A White Heron Group at eNotes

Sylvia is a child that is mature beyond her years, a bit of a social...

Wed, 1 Jul 2009 15:14:21 PST

Sylvia is a child that is mature beyond her years, a bit of a social recluse (she hides in the bushes when she hears a human whistle), sweet and helpful, observant and solitary. She enjoys being by herself, thinking, and pondering nature's beauty (she feels lucky to live in the country, instead of in the dirty, crowded city she came from). She is able to, at a young age, make a mature decision not to show the hunter where the bird is,...

From the story written by Sarah Orne Jewett, "A White Heron," what are...

Wed, 1 Jul 2009 14:53:17 PST

From the story written by Sarah Orne Jewett, "A White Heron," what are two character traits for both women?

Grammardog Guide to A White Heron

Several themes are developed in the story, but the primary theme is one...

Fri, 5 Jun 2009 15:23:27 PST

Several themes are developed in the story, but the primary theme is one of self-discovery. "A White Heron" is an initiation story, a narrative in which the protagonist changes in a significant way as the result of an experience. In an initiation story, the main character comes to understand something previously unknown about himself or herself or about life itself. In this story, Sylvia's experience with the white heron leads to an...

What is the theme of "A White Heron"?

Wed, 3 Jun 2009 22:53:57 PST

What is the theme of "A White Heron"?

"A White Heron," first published in 1886, belongs to the local color...

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 22:56:30 PST

"A White Heron," first published in 1886, belongs to the local color movement in American literature which flourished after the Civil War. Although it is primarily romantic in tone and theme, the story does depict Sarah Orne Jewett's New England setting in realistic detail, a strong element in local color writing. Most of the story is conventional in literary technique, but Jewett's shifting point of view was not conventional at all in the...

What are the genre and theme of "A White Heron"?

Tue, 7 Apr 2009 13:12:15 PST

What are the genre and theme of "A White Heron"?

It is late in the afternoon and Silvia is bringing a cow back to her...

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 21:35:22 PST

It is late in the afternoon and Silvia is bringing a cow back to her grandmother's. She has never been out this late and begins to think of a boy back home who she was afraid of. ". . .the thought of the red-faced boy who used to chase and frighten her made her hurry along the shadows..." Just as she is thinking about it getting dark and the boy who used to scare her, she hears . . ."a boy's whistle, determined and somewhat aggressive..."...

Why is Sylvia initially frightened by young ornithologists?

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 07:09:52 PST

Why is Sylvia initially frightened by young ornithologists?

In the story, Sylvia is a shy girl who is growing up. When she meets the...

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 13:58:33 PST

In the story, Sylvia is a shy girl who is growing up. When she meets the stranger, the hunter in the story, she is drawn to him and enjoys his company. Sylvia feels the stirrings of a first love. The hunter wants to find and kill the white heron for his collection. Because he thinks Sylvia can help him find the bird, he offers her ten dollars to show him the heron's nest. Sylvia wants to gain his approval, and she and her grandmother need the...

In "A White Heron," what is the main conflict that Sylvia feels about...

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 13:26:45 PST

In "A White Heron," what is the main conflict that Sylvia feels about the stranger?

Rising action is considered to be the events that lead up to the climax....

Sun, 15 Feb 2009 12:31:03 PST

Rising action is considered to be the events that lead up to the climax. In "The White Heron" the climax occurs when Sylvia successfully climbs the old pine and realizes the beauty of nature. At that point, she is maturing and realizes she cannot betray the nesting place of the white heron. So all of the action leading to that point, meeting the hunter, wanting to please him, climbing the tree are all examples of rising action. The falling...

What is the Climax, rising action and falling action of the short story...

Sun, 15 Feb 2009 12:22:38 PST

What is the Climax, rising action and falling action of the short story "A White Heron" ?

Like beauty, symbolism is in the eye of the beholder, or in this case,...

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 11:02:04 PST

Like beauty, symbolism is in the eye of the beholder, or in this case, the reader. In one way, the tree serves a function in the story. Climbing the great pine allows Sylvia to spot the white heron from high above the forest. She climbs the tree to find the heron's nest so that she can tell the hunter, thus pleasing him and earning the money her grandmother needs. However, Sylvia's climb up the tree is quite difficult and dangerous, requiring...

In "A White Heron," is there symbolism in Sylvia's climbing the tree...

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 10:37:19 PST

In "A White Heron," is there symbolism in Sylvia's climbing the tree near the end of the story?

It is true that the white heron and Sylvia share some common...

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 14:06:15 PST

It is true that the white heron and Sylvia share some common characteristics. They are both isolated and alone in the woods, they are both sought after, Sylvia for her knowledge of the woods and the white heron for its beauty. However, it think it would stretch the similarities a little too far to say one was a symbol for another. It think a better interpretation is that the white heron represents nature and the two views mankind has towards...

In "A White Heron", could the white heron be a symbol of Sylvia herself?

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 11:39:08 PST

How are the two similar?

At the end of the story, Sylvia's grandmother is angry at Sylvia because...

Wed, 28 Jan 2009 10:56:26 PST

At the end of the story, Sylvia's grandmother is angry at Sylvia because she will not tell the young ornithologist where the white heron's nest is located. The young man has offered the poor family money for this information and the grandmother cannot understand why Sylvia will not reveal the it. But Sylvia has decided that the bird's life is more important than money so she refuses to speak. Jewett writes, " she cannot tell the heron's secret...

In "A White Heron", why was the grandmother mad at Sylvia?

Wed, 28 Jan 2009 10:44:03 PST

In "A White Heron", why was the grandmother mad at Sylvia?

Sylvia changes from a shy little girl into a young adult during the...

Wed, 28 Jan 2009 08:19:07 PST

Sylvia changes from a shy little girl into a young adult during the course of the story. At the beginning of the story, her greatest pleasure is "to hide herself away among the huckleberry bushes." When the young ornithologist comes, Sylvia is attracted to him, both because he is a young man and because he is offering her a great deal of money. However, during her effort to climb the old pine tree, Sylvia experiences a transformation. At...