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Sarah Orne Jewett's Short Story 'A White Heron'

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The struggle between a young girl and the tempting offer presented by a handsome hunter in Sarah Orne Jewett’s short story “A White Heron” illustrates that man should not compromise his happiness or beliefs for material gain. As soon as Jewett’s protagonist, Sylvia moves from a noisy and crowded town to her grandmother’s quiet and modest farm, she immediately finds herself captivated and enthralled by the surrounding woods and wildlife “as if she never had been alive at all before she came to live at the farm” (Jewett). For Sylvia, experiencing the wild outdoors sets her on a path of self discovery and sparks within her a deep-seated love and respect for nature. Not long after learning of Sylvia’s passion for nature, a charming hunter offers
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Love in the Forest “A little girl was driving home her cow, a plodding, dilatory, provoking creature in her behavior, but a valued companion at that” (Jewett). Sylvia’s attentiveness to the wellbeing of the cow speaks to her care for animals; the creatures of the forest trust her and come to eat food from her hands. Cruelly, an intrusion into the way of life that Sylvia has made for herself tests her connection and dedication to the natural world. In Sara Orne Jewett’s short story “A White Heron,” Sylvia, the main protagonist, makes a journey of self-discovery upon the arrival of an ornithologist.

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Adventure and desire are common qualities in humans and Sarah Orne Jewett’s excerpt from “A White Heron” is no different. The heroine, Sylvia, a “small and silly” girl, is determined to do whatever it takes to know what can be seen from the highest point near her home. Jewett uses literary elements such as diction, imagery, and narrative pace to dramatize this “gray-eyed child” on her remarkable adventure. Word choice and imagery are necessary elements to put the reader in the mind of Sylvia as she embarks on her treacherous climb to the top of the world. Jewett is picturesque when describing Sylvia’s journey to the tip of one unconquered pine tree.

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