In the late 1800s, well-known author Sarah Orne Jewett wrote her short story, "A White Heron." The short story presents the life of a young girl named Sylvia, who moves with her grandmother to the countryside from her town, where she will face a difficult decision to make. Since they lived in the country, the woods were near her grandmother's house, which she decided to explore one day. Sylvia meets a young man who hunts while exploring the forest after hearing the hunters whistling. The young man explains that he is looking for a rare bird, which Sylvia had already seen while exploring the forest earlier, and that he is now stuck between choosing to help this young man he is attracted to, please it or keep the rare bird safe. after having developed a special relationship and a love for nature and the animals that surround him. In the end, Sylvia is unable to give up the location of the rare bird, which upsets the young man and then leaves, Sylvia is left with the thought of whether her decision was the right decision or not. In the story, the hunter seems to represent masculinity, being this tough hunter who wants to conquer and kill nature and all those innocent and rare animals, while Sylvia represents femininity, innocence and purity, and can almost be represented as part of masculinity. of nature, respectful and protective of it. Sylvia wants to find her own identity, her own voice, but it's difficult when she wants to succumb to this man-hunter and feels that she must play a specific role, that of finding a man to marry. She is trying to discover the place she is supposed to occupy in society and in the world in general. By remaining strong and independent, Sylvia is able to reject typical female roles. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Throughout history we can see signs that the women of history establish and maintain a certain type of hierarchy and independence, the women of history demonstrate that they are capable of take care of themselves. As the author writes, "if the creature had not given good milk and in abundance, the case would have seemed very different to its owners." This leads the reader to infer that Mrs. Tilley and Sylvia depend not only on the cow for their milk, but also for their own sustenance and general well-being. Readers can see that Mrs. Tilley and all the other women in the story are not dependent on a husband, a man, or even a son for their financial independence. This makes them individuals capable of being self-sufficient. Additionally, the statement suggests that Mrs. Tilley is a competent woman who has the ability to operate and maintain her farm. Mrs. Tilley runs a sort of independent operation, giving her character and making it seem like she is most likely the head of the household, demonstrating that without the help of men, a women-only household can run smoothly. It turns out that Sylvia's grandmother is actually the head of the household. When Sylvia brings the hunter home, Sylvia wonders, “Wouldn’t her grandmother consider her a big mistake?” which is then followed by the cow who "[gives] a loud mooing by way of explanation." This demonstrates that Sylvia and the cow somehow feel the need to be accountable for their actions, which reflects Mrs. Tilley's authority. Sylvia's anxiety and the offering of the cow demonstrate some sort of social order and structure within the farm, run by Mrs. Tilley. During this scene, Sylvia's grandmotherguards his house in a manner similar to how a typical man guards his traditionally, by standing by the door. The farm appears to be calm and peaceful until the young man appears, but Sylvia's resistance and power overcome the hunter's strength and his intimidation fails. The author illustrates the young man's state of inferiority through his youth, his refusal to fall into a feminine world and, finally, through Sylvia's decision to reject him. At the beginning of the story, Sylvia hears the young man and she hears "a boy's whistle", notice she doesn't call it a man's whistle. By classifying the hunter as someone who has not reached full maturity, the author reinforces the authority and status of the much more mature and older Mrs. Tilley. The young man continues to show immaturity. When asked about the birds, he replied: "Oh no, they are stuffed and preserved, dozens and dozens of them... and I have shot or trapped every one of them myself -even ". The phrase "tens and tens" is a somewhat childish response and his grammar is consistent with a child's grammar and speech, while the way he brags about how he hunts birds and how proud he is of his hunting skills ("I shot or trapped everyone myself") reveals that he is not as manly as they thought. The way Mrs. Tilley reacts also shows how much older and wiser she is than the young hunter. At one point she even smiles "...since I was a boy," and the narrator interjects "(Mrs. Tilley smiled)." By using parentheses, the author emphasizes and draws attention to Mrs. Tilley. Mrs. Tilley's amusement demonstrates that, as a woman, she is just as intelligent, if not smarter, and more practical than a man, which subverts the standard gender order. At this point it is quite easy to recognize that the man is still a boy and that his form of masculinity is outdated compared to the rapid, modern growth of femininity. In the story, we see the characters searching for who they are and for their status, a struggle that Sylvia must face. Her choice to protect the heron, which is part of female nature, instead of helping the passive-aggressive hunter, causing the ultimate change in the status of the sexes. After reconsidering the implications of Sylvia's relationships with the young sportsman and Nature, the other implications of the story become clear. Sylvia's choice to protect the heron from the hunter and to live in communion with nature. According to Reynoldo, the connection between Sylvia and the birds, the birds must hypnotize Sylvia. Jewett's advice that a woman might "care enough to wish him away from such a life." “Such a life” here could refer to life among men as a traditional wife. The story “describes the high cost of the social construction of the marriageable heterosexual woman,” but more importantly, it offers an alternative way of life. This alternative “far from such a life” is found in the countryside or, metaphorically, among women. Sylvia "tried to grow up for eight years in a crowded industrial town, but...it seemed like she had never been alive until she came to live on the farm." When Sylvia lived in an industrialized, mostly male-dominated city, she suffered, but thrived in the feminine atmosphere of the countryside, indicating her innate sexual orientation. A statement such as "Sylvia would have liked it better without his gun" shows significance in the subject matter of the protagonist's tendency. By choosing to protect the heron and reject the hunter, Sylvia recognizes that the expectations placed on women to find.