Symbolism in a white heron
Sarah Orne Jewett's "A White Heron" is a beautifully descriptive story told in the third person omniscient narration. This is about the protagonist, a young girl named Sylvia. This short story is made up of two main elements being conflict and symbolism that revolve around the main character Sylvia and also the amazing bird, the white heron. The conflict is mostly inner conflict revolving around the devastating decision the young girl must make. The symbolism while hidden, can be quickly recognized by the stress of certain objects. It is easy to relate the author's life to Sylvia's. One could assume that the story of the heron is much about Jewett's own life. Jewett was a sickly girl much like Sylvia. Jewett also chose never to be with a man, as she was never married. This relates greatly to Sylvia because in the short story, Sylvia chose nature over the presence of a man. The reader learns about Sylvia not only from the narrator's description but from what others say about her in the text. The reader learns that this young girl lived in the city and all her life there was sickly. It was said that "it seemed as if she never had been alive at all before she came to live at the farm." Mrs. Tilley also stated that Sy
Sylvia would do anything for the well-being of the animals and she always puts nature first. This can be shown when it was stated that "small and hopeful Sylvia began with utmost bravery to mount to the top of it, with tingling, eager blood coursing the channels of her whole frame, with her bare feet and fingers that pinched and held like bird's claws to the monstrous ladder reaching up, up, almost to the sky itself". The tree in the story is also another large part of the symbolism. There are many points in the story that we can learn how Sylvia had a special connection with nature and animals. Even though Sylvia dislikes him for killing the animals she is drawn to him. The first instance of conflict is the whistle of the hunter. Sylvia's climbing of the tree shows her will power and willingness to take her problems and choices head on. Sylvia was not in the right place when she lived in the noisy town and she proves her independence by moving away from her entire family. This is implying that the birds whistle provides a comfort for her however the boys whistle is frightening and unwelcome. The tree can also be seen as the obstacles that everyone in life encounters. Tilley further describes how Sylvia feeds the birds and how they lounge near the house. This paragraph is also described as peaceful and calm, a paradox to the city life she so dislikes. The second and most important instance of conflict is when Sylvia must decide whether or not to tell the secret of the white heron. The cow that Sylvia walks home everyday greatly represents the feminism in the story. By using these techniques, Jewett expresses and articulates the importance of the decisions to be made in the story.
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