After overcoming many internal challenges, Sylvia begins to move from a childlike-fantasy world to a more mature worldview that allows her to reach a deeper understanding of her own morals. Outsiders. Afraid of people, and brought to the wilderness by her grandmother, she escapes the crowded manufacturing town she had lived in the previous eight years of her life. We intend to focus our analysis on two main themes present in the story. LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in A White Heron, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. At the climax of “A White Heron,” the story’s protagonist, Sylvia , must choose whether to help the hunter find and kill a beautiful and rare white heron , or whether to keep the heron safe by not revealing the location of its nest. "A White Heron" approaches the coming-of-age theme in a unique way. Through the story of Sylvia's uncle Dan, Mrs. Tilley illustrates how nature lovers can become lost and confused when thrust into hectic urban society. "A White Heron" paints a strong contrast between Sylvia's love for nature and the hunter's desire to tame it. In contrast the hunter remains the outsider as his ways of appreciating nature are to capture and destroy it. In Sarah Orne Jewett’s “A White Heron,” the main character Sylvia is a young girl who seeks refuge in the desolate wilderness of Maine. Nature vs. Industrialization At the climax of “A White Heron,” the story’s protagonist, Sylvia , must choose whether to help the hunter find and kill a beautiful and rare white heron , or whether to keep the heron safe by not revealing the location of its nest. The white heron can symbolize many things, depending on what you think the theme of the story is. LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in A White Heron, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. Typically, the character experiences events that lead to their loss of innocence, after which they see the world in a new way. white heron’s nest, but Sylvia refuses to reveal her secret. The hunter assumes that the offer of money will make the girl give up the secret of the heron’s nest. Isolation. The first one is the contrast between town and nature; the second the opposition between feminine and masculine attitudes and identities.

Because of this awakening, “A White Heron” serves as an excellent example of a female coming-of-age story. Sylvia in ‘A White Heron’ has come from the town but is easily subsumed in to country life. Traditionally, coming-of-age stories describe a young person's journey to adulthood.