Sarah Orne Jewett's Life In Joyce Carol Oates A White Heron
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Would you betray a common bird in 1886 for ten dollars? I would and am sure am not alone. You might think it’s a no brainer, but there are people who will not like, Sarah Orne Jewett and a character in “A white Heron” who will not. Sarah Orne Jewett was a well renowned author, she was known in the literary world through her stories of the New England country life and her love for nature, and her experience in the New England country inspired much of her beautiful writings. Arguably, one of her most famous short story, “A White heron,” is a great example of her work. According to Joyce Carol Oates “A white Heron,” is “suspenseful and poetic at once, and, in its dialectics of male and female consciousness, strikingly contemporary, is representative…show more content… It is not a coincidence, the name Sylvia, comes from the Latin word “Silva” meaning woods or forest (e-note). She personified the great pine tree by saying “who knows how steadily the least twigs held themselves to advantage this light, weak creature on her way” (144). In addition, the tree stood still and frowned away the wind, because the old pine tree loved his new dependent and it never do the same for other animals. (144) Jewett also alluded that, when Sylvia was playing with cow “she lent herself to this amusement with great deal of zest” (137). The love between Sylvia and her friend is…show more content… Tilley welcomed and offered him milk and a place to stay. The stranger was surprise by their hospitality because “it was a surprise to find so clean and comfortable a little dwelling in this New England wilderness” (140). During this period, witchcraft and evil doings were common in this area. The Stranger was thinking that they are doing good in order to bewitch or kill him, which was not the case. A good friend will not think like the stranger. Due to his skepticism and his eagerness to find the bird, the stranger did not notice any hint of sorrow, when Mrs. Tilley was telling him about her lost in her family. (140) The stranger offered them ten dollars if they could locate the White Heron for him, and during this period, ten dollar was a lot of money. The next major event that took place was Sylvia trying to locate the bird for him, because she admired him and wanted to please him. She went through a dangerous path, climbing to the top of the great pine tree for the stranger’s sake. Jewett description of the event that occurred at the top of the tree, will make you experience it firsthand. “The birds sang louder and louder. At last the sun came up bewildering bright. Sylvia could see the white sails of ships out at sea, and the clouds that were purple and rose-colored and yellow at first began to fade away… was this wonderful sight and pageant of the world the only reward for having climbed to such a giddy height”? (145) From that