror-stricken”
Her heart is “thrilled by a dream of love”
=> Helps us get inside the mind of the characters and emphasizes the internal turmoil they go through in
pursuit of their goals

VII. THEMES

1. Man and natural world:

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• Sylvia’s love for nature:
- Sylvia spends so much time hugging trees that she probably has splinters in her armpits:
- “Sylvia only laughed…..birch leaves” (Line 2, p1, pg 52).
- “Sylvia whispered….go home” (Line 5, p2, pg 52).
- “She waded …and listened the thrushes with a heart that beat fast with pleasure.” (Line 4 to line 7,
p3, pg 52).

• The hunter's desire to tame natural world:

- The hunter approaches this peaceful scene with a gun over his shoulders. (p2, pg53).
- He wants to use money in his pocket to buy people love for nature. “I would give ten dollars to
anybody who could show it to me”. (pg55)

2. Innocence and experience:

• At the beginning of the story, Sylvia lives a quiet, innocent life in the country.

• By the hunter’s appearance, Jewett shows that childhood innocence cannot last as human
interference.

• As Sylvia spends time with the hunter, her admiration of him begins to suggest love. (Line 7,8, p1,
pg 56)
• Jewett writes of “the woman’s heart” inside the child “vaguely thrilled by a dream of love”,
recognizing the excitement of adult feelings beginning to be awakened in childhood. (Line 9, 10, 11, p1,pg
56).
• Sylvia’s attachment to the hunter drives her to climb the pine tree and search for the heron, a
profound experience which leads her to a deeper understanding of nature. (p3+4, pg 57).
• The youthful excitement that compelled her to find the heron led to the experience that informed
her decision to let the heron remain hidden. (line 1+2, p3, pg 59 and line 3+4+5+6, p4, pg 59).
• At the end of the story, Jewett highlights how Sylvia’s gaining of experience and loss of innocence
has left her with feelings of longing and regret, caused by her inconsistent memory of events.

3. Flesh and spirit:

• In the story, Sylvia must make decision whether to please the hunter (her new friend) by showing
him the nesting place of the heron or remain royal to her animal companion.
• Sylvia’s decision is the choice between flesh and spirit- between earthly human pleasures and
natural word.
• “ Alas, if the….an the dumb life of the forest”, (line8+9+10+11, p2,pg7)
• The hunter represents two aspects of fleshly desires:
- First, he offers Sylvia ten dollars if she betrays the heron:
“ I would…show it to me”, pg 55.
“ He can make them…. They are poor now”, (line 2+3, p3, pg 59)
- Second, he represents the temptation of love:
“ The woman heart….. A dream of love”, ( line 10+11, p1, pg 56)

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4. Nature and civilization:
• For Jewett, the conflict between nature and industry is synonymous with a conflict between town
and country life.
• Sylvia is aligned with “nature”:
- She love to be lived in her grandmother’s countryside(p1,pg52).
- Her name “ Sylvia” has the same root as “ Sylvan” which is associated with the forest.
• The hunter is representative, the town and industry, which is opposed to nature:
- He has sophisticated knowledge and state-of-the-art gadgets.
- He tells Sylvia many things about birds that she didn’t know, and he gives her a jackknife and
carries a gun, both of which are clearly not common in Sylvia’s rural life.
- For him, “money” is highly appreciated: He feels that He might able to buy Sylvia’s cooperation in
helping him find the heron that is “city’s value”, “ I would… by some birds of grey.” (p5,pg55).

5. Isolation:
• Sylvia’s existence in the country is quite solitary, as her only companions are her grandmother Mrs.
Tilley and their cow Mistress Moolly.

• In the absence of many human relationships, Sylvia finds meaningful companionship with animals:

- Jewett personifies Sylvia’s cow, Mistress Moolly, as an intelligent trickster that Sylvia can play
games with in the absence of a human playmate. To a lonely child, animals can provide friendship
and entertainment. (p2, pg51).

• In “A White Heron”, solitude is a bittersweet experience. Sylvia longs for human relationships and
ends the story feeling lonely in her solitude. ( p5,pg 59)

• The story never answers the question, “Were the birds better friends than the hunter might have
been, who can tell?” This leaves the reader doubtful if nature can completely replace human relationships.

• Solitude allows Sylvia to grow independently and gain knowledge through communing with nature.

VIII. STUDENTS RESPONSE

 A touching story about the love of a 9-year-old girl towards:

→ her animal friends (the old cow, the birds in the woods)

→ The nature and the surrounding environment:

“… There were never was such a child straying about out-of-doors since the world was made!”

“… as for Sylvia herself, it seemed as if she never had been alive at all before she came to live at the
farm.”

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 The sacrifices:
→ The money that the hunter promised to give if Sylvy could take him to the place of the heron:
“… “I would give ten dollars to anybody who could show it (the white heron) to me.””
“... No amount of thought, that night, could decide how many wished-for treasures the ten dollars, so
slightly spoken of, would buy.”
→ The new affections she had to the young handsome hunter:
“… Sylvia still watched the young man with loving admiration.”
“… she had never seen anybody so charming and delightful...”
 Loyalty:

→ Sylvia refused to reveal the location → protect the heron.

→ She decided to choose the love towards the forest over the affections she had with the young
handsome hunter.

END.

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