A White Heron

In Sarah Orne Jewett's A White Heron, there exists an undeniable environmental statement by the narrator and Sylvia, the central character. Sylvia, at the age of eight, moved in with her grandmother at her home deep in the woods from a crowded manufacturing town. It is quite evident that Sylvia prefers the solitude and beauty of nature over the crowded and bustling town when she states, " ... Sylvia whispered that this was a beautiful place to live in, and she should never wish to go home." To further this environmental preference motif, the narrator tells us, " ... as for Sylvia herself, it seemed as if she had never been alive at all before she came to live at the farm." These quotes not only describe the farm's appearance, but the latter adds fire to the description of her grandmother's home by powerfully stating that Sylvia felt like her life did not truly begin until she moved there. Also, on the great pine tree where the turning point of the story takes place, Jewett nobly describes the tree in the statement, "But the stately head of this old pine towered above them all and made a landmark for sea and shore miles and miles away. The importance of the tree is clearly shown in this comparison to a landmark and in being the chosen setting in which the turning point was to take place. From the beginning of this story, it becomes apparent that Sylvia is falling in love with a lost hunter that she had met at the beginning of the story. Despite the fact that love is one of the human mind's most passionate emotions, Sylvia chooses to preserve the forest's inhabitants over possibly having her amorous emotions returned. The decision made by Sylvia represents the author's belief in the importance of nature. If the hunter would have been chosen, then the symbolism of her choice would have been more of a selfish one rather than a worldly one, since she would have made the choice to benefit herself rather than environment. But, as the story states, this was not the case. This decision is described by Jewett as, " ... Sylvia could not speak; she cannot tell the heron's secret and give its life away." She thinks that she loves this hunter as stated before, but it is obvious at this point that her love for the white heron is greater than her feelings for the hunter. In other words, her belief and love for the environment is greater than any feeling that she could have ever possesed for the hunter. With the vivid descriptions and the conservative choices taken, it is simply seen that in Jewett's The White Heron a strong environmental theme is present.

9/3/96