A White Heron

In Sarah Orne Jewett's "A White Heron," the white heron symbolizes various themes, including nature's beauty and purity, freedom, and the clash between nature and industrial society. Sylvia, the...

Jewett's "A White Heron" exemplifies Realism through its detailed, true-to-life depiction of rural life and the natural environment. Local color is evident in the story's specific regional details,...

"A White Heron" follows a young girl named Sylvia who encounters a hunter seeking a rare white heron. Key events include Sylvia's internal conflict between helping the hunter and protecting the...

In Sarah Orne Jewett's "A White Heron," Sylvia faces an internal conflict and ethical dilemma. She must choose between revealing the location of a white heron to a hunter, who offers her ten dollars,...

Sylvia and the white heron in "A White Heron" share a deep connection to nature and a sense of purity and innocence. Both characters are elusive and wary of human encroachment, valuing the...

Sylvia, the protagonist of Sarah Orne Jewett's "A White Heron," is depicted as a shy, independent, and nature-loving girl who undergoes significant personal growth. Initially timid and more...

In "A White Heron," Sylvia's tree climbing symbolizes her transcendental experience and personal growth. While initially motivated by material gain and attraction to the hunter, her ascent allows her...

The narrative point of view in "A White Heron" is third-person omniscient. This perspective allows the narrator to delve into the thoughts and feelings of the protagonist, Sylvia, and other...

Three significant elements of the setting in "A White Heron" are place, time, and environment. The rural, coastal Maine setting is crucial for Sylvia's character development, emphasizing isolation...

The exposition in "A White Heron" provides background information about the main characters, Mrs. Tilley and her granddaughter, Sylvia. This includes Sylvia's move from a crowded city house to her...

Receiving the stranger's ten dollars would provide Sylvia and her grandmother with temporary financial relief, allowing them to buy food, clothes, and other necessities. Although Sylvia imagines...

Sylvia's attitude towards money in "A White Heron" reflects her initial awe and temptation by the hunter's offer of ten dollars, a significant amount for her impoverished family. Despite this, her...

Finding the white heron's nest influences the action of the story because now Sylvia has to decide whether or not to tell the hunter its location.

The author uses shadows in "A White Heron" to symbolize nature and impending danger. Shadows reflect Sylvie's connection to nature and foreshadow the threat posed by the hunter. They establish the...

In "A White Heron," the great pine tree is personified and described as a towering landmark with a "stately head" visible for miles. It is mysterious for surviving while others were felled,...

Sylvia's initial reaction to the young man in "A White Heron" is one of shyness and curiosity. She is both intrigued by his charm and wary of his presence, as he represents a world very different...

Mistress Moolly is Sylvia's grandmother's old cow in "A White Heron." Described as a "plodding, dilatory, provoking creature," she is a valued companion for Sylvia, who has little human contact....

In "A White Heron," Sylvia is symbolized by a flower and a bird. Initially, she's likened to a stunted geranium, reflecting her inability to thrive in the city. Later, as she climbs a pine tree,...

Sylvia's silence in "A White Heron" is more powerful than a denial because it signifies her loyalty and deep connection to nature. By choosing not to reveal the heron's location to the hunter,...

The young man, an ornithologist and hunter, hopes Sylvia will show him the nesting place of a rare white heron so he can add it to his collection. Despite his offer of friendship and a monetary...

The resolution in "A White Heron" occurs when Sylvia chooses not to reveal the location of the heron to the hunter. This decision protects the bird but ends her chance of forming a relationship with...

The protagonist in "A White Heron" is Sylvia, a nine-year-old girl who thrives in nature and prefers animals to people, symbolizing a deep connection to the natural world. The antagonist is...

I believe that in Sarah Orne Jewett's short story, "A White Heron," the author presents us with a young girl who is comfortable in her new home, and able to make wise decisions based on what she has...

Sylvia's grandmother, Mrs. Tilley, offers the young man a bed for the night and a simple meal. The young man, a hunter seeking a rare white heron, hopes Sylvia will help him find the bird. He offers...

The main characters in "A White Heron" are Sylvia, a nine-year-old girl who cherishes nature, and a young ornithologist who values nature for his own purposes. Sylvia is deeply connected to the...

Sarah Orne Jewett's "A White Heron" is structured as a bildungsroman, depicting Sylvia's rite of passage from innocence to experience. The story's perspective shifts between omniscient narration and...

In "A White Heron," Mrs. Tilley lives a peaceful, mostly isolated life in the country. She is a kind woman who recognizes a bit of herself in her shy granddaughter, but she is also willing to offer...

In "A White Heron," clues about Sylvia's actions are foreshadowed through her character development. Sylvia is portrayed as a nature-loving, introverted child who feels a deep connection to the...

Sylvia's silence in "A White Heron" symbolizes her internal conflict and ultimate decision to protect the natural world over human desires. By choosing not to reveal the heron's location to the...

Sylvia is characterized as a young, nature-loving girl, while Mrs. Tilley, her grandmother, is depicted as caring and practical. Their relationship is nurturing and supportive, with Mrs. Tilley...

In "A White Heron," the ornithologist offers ten dollars in exchange for information about where to find the heron. This was a large sum of money in the 1880s, and Sylvia thinks a great deal about...

Sylvia's relationship with her grandmother, Mrs. Tilley, is nurturing and understanding, contrasting with her mother's perception of Sylvia as "afraid of folks." Mrs. Tilley recognized Sylvia's need...

The phrase "long-slumbering hospitality" suggests that the grandmother's house is unaccustomed to visitors, due to its secluded location in the New England wilderness. Despite the rarity of guests,...

Anthropomorphism involves attributing human characteristics to non-human entities. In "A White Heron," Sylvia frequently anthropomorphizes her surroundings, such as talking to her cow as if it could...

The young man stays at Mrs. Tilley's cottage because he is an amateur ornithologist interested in hunting birds, particularly a white heron seen near their home. Mrs. Tilley offers him lodging after...

The dialogue in "A White Heron" includes direct exchanges between characters, such as Sylvia's grandmother and a stranger, as well as the narrator addressing the reader and Sylvia herself. This...

The hunter in "A White Heron" remains unnamed because he symbolizes mankind's tendency to exploit nature. His anonymity contrasts with the named female characters and highlights his role as a...

Sylvia is originally from a large manufacturing town where she felt unsafe and alienated. At age eight, she moved to her grandmother Mrs. Tilley's farm in rural Maine. Sylvia has grown to love her...

The stranger in "A White Heron" tries to persuade Sylvia by offering her ten dollars for help in finding the heron, a tempting sum for her poor family. He also attempts to win her over with stories...

In Sarah Orne Jewett's "A White Heron," Sylvia watches the hop-toad as the ornithologist speaks about his desire to catch a white heron because she is processing the young man's words. She isn't...

The main character, Sylvia, reveals her positive attitude and empathetic nature through her approach to hunting for the cow. Instead of viewing it as a chore, she treats it as a playful game,...

The plot of "A White Heron" follows Sylvia, a young girl living in late 19th-century Maine with her grandmother. She faces an internal conflict of whether to reveal the location of a rare white heron...

Evidence of Sylvia exhibiting bird-like traits while climbing the pine tree includes her "bare feet and fingers pinch and hold like a bird's claws," showcasing her agility and grip. She navigates the...

Read "A White Heron" by Sarah Orne Jewett. Look for the language that expresses a connection between people and nature, for the symbolism of phallic symbols, and for the structure. (Smith 1983) Also...