The White Heron, by Sarah Orne Jewitt, is a short story about a girl of nine years who lives with her grandmother in late nineteenth century New England. One evening as Sylvia walks her cow home, she is hailed by the whistle of a young man traveling through the area in search of birds to add to his collection. Since it has been such a long time since she has been around anyone other than her grandmother, she is drawn to him. He is interesting to her not only because he is male and she knows no other males, she is also attracted to the unknown that this man represents and is mystified by him as a stranger in her land.

He is a foreigner to Sylvia and to her woods, and Sylvia herself is somewhat a foreigner. She has not been living with her grandmother for long, but she has adapted to her new environment well. Already she knows every square foot of ground in the woods and considers the animals her friends.

The young man, whose name we do not get to know, claims an interest in collecting birds for scientific reasons, but does not have an interest in what sort of lives they live. He has a good understanding of scientific knowledge, but knows nothing of the personality and lifestyles of his subjects.

Sylvia and her grandmother live in relative poverty, and this young man offers a reprieve in the form of a ten dollar reward for helping to find the nest of the white heron. Although they may be materially poor, it is not necessarily apparent to them because of the simplicity of their lives. They are also deficient in social contact, but do not really need or want to have the presence of outsiders.

There is a strong undercurrent of sexuality in this story, which is evident in her obvious adoration of this man. She follows him around, listening, unable to speak back to him. She so desires to have his approval that she climbs all the way to the top of the lone pine tree near her house, the tallest tree standing, to try to find the nest of the white heron. She finds the nest in the tallest branches of a neighboring tree. This is significant because the nest is among the tallest trees that were left standing after most other trees had been cleared, which would suggest that the heron's home should not be revealed because it has lasted through many efforts to be rid of it.

It is interesting that, after her enormous effort, Sylvia decides not to reveal the home of the bird. As she climbs the tree she also climbs to new heights of maturity in her young life. It seems that despite the temptation of the man's gratitude, she has decided to protect the feminine enclave that is her world. She identifies with and respects the innocence of nature. Sylvia's domain exists and she has no urge to exert control over it, as the young man does.