Grace Esselman
Reader Response
Dr. Pennington
ENG 305
Growing Pains in Sarah Orne Jewett’s “A White Heron”
The childhood era of our lives goes by quickly, though it feels endless to us in our young
age, as we grow older we look back on it fondly and wonder where time went. Our childhood
Comment [1]: Growing Pains or the Pains of
Growing Up?
Comment [2]: Hey, I read this short story!
Comment [3]: Nice starting
and teenage years are short- lived because once we become adults we remain adults for the rest
of our lives. Being an adult has its perks, but adults do not have the freedom that children have
Comment [4]: True. Never thought about it
that way
because in addition to the freedoms you attain as an adult like drinking, driving, and perhaps
Comment [5]: Just a suggestion - you might
want to switch the order. Maybe put driving,
drinking because otherwise it sounds like you
are suggesting drinking & driving
owning your own car, in addition to creating your own curfew.; Tthese privileges are great, but
with them comes much responsibility. For instance, owning your own car means that you must
maintain a job to be able to pay for gas, insurance, and make monthly car payments. As children
our responsibilities don’t extend beyond obeying your parents, cleaning your room, and being
nice to your siblings.; Iit isn’t until we become older that we realize how easy we had it as
children and how we yearn for our lives to once again regain that simplicity. Childhood seems to
be an idea that is often taken for grantedgranite or one that is wished away.
Sarah Orne Jewett’s “A White Heron” gives readers a glimpse into the childhood of
Comment [6]: Okay, where's your thesis?
Comment [7]: Transition?
Sylvia, a young girl who is embracing her childhood on the outskirts of an industrial town living
on a farm with her grandmother while growing closer to nature. Sylvia takes full advantage of
her freedom by romping through the surrounding land while also assisting her grandmother with
the animals. Her association with nature and cluelessness about the outside and industrial world
draw attention to her innocence and inexperience. By inserting the character of the hunter into
Comment [8]: Are you sure this is the word
you are looking for? It means to play around
roughly...
Comment [9]: What do you mean by this?
How is she clueless? examples?
the story, Jewett is attempting to cast away Sylvia’s youthfulness and launch her into
womanhood at nine years old. Jewett’s story explores the identity of what it means to be a child,
Comment [10]: Woah, isn't 9 years old a little
young for womanhood?
an adult, and a woman through the nine- year- old Sylvia who identifies as a bit of a tomboy due
to her love of nature and the outdoors. Because Sylvia is the process of maturing and growing
up, her identity is somewhat unclear so readers turn to Wolfgang Iser’s notion of gap filling. This
theory can assist readers in determining the unresolved tension between whether Sylvia should
Comment [11]: Interesting claim. I never
really got that impression when reading it. Any
examples?
Comment [12]: Okay, you might want to
reword this sentence. What are you trying to
say? Are you trying to say Sylvia isn't a person,
but is a process? I am confused
remain innocent or become experienced, and how this theory will impact reader’s’ views of her
Comment [13]: You also may want to explain
& expand on your idea of gap filling? What is it?
in the future.
Comment [14]: What do you mean by
unresolved tension? Why is it unresolved?
A text about Wolfgang Iser’s beliefs about literary texts explains that “the act of reading
involves our realizing that we are not what we mistakenly think ourselves to be and that, as a
consequence, we may become something we never imagined possible” (author/work 7). This
quote remains very true in both reality and within the context of “A White Heron.” Sylvia’s
character was chosen to live out in the country with her grandmother because she was “afraid of
Comment [15]: Um, what do you mean by
this? Innocent or experienced in what?
Comment [16]: Is this your thesis? If it is you
may want to fix it up. Make it a little more sharp
& concise if you can
Comment [17]: Interesting quote, but what
does it mean? What does it have to do with
what you are talking about & your thesis?
Comment [18]: What is this? Are you sure
you cited this properly?
Comment [19]: What do you mean by
chosen? Who chose her?
folks and I guess she won’t be troubled no great with ‘em up to the old place” (Jewett 52). She
struggled to form her own identity in a house full of children, during the busy period of
industrialization, so by moving to the country, Sylvia was able to discover her true self through
nature. The lack of people living in the country made it easier for Sylvia to feel more at home
Comment [20]: Run on sentence. Split into
seperate sentences
and feel more of a connection with the birds and other animals she encountered.; Uupon arriving
atto her grandmother’s house, she uttered what “a beautiful place [it would be] to live in, and
she never should wish to go home” (Jewett 52). Sylvia’s true home with her mother and her
siblings would force her to grow up and acquire more responsibilities, whereas life in the country
allows her to mature and grow up at her own speed. In the country where it is quiet and peaceful,
is where Sylvia, and the animals, feel most free and comfortable: “everybody said that it was a
Comment [21]: More responsibilities? Why
more? Are you sure if she lived with her family
she would have less responsibility due to her
parents & other siblings? Because that's what
you seemed to be argueing in your intro...
Comment [22]: Why do you say that? How
so?
good change for a little maid who had tried to grow for eight years in a crowded manufacturing
town, but, as for Sylvia herself, it seemed as if she never had been alive at all before she came to
live at the farm” (Jewett 52). Living in the country among the animals, her grandmother, and the
tranquility has helped Sylvia to discover her identity as an innocent child while gaining
Comment [23]: Nice word choice
confidence in herself and the love of her new childhood.
Sylvia’s innocent image is put to the test with the insertion of the hunter character and
what he wants from her. Sylvia eventually conquers her fear of the hunter and replaces the fear
with feelings of loving admiration: “She had never seen anybody so charming and delightful; the
woman’s hear, asleep in the child, was vaguely thrilled by a dream of love” (Jewett 55). It is
within this moment of the text that Jewett leads audiences to believe that the hunter and Sylvia
could end up together in the end if she gives him what he seeks, which is information about the
whereabouts of a bird. However, this love story fantasy disregards the fact that Sylvia is nine and
has other things on her mind besides growing up, and becoming a woman, and love. At nine
years old she is still trying to figure out who she is and has yet to mature into a young woman
and choose whether or not to embrace womanhood, or cling to the tomboy essence she exudes in
childhood in her safe haven in the countryside. The text attempts to cast away her youth with the
Comment [24]: the text or the author?
insertion of the hunter character. By not revealing the her secret of where the bird is to him,
Sylvia chooses to remain a child for a bit longer and not rush into adulthood even though “he can
make them rich with money; he has promised it, and they are poor now. He is so well worth
Comment [25]: Who is them?
making happy, and he waits to her the story she can tell” (Jewett 59). At first, Sylvia plans on
telling the stranger her secret: “Wondering over and over again what the stranger would say to
her; and what he would think when she told him how to find his way straight to the heron’s nest”
(Jewett 58). Bbut somewhere along the way, she has a change of heart. It is in this moment that
Comment [26]: It would be nice to find where
you consider that she changes her mind in the
text. Or at least her debating what she should
do
Sylvia struggles to decide who she wants to be: the woman who can make this man happy or the
innocent child who clings to her childhood, by choosing to remain loyal into her relationship
with nature instead of human kind.
The hunter believed that by being charming and offering Sylvia money, he could learn
the location of the white heron, but his plan failed. In choosing to remain loyal to nature, Sylvia
Comment [27]: Why did his plan fail? Why do
you think?
has chosen to cling to her childhood for a little bit longer while maintaining her childlike
innocence. There is a part of her that feels bad for not being a loyal friend to the hunter and for
Comment [28]: guilty?
dismissing what could have been her first love. However, she feels asome deep connection to the
heron and protecting its secret that it isn’t before long her sharp pangs of sorrow are replaced
with awe for nature and her surroundings. Readers are able to sense at the end of the story that
Sylvia cannot hide from the real world for much longer: “Has she been nine years growing, and
Comment [29]: Take another look at this
sentence. It sounds kind of awkward. You might
want to reword
Comment [30]: especially the "that it isn't
before long" part
now, when the great world for the first time puts out a hang to her, must she thrust it aside for a
Comment [31]: Are you sure this is the right
word? idk something doesn't sound right...
bird’s sake?” (Jewett 59). Sylvia’s interaction with the hunter has helped her gain some
Comment [32]: Make sure to talk about what
the quote is exactly saying because I am not
quite sure what its talking about, even though I
read the story...
experience and also taught her a lot about herself. Identity is a funny thing, there is the self that
we project for others to see and there is our personal identity deep within ourselves that no one
Comment [33]: What do you mean by gain
some experience? Experience in what? What
has it taught her about herself? What
specifically?
but ourselves and Sylvia seems to be struggling with, allowing her identity to surface for others
Comment [34]: Different word choice maybe?
to see. In his article “Human Identity” Norman Holland writes:
Comment [35]: Otherwise I really like this
sentence/what you are trying to say
In a strict sense, I can never know your primary identity, for it is deeply and
unconsciously inside you. Formed before speech; it can never be put into words. It is
entirely possible, however, for me to formulate constancy in your personal style from
outside
you but through empathy. Any such formulation of an “identity theme” will, of
course,
be a function both of the you I see and of my way of seeing my identity as well as yours
(Holland 454).
Comment [36]: Fix the spacing in this. Why is
it italisized? Is it supposed to be?
As shown above by Norman Holland, discovering your true identity and being able to show your
true self to the world are two very difficult things to do. This task can become even more
Comment [37]: distinct and
difficult to accomplish if you are a young girl like Sylvia who has little experience interacting
with people and being a part of society.
Sylvia’s altercation with the hunter helps her understand the value of having a childhood,
which could explain why her loyalties remain with nature instead of humanity. Although she
waivered a bit and expressed a bit of sorrow for disappointing the hunter, she seems to stand firm
with her decision to protect both the freedom of herself, her family, and the white heron.
Comment [38]: Why do you say that?
Comment [39]: Are you sure that this is the
word that you want to use? Altercation means a
noisy argument or disagreement, especially in
public.
Comment [40]: Relook at this sentence. I
think you are missing something
Comment [41]: What do you mean by this?
What waivered a bit? Did she waiver or did
something else waiver?
Although she is struggling to discover her own identity and what she wants out of life, she
Comment [42]: Why do you say she protects
the freedom of herself, her family, and the white
heron? What do you mean by that?
exudes a very wise air about herself and in the way she makes her decisions. In texts where
Comment [43]: What do you mean by this?
Why do you say that?
characters choose to live off by themselves surrounded in nature, the characters prove to have
harsh outlooks on life in the city or society but are very intelligent people, for instance Henry
David Thoreau’s “Walden.” Without a doubt Sylvia will grow up to be a very intelligent woman
who will overcome her shyness and become a very strong and independent individual capable of
anything.
This is a very good idea for an essay. It is very interesting. At first I had a hard time finding your
thesis. I wasn’t quite sure what or where it was. This is definately a good start and one of your
better essays. You really tie in the reader response theory very well & I like how you tie it into
growing up. I really liked your introduction because it was very relatable. You only had a couple
of run on sentences and sentences that you need to relook at. I noticed that you stepped up your
vocabulary, but you might want to double check that the word fits well with what you are trying
to say. It seems pretty good to me despite fixing some of the wording and a couple of
Comment [44]: Run on sentence. Seperate
sentences. Make sure you it says what you
want it to say
Comment [45]: Why do you say that?
Comment [46]: Why do you say this? How do
you know?
grammatical issues. Other than that, good job & keep up the good work - keep working on it. I
think this essay is really good & interesting & has the potential to make it into your portfolio.
Works Cited
Riquelme, John P. "Introduction: Wolfgang Iser's Aesthetic Politics: Reading as Fieldwork."
New Literary History On the writings of Wolfgang Iser. NO.1 ed. Vol. 31. N.p.: The John
Hopkins University Press, 2000. 7-12. Web.
Nagel, gwen L. "Sarah Orne Jewett: A Reference Guide. An Update." American Literary
Realism. NO. 2 ed. Vol. 17. N.p.: University of Illinois Press, 1984. 228-63. Web. 29 Nov. 2014.
Erskine, Thomas L. “A White Heron.” Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition
(2004): 1-3. Literary Reference Center. Web. 29 Nov. 2014.
Orne Jewett, Sarah “A White Heron.” Literature: A Portable Anthology. Boston:
Bedford/St.Martin’s, 2009. 51-59. Print.
Holland, Norman N. "Human Identity." Critical Inquiry. Vol. 4. N.p.: The University of Chicago
Press, 1978. 451-69. 3 vols. Web. 29 Nov. 2014.