It is possible that Jewett's upbringing influenced a large part of the plot and characters in "A White Heron." Sylvia, a pre-adolescent girl, has been taken from a bustling manufacturing town to live with her grandmother in the countryside. The home from which Sylvia came could be a reflection of the Jewett's hometown, which became increasingly industrious with the arrival of textile mills and cannery. Sylvia spends all of her days in the lush countryside, listening to the forest animals and playing hide-and-seek with her favorite cow, often lingering into the evening. It is possible that Jewett was the exact same way as a child. While reading this story, I had begun to believe that Sylvia could be the female version of Huckleberry Finn, as she is so accustomed to the wilderness. Jewett clearly has a supreme grasp of nature's wonder in order to write about it so vividly. Below is my favorite passage in the short story:
"Sylvia's face was like a pale star, if one had seen it from the ground, when the last thorny bough was past, and she stood trembling and tired but wholly triumphant, high in the tree-top. Yes, there was the sea with the dawning sun making a golden dazzle over it, and toward that glorious east flew two hawks with slow-moving pinions. How low they looked in the air from that height when one had only seen them before far up, and dark against the blue sky. Their gray feather were as soft as moths; they seemed only a little way from the tree, and Sylvia felt as if she too could go flying away among the clouds. Westward, the woodlands and farms reached miles and miles into the distance; here and there were church steeples, and white villages; truly it was a vast and awesome world!"
There is so much imagery in this passage! From the glistening sea, to the gliding hawks, to the tree-top view of the world around her, to the powerful urge to fly, this passage transports me to Sylvia's world. It also makes me think of my own childhood. Although I did not grow up on a farm, I was very enthusiastic about nature as a child even from within my backyard in the city. I could spend entire evenings outside as well. I too, like author Sarah Orne Jewett, have always had a close bond with my father, who enjoyed the outdoors as well. It is interesting that when I grew older, I sort of lost that part of me. Like Sylvia, I became occupied with other things, like boys, growing technology (such as cell phones, computers, and social media), and good old teenage angst. Now that I have passed the adolescent stage, my love for nature has returned to me. In the past three years, I have devoted some time to taking pictures of nature and posting them to Facebook- but even this is only for a fleeting moment or from my bedroom window.
After reading "A White Heron," I am inspired to make more of an effort to physically be one with nature during this summer. I am inspired to retain some of that childlike wonder, such as the wonder that Sylvia experienced when at the top of the old pine tree. After reading this story, I am even more convinced that I would love to live in the countryside one day when I am older and have started a family.
My question for you is this: What is it about childhood that makes children so inclined to love being outside? Why, in some cases, does this love fade? I am proud to say that although my appreciation for the outdoors had subsided for some time, it never entirely vanished and I see it growing stronger. Feel free to share stories of your interactions with nature- either recent or in the past!
