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Symbolism In A White Heron

Decent Essays

Sarah Orne Jewett was born in 1849, her writings began in her early teens as she got inspired by her surroundings. In “A White Heron” a young girl reaches a conflict of her view personally through nature contradicted to the young men that soon will be introduced to her. Young Sylvia moves in with her grandmother and is learning the ways of the woods rather than the city. Many mythical significances occur through the tree, the hunter, the cow, and the heron to create the elements of different literary ways. The story begins as young Sylvia is interrupted by a hunter who is looking for a new bird for his collection. As he follows her, he makes home at her grandmother’s house where he makes himself at home. As he begins to discuss the reward for the …show more content…

The first mythical significance is the tree that she climbs to get to the height of the birds. As she sits at the top of the tree she becomes the heron herself and breaks free from everything go on down below. The feeling of being high in the tree tops gives her the motivation she needs to make the decision in whether to choose the hunter or the heron. The second mythical significance is the hunter that comes into the woods to find the white heron to add to his collection. The hunter stands for the human companionship that she wishes to have. Another way to think of the hunter is to think about the intrusion of civilization into the farm country in the area. In the end, she chooses natures companionship over the hunters. The third mythical significance is the cow that she describes at the beginning of the story being just like herself. The cow and her journey is described by how they are one with one another. The final and most important mythical significance is the heron itself in which can be seen through the bird, but also through Sylvia. The bird mainly stands for companionship of the natural

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