As children, nature greatly intrigues us and gives us numerous experiences that life at home cannot. Experiencing nature allows children to deepen their connection with the environment that surrounds them and the secret wonders they might discover. In Sara Orne Jewett’s short story “A White Heron”, Sylvia, a child who spends much time in the story-like realm of the woods near her home, meets a charming hunter who is looking for the rare white heron. The hunt for the heron allows Sylvia to explore the woods deeply and climb the great pine tree of the forest. Before encountering the hunter, the woods near Sylvia’s home provided her an escape to a parallel universe where she could enjoy and observe nature’s many wonders. This changes as Sylvia
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Jewett explains to the audience that Sylvia questions herself as she poses the question, “What is it that suddenly forbids her and makes her dumb?” (51). Sylvia’s reluctance to give up the white heron to the hunter shows her newly acclaimed loyalty to nature after learning that she, like the heron, is an important part of nature. When Jewett states, “The murmur of the pine’s green branches is in her ears, she remembers how the white heron came flying… and how they watched the sea and the morning together...”, the audience is shown the deep connection that Sylvia feels with the heron and nature itself. In personifying the pine and allowing it to influence her, nature strongly shapes Sylvia by forging a relationship between her and …show more content…
By living in the New England Wilderness, the protagonist of this story, Sylvia, immerses herself in nature and allows it to shape her, but upon meeting a hunter, Sylvia suddenly disconnects with nature after finding herself drawn to him. Sylvia aims to please the hunter and find the rare white heron for him, however, she ends up realizing that she is a child of nature and so is the white heron. Sylvia’s evolution of her relationship with nature shows that she is deeply connected with her surroundings and allows nature to guide and teach her through the experiences it presents. As a result of nature shaping Sylvia, she gives back her loyalty to her kind teacher by protecting the precious white
Jewett explains to the audience that Sylvia questions herself as she poses the question, “What is it that suddenly forbids her and makes her dumb?” (51). Sylvia’s reluctance to give up the white heron to the hunter shows her newly acclaimed loyalty to nature after learning that she, like the heron, is an important part of nature. When Jewett states, “The murmur of the pine’s green branches is in her ears, she remembers how the white heron came flying… and how they watched the sea and the morning together...”, the audience is shown the deep connection that Sylvia feels with the heron and nature itself. In personifying the pine and allowing it to influence her, nature strongly shapes Sylvia by forging a relationship between her and …show more content…
By living in the New England Wilderness, the protagonist of this story, Sylvia, immerses herself in nature and allows it to shape her, but upon meeting a hunter, Sylvia suddenly disconnects with nature after finding herself drawn to him. Sylvia aims to please the hunter and find the rare white heron for him, however, she ends up realizing that she is a child of nature and so is the white heron. Sylvia’s evolution of her relationship with nature shows that she is deeply connected with her surroundings and allows nature to guide and teach her through the experiences it presents. As a result of nature shaping Sylvia, she gives back her loyalty to her kind teacher by protecting the precious white