In the late 1800s, famed author Sarah Orne Jewett wrote her short story, "A White Heron." The story tells the life of a young girl named Sylvia, who moves with her grandmother to the countryside of her city, where she will have to face a difficult decision to make. Since they lived in the countryside, the forest was close to her grandmother's house, which one day she decides to explore. Sylvia meets a young man who is hunting while exploring the forest after hearing the hunters' whistle. The young man explains that he is looking for a rare bird, which Sylvia had already seen while exploring the forest, and is now stuck between the choice of helping this young man she is attracted to, pleasing him, or keeping the rare bird safe. after having cultivated a special relationship and love for nature and the animals that surround it. In the end Sylvia is unable to give up the location of the rare bird, which shocks the young man and then he leaves, Sylvia is left wondering whether her decision was the right one or not. In the story, the hunter seems to represent masculinity, being this tough hunter who wants to conquer and kill nature and all these innocent and rare animals, while Sylvia represents femininity, innocence and purity, and can almost be depicted as part of the nature, respectful and protective towards it. Sylvia wants to find her own identity, her own voice, but it is difficult when she feels the need to succumb to this man-hunter and feels she has to play a specific role, in finding a man to marry. She is trying to discover the place she is destined to occupy in society and the world at large. By remaining strong and independent, Sylvia manages to reject typical roles for women. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay Throughout history we can see signs that women in history establish and maintain some type of hierarchy and independence, women in history demonstrate they are capable of taking care of themselves. When the author writes, “if the creature had not given good and abundant milk, the situation would have seemed very different to its owners”. This leads the reader to infer that Mrs. Tilley and Sylvia are not only dependent on the cow for milk but also for their own lives 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 child for financial independence. This establishes each of them as individuals capable of self-sufficiency. Furthermore, the statement suggests that Ms. Tilley is an experienced woman who has the ability to manage and maintain her farm. Mrs. Tilley runs something of an independent business, giving her character and giving the impression that she is most likely the breadwinner, showing that without the help of men, an all-female home can function properly. It turns out that Sylvia's grandmother is actually the head of the family. When Sylvia brings the hunter back to her home, Sylvia wonders, "wouldn't her grandmother consider her very guilty?" which is then followed by the cow “[making] a loud moo by way of explanation.” This shows that both Sylvia and the cow somehow feel the need to account for their actions by reflecting Mrs. Tilley's authority. Sylvia's anxiety and offering of the cow demonstrate a kind of social order and structure within the farm, led by Mrs. Tilley. During this scene, Sylvia's grandmother is guarding her house in a manner similar to how a typical man would traditionally guard his, by standing near the door. The farm appears to be calm and peaceful until theyoung, but Sylvia's stamina and power surpasses the hunter's strength and her intimidation fails. The author illustrates the young man's state of inferiority through his youth, his refusal to fall under a feminine world and, ultimately, through Sylvia's decision to reject him. At the beginning of the story, Sylvia hears the young man and hears “a boy's whistle,” notice how she doesn't call it a man's whistle. By classifying the hunter as someone who is not fully mature, the author increases the authority and status of the much more mature and older Mrs. Tilley. The young man continues to demonstrate immaturity and when asked about the birds he replies, "Oh no, they're stuffed and preserved, dozens and dozens of them... and I killed or trapped them all myself." The phrase "dozens and dozens" is a somewhat childish response and his grammar is consistent with the grammar and speech of a child, while the way he brags about how he hunted birds and his pride in his skills of hunting ("I shot or trapped all 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 he even smiles "... ever since I was a boy", and the narrator interjects "(Mrs. Tilley smiled)". By using parentheses, the author highlights and draws attention to Mrs. Tilley. Mrs. Tilley's amusement demonstrates that, being a woman, she is just as smart, if not smarter, and more practical than a man, which upsets 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 modern and rapid growth of femininity. In the story, we witness the characters' search for who they are and 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, causes the definitive change in gender status. After reconsidering the implications of Sylvia's relationships with both 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 bond between Sylvia and the birds, the birds must hypnotize Sylvia. Jewett's advice that a woman might "care enough to want to take her 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, offers an alternative lifestyle. This alternative “away from such a life” is in the countryside or, metaphorically, among women. Sylvia “tried to grow up for eight years in a crowded manufacturing town, but…it seemed like she had never been alive before she came to live on the farm.” When Sylvia lived in the industrialized, predominantly male-dominated city, she suffered but thrived in the feminine atmosphere of the countryside, indicating her innate sexual orientation. A statement like “Sylvia would have preferred it without the gun” shows meaning in the protagonist's tendency theme. By choosing to protect the heron and repel the hunter, Sylvia recognizes that the expectations placed on women to find someone to marry and care for the family, she rejects, and instead Sylvia embraces a lifestyle dominated by women. Keep in mind: This is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Metaphorically Illustrating Rejection from a Young Girl.