"A White Heron" - Review

"A White Heron"

Author - Sarah Orne Jewett

Main Characters:

Sylvia - A 9 year old girl who loves to walk in the woods. She is isolated and doesn't have any real friends. She has a cow named Mistress Mooly that she loves and considers to be her friend.

Mrs. Tilly - Sylvia's grandmother. Sylvia lives with Mrs. Tilly.

The boy from the woods - We never get to know his name, but, the boy from the woods is who Sylvia runs into and brings home to her grandmother's house. The boy is an avid hunter and a fan of taxidermy. He is on the lookout for a white heron that he has seen periodically.

What do you know about the topic or story you are reading?
This story and author are both brand new to me. I was completely unfamiliar with them both prior to reading the story.

What can you imagine that is not specifically outlined?
I do believe Jewett did an excellent job in setting the scenes, I could really see the setting in my minds eye.

What would you like to learn more about?
I would be interested to know if the boy ever returned and persisted in finding the heron's nest.

How would I react if this happened to me?
I would have been just like Sylvia. I would have never told him where the nest was because had he killed the bird I would have been sick. I would have done exactly as she did.

Plot Summary

The story begins with Sylvia heading home early one June evening. Sylvia loves the outdoors and has been out that day with her beloved cow, Mistress Mooly. Mistress Mooly is quite intelligent and has been raised as a pet by Sylvia, so, the cow plays games with Sylvia in an effort to not have to go back to the barn. Eventually gets Mistress Mooly moving and as they are walking Sylvia hears a whistle. She knew it wasn't a bird, but it was a person, probably a boy. Shortly, she sees where the whistle came from because there appears a boy with a gun.

Sylvia was frightened at first, but she soon realized the boy was very friendly and not out to hurt her. He told her the gun was for shooting birds, and he asked her if she had seen the elusive white heron that was in the area. She said that she had. They kept walking, and the boy asked Sylvia if he could stay at her house for the night. He said he would be gone early in the morning. Sylvia was nervous about bringing this boy home to her grandmothers house, but much to her surprise her grandmother was not bothered by the boy at all. She made him dinner and let him sleep in her home that night.

The following day, the boy told Sylvia he would pay her $10 if she would help him locate the white heron's nest. She and the boy headed out to the woods and unfortunately for the boy, they came back empty handed - no white heron. Early the next morning Sylvia awoke before it was light. She decided to go out to the woods and climb the tallest tree she knew of and look for the white herons nest from up high in the air. Sylvia climbed up as high as she could in the old tree and low and behold, there was a white heron. She saw it fly right to it's nest and it's mate.

When Sylvia returned to her grandmother's home, it was getting light outside. Her grandmother never worried about her because Sylvia was constantly playing outside so, when she walked in that morning it wasn't unusual. What was unusual was Sylvia's silence. The boy and the grandmother question Sylvia. She says nothing. She knows the boy will want to know where the heron's nest is and she cannot bear to tell him. She has decided to keep it a secret so the heron will still be able to live.

Reaction:

What do I think about what I've read?
I enjoyed this story. I feel Jewett's attention to detail in describing the scene was great. I also felt that she did a very good portrayal of Sylvia. Sylvia was a lover of nature and having come from a city environment, she really appreciated the countryside she shared with her grandmother. Sylvia also had a deep connection to animals. She loved her cow and admired all of the wildlife around her.

I got a sense that Sylvia had a bit of a crush on the boy, and she was eager to help him find the heron early on because of her crush. Sylvia learned though, after seeing the heron in it's nest that she didn't want the heron to die. In the final paragraph Sylvia is pondering whether or not the birds were better friends than the hunter would have been, but she realizes now she will never know.

I was proud of Sylvia for protecting the heron. I would have done the same thing. I personally don't agree with hunting, so I was hoping he wouldn't find the heron. I feel this story is about making choices and companionship. Sylvia's big choice was to choose the boy or the heron.

I found it interesting that in those days it was considered normal to have a stranger just stop by for dinner and a place to sleep. I got the feeling of "Little House on the Prairie" while I was reading this and I pictured Sylvia looking a lot like Laura Engles.


Would I recommend this story to others?
I would recommend this story. I don't think it would appeal much to a male audience as much as women. It is a good story with a nice ending.

About the author:
Sarah Orne Jewett grew up in a wonderful family on the east coast. She had a secure homelife with two sisters. She began to write in her teens and her first publication was in 1869 in the "Atlantic Monthly." In the 1870's, while in Boston, she surrounded herself with a literary group comprised of prominent women writers of the time.