A White Heron

Sarah Orne Jewett's short story “ A White Heron” is a serene story that takes one to an entirely different time and place. The story is about a young girl by the name of Sylvia who lives a classic lifestyle on a farm with her grandmother. She finds common ground with nature and it is in nature that she confines herself. Sylvia takes her cow out on walks and milks her everyday. One a particular journey she comes across a stranger in her path. A young man with a handsome face who ends up crashing at her home for a couple of nights. During this time, Sylvia discovers she has a lot in common with this hunter---or so she thought. They both have a love for birds but in an entirely different way. Sylvia loves to observe birds and leave them unharmed. The rambling young man enjoys hunting birds and mounting them on his wall. Sylvia is faced with a decision to reveal the whereabouts of a mysterious white heron in the region to the young man or to keep the birds secret a secret. This is the main conflict between city value and rural value. It clearly demonstrates that Sylvia longs to keep her tradition alive. She has no interest in showing off birds that she has killed. The story glorifies nature in many ways. For example, Sylvia climbs the highest old tree in the forest to be able to stare at the remarkable beauty of the sea. The imagery that is present throughout the story shows readers the beauty of nature that is untouched by mankind. I can understand why this story is sometimes called a conservation story because the great lengths the story goes to provide the audience with a never ending morale that nature should be left to take care of itself.