Student Question
How does the stranger try to persuade Sylvia in "A White Heron"?
Quick answer:
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 about birds, a gift of a jack-knife, and his charming demeanor. Sylvia is captivated by his charm and generosity, feeling a vague thrill of admiration, but ultimately she does not reveal the heron's location.
One of the ways in which the stranger tries to convince Sylvia to help him find the heron is by saying that "[He] would give ten dollars to anybody who could show it to me." Such a sum inspired dreams of "wished-for treasures" from Sylvia that night. It is very tempting for her because "they are so poor."
Further, he tries to win her favor by telling "her many things about the birds and what they knew and where they lived and what they did with themselves." It seems as though he very much wants to ingratiate himself to Sylvy because he has a sense -- a correct one -- that she has seen the heron. Further, he "gave her a jack-knife, which she thought as great a treasure as if she were a desert-islander." This feels like a very adult, very valuable gift to her. Thus, his flattery and his gifts and his charm succeed in getting her to like him; in fact, "She had never seen anybody so charming and delightful; the woman's heart, asleep in the child, was vaguely thrilled by a dream of love." She longed to make him happy, and he seemed "so well worth making happy" to her.
On the last day of his stay at Sylvia's grandmother's house, he woke up and hurried to get dressed. "He was sure from the way the shy little girl looked once or twice yesterday that she had at least seen the white heron, and now she must really be persuaded to tell." He felt certain in the success of all his efforts, but he would be frustrated in the end.
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