32 pages • 1 hour read
Sarah Orne JewettA White Heron
Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1886A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
“A White Heron” was originally rejected by the Atlantic Monthly because “this age frowns upon the romantic.” Based on evidence from the text and the definition of romanticism, what specific elements make “A White Heron” romantic? Do you agree or disagree that this style of writing can be “dull”? Why or why not?
Describe the relationship between Sylvia and the hunter. Consider each character’s perspective concerning the natural world and how they interpret each other’s behavior.
How would the story change if Sylvia were to reveal the heron’s home to the hunter instead? Be sure to consider shifts in the plot and characters that would lead to Sylvia sacrificing the heron’s life.
This story is told from the third-person point of view, focused on Sylvia as the protagonist. Choose a passage from the story and rewrite it in the first person. You may choose Sylvia, Mrs. Tilley, the hunter, the pine tree, or the heron. How does this change in point of view alter the significance of the scene, the characterization, and the story as a whole?
Using evidence from the text, what is the mood of this story? How does Jewett convey the mood? (The mood is the emotions that the story evokes in the reader, typically described with adjectives.)
Sylvia faces internal and external conflicts. Make a list of each type of conflict she faces. What textual evidence do you have to support your analysis? What do you think is the central conflict in the story and why?
The cow, heron, pine tree, and setting become characters in the story. What passages can you find where these nonhuman animals or things become animated characters? What roles do you believe these characters play in the story, and how would “A White Heron” change without their presence?
“A White Heron” gives sparse information about Sylvia’s background living in the city with her family before her grandmother adopts her. What do you imagine Sylvia’s life was like before she came to the farm? What clues from the story helped inform your opinion of Sylvia’s past? Think about how the setting affects her characterization.
Sylvia learns about herself and the wider world through her experiences. What is one lesson you learned from the story and why? Cite textual evidence to support your answer. How will you use this lesson in your own life? If you’ve already enacted this “moral of the story,” describe how and the results.
In terms of male and female dynamics, consider the biological sex of Jewett’s characters. Sylvia, the grandmother, and the cow are all females living a peaceful, rural existence when they’re interrupted by the male hunter. How does this story challenge the social stereotypes of the roles of men and women in its time? Cite textual evidence to support your answer.
