The White Heron Literary Analysis

Sarah Orne Jewett was a realism writer who stories have a lot of natural and domestic elements of New England around her time. Her writing was inspired from a “deep sympathy for native characters and her ear for local speech” and she told another writer that “Her head was full of dear old houses and dear old women, and when old houses and old women came together in her brain with a click, she knew her story was under way.” This creating her “exquisitely simple, natural, and graceful style.” This being most evident in The White Heron. This story is about a young girl who is faced with an inner conflict of morality versus money and love.

This story is told through a third person perspective. It tells of a little girl, Sylvia, who recently

This farm has a beautiful pasture with barns and huckleberry bushes. This pasture back up to a “forest of sturdy trees, pines and oaks and maples” (Jewett, 305). A little dirt road that is framed with trees goes through the pasture and into the woods. The forest has a swamp on the side farthest from their home that connects with the pasture. This swamp had “bright green swamp grass” (Jewett, 302) It's where “the sunshine always seemed strangely yellow and hot, where tall, nodding rushes grew” (Jewett, 304). There is always a variety of birds including, cat-birds, jay-birds, sparrows, robins, and the White Heron in these areas. They sing pretty songs every day with their tweeting, whistling, and chirping, and sore through the “soft and sweet” air (Jewett, 301). Animals also scurrying around like though these areas, night and day. With all of these elements combined the setting itself is a symbol of life and

He is round because the reader has the ability to understand his personality, his hobby, his motives and, his character traits. He tells of his hobby when talking to Tilly. He says “Oh, no, they’re stuffed and preserved, dozens and dozens of them” “and I have shot or snared everyone myself” (Jewett, 303). His hobby being hunting, stuffing, and preserving birds. His character traits are presented throughout the story, but none of them change as the story goes on, so he is also a flat character. These being charming, manipulative, handsome, and young. His manipulation being exhibited when he is talking to Tilly, but directing it to Sylvia he says, “I can’t think of anything I should like so much as to find the heron’s nest” (Jewett,304). Implying that if someone would just tell him where the heron is it would make his dreams come true. Using his charm to try and manipulate Sylvia into telling him. He then tries a new tactic “I would give ten dollars to anybody who could show it to me” (Jewett,304). Saying that whoever shows him will become much wealthier. Now trying to bribe the child into speaking up. After there is still no reaction from Sylvia he then tries “and I mean to spend my whole vacation hunting for it if need be.” Telling Tilly, but still directing it to Sylvia that he would give up his only free time just to get this bird. In this attempt of manipulation he is just trying to guilt Sylvia into