Most everyone, at one time or another has been exposed to
fairy tales. Whether it be a bedtime story now and then or a complete
infatuation with “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”, “Rapunzel”, “Cinderella”,
and “Beauty and the Beast”, we all know the general outline of a tale.
Far-fetched ideas and circumstances embody the image of this sort of story.
Looking at the general layout and style of Jewett’s “A White Heron”, there is a
certain tale-ish aura. The characters and story line very closely parallel that
of “Little Red Riding Hood”, in particular. Some aspects in each story are
strikingly similar (enough to make the stories reflective of each other) and
others are immediate opposites.
Before looking at similarities and differences between
“Little Red Riding Hood” and “A White Heron”, it is important to recognize
exactly what about the latter makes it have the features of a fairy tale.
First, we see that Sylvia has been removed from a “crowded manufacturing town”
(67) to her grandmother’s farm. She considered it a “beautiful place to live
in, and she should never wish to go home” (67). Although this is very happy,
the chances of Sylvia’s life taking a turn like this in the real world were
small. Thus, a fairy tail change to a not-so-great life. Secondly, the reader
gets a metal image of a quaint little cottage nestled out in the woods
somewhere away from any town or settlement. Although the story was written 1886
when stranger danger was not an issue, would an old woman really be as inviting
to a random man as Mrs. Tilley is to the sportsman? She allows him in with very
little inquiry as to his business. This is very necessary for the advancement
of the story, but a little bit fairy tale-ish.
Most obviously, Red Riding Hood and Sylvia are highly
relatable characters. Both have something that another character wants. In
“Little Red Riding Hood”, Red Riding Hood has the contents of her basket and in
“A White Heron” Sylvia has knowledge. Next would probably be Red Riding Hood’s
grandmother and Mrs. Tilley. They both are hosts to a stranger. This leads to
the third correlation, being the wolf and the sportsman, each seeking something
out.
As far as story line goes, each young girl takes a trip into
the woods with an agenda and both of them stumble upon something that they did
not plan on finding. Red Riding Hood encounters the wolf and Sylvia the
sportsman. In contrast, the sportsman was not after Sylvia, as was the wolf for
Red Riding Hood. However the wolf and the sportsman both wanted something. Both
the grandmothers let a stranger into their home, however Red Riding Hood’s
grandmother did so unknowingly. Still, each of these events are very integral
in each story.
Jordan, It is commendable that you were able to relate the story lines of "The White Heron" and "Little Red Riding Hood", in such a way that would allow us to compare and contrast these two characters.
ReplyDeleteTo answer your question, I think she is glad she stayed true to nature. It was obviously instinctual that she felt the need to proetect the white heron. It was commendable, and I think she just second guessed herself, because she wants to not only wanted to help financially, but also stay true to mother nature. Money tends to cause tug of wars in bribery.
In Little Red Riding Hood, the wolf is always portrayed as sneaky and dangerous. Although, the Sportsman wants to know the location of the white heron, and is not trying to hurt the grandmother or Sylvia, does he have bad intentions? Does he want to hurt the bird or nature? Is he only considering himself? Is his disguise and character just as evil as the wolf? From Aaron's writing it is clear that both stories have a lot in common, but does the sportsman and the wolf have more in common than just wanting something?
I hadn't considered "The White Heron" to fall in line with any sort of fairy tale format until Mrs. Grover mentioned it, and had it as a writing prompt. But once I got to thinking, I was able to see some similarities. Sylvia is a obviously a very dynamic character who cares a lot about nature and what it has to offer. This could possibly be a coping mechanism she uses to get away from her past that she has recently been rescued from by Mrs. Tilley. It is almost heroic that Sylvia climbed the tree in order to see the location of the white heron, and kept it as classified knowledge from the sportsman (very fairy tale-ish).
DeleteI do not think that the the sportsman has malice on his mind. When he meets Sylvia in the forest, and at the house he is very polite and seems forthright with information when he is asked. But he is definitely in it for the win and is out for himself. Although he offers financial compensation for Sylvia and her grandmother, he still has the bird on his mind. I don't think he really cares if Sylvia "betrays" nature, as long as he gets his trophy. Clearly, the wolf and the sportsman have a bit different motive.
It also makes sense that you think Sylvia is glad she stayed true to nature. The very last sentence of this story is very thought provoking. Bring your gifts and graces and tell your secrets to this lonely country child (75). Maybe this is her way of giving back since nature may have been what saved her from her past?
I like this discussion! What do you all think? Why does the hunter want to find the white heron? What does he do to collect his other birds? Won't he do the same to heron?
DeleteIs the hunter's desire to kill the white heron comparable to the Big Bad Wolf in Little Red Ridinghood? Why or why not?
I like that Jordan points out that the hunter doesn't really seem to care "if Sylvia 'betrays' nature." It almost seems like Nature itself is a character in the story. What kind of fairy tale character might Nature play in this story?
Sorry, a ton of questions. I'll just let you all keep talking and eavesdrop from the background!
Great post Jordan. You are right; I never really thought to compare “the White Heron” to a fairy tale before reading your post. To answer your last question “Maybe this is her way of giving back since nature may have been what saved her from her past?” I think you are getting somewhere. In being a “lonely country child”, maybe nature is all Sylvia has to keep her company besides her grandmother. So maybe she sees nature as more of a friend and would you give your friend away to be hurt by another? This leads me to Ms. G’s questions of “what kind of fairy tale character might Nature play in this story?” and “is the hunter's desire to kill the white heron comparable to the Big Bad Wolf in Little Red Ridinghood?”. Maybe it’s all the Native American literature we have been reading but whenever I think of nature as a character, I think of grandmother willow in Pocahontas. Pocahontas does not view grandmother willow as just a tree like everyone else does but as her grandmother and friend. Perhaps this is how Sylvia sees nature and the white heron. In addition with this in mind, the hunters desire to kill the heron to the big bad wolf in little red ridinghood. Both have the desire to kill what the main character holds close to them.
DeleteJordan,
ReplyDeleteYour post showed a great deal of knowledge and understanding of t
he fairy tale aspects. I love your comparisons that you used for "Little Red Riding Hood" and "The White Heron". I believe that the contents in Red Riding Hood's basket and Sylvia's knowledge represent different things besides what another character wants. I think the contents in the basket of Red Riding Hood represent where she is going and why, which shows a huge importance to her because it represents the love for her grandmother. Sylvia's knowledge on where the white heron is represents her love for nature and a beauty that only she wants to possess. I agree with Veronica on the fact that she is glad she stayed true to nature. Plus, I like the addition of "Money tends to cause tug of wars in bribery", which money is one of the huge factors in bribery. To answer Veronica's questions, I don't think the sportsman has bad intentions, but I do believe that he is just trying to get assistance in finding the game that he is hunting for. He means to kill the bird, but I'm sure, as a sportsman, he has love for nature. I also believe that the wolf and the sportsman are like secret takers; they want to know what is "true" to the world. Do you believe that every fairy tale has a true meaning?
It is displayed that Sylvia does indeed have an extreme love for nature. As I stated in my comment on Veronica's comment, it is as if she uses nature as an escape from her own life. The white heron is very dear to Sylvia it seems in just the way she withholds it. At the stage of the story where she climbs the tree, she speaks of the bird in very endearing terms. She knows his secret now, the wild, light, slender bird that floats and wavers. . .(74). The tone is very close and descriptive. It is almost clear here that she has no intention of telling the sportsman where the bird resides. Do you think she knows at this point that she is not going to tell him?
DeleteI do not think that every fairy tale has a true meaning; a theme maybe, but not a true meaning. Some fairy tales are strictly for the entertainment of children. They are silly and do not hold any substance. However, some fairy tales teach lessons for children, giving them substance and meaning.
David, I like that you point out the hunter's love of nature. How does the hunter's love of nature differ from Sylvia's love of nature? How do they interact differently? How do you think the narrator views nature?
DeleteI'm thinking in particular of all the moments that a frog or a squirrel gets several sentences that describe their feelings and motives. They almost seem like other characters, other people. How would the hunter have written the story differently?
I've really enjoyed the conversation thus far. Jordan, the correlations you brought up between "Little Red Riding Hood" and "The White Heron" were very interesting. I especially loved that you pointed out our reason for being interested in the characters Red and Sylvia: that each has something to be desired by another.
DeleteTo return to the subject at hand and in response to Jordan and David concerning the "meaning." I would disagree and say that there is a meaning. In relation to Mrs. Grover's response, I think it could be argued that the point, so to speak, is that each character is, in the end, true to him or herself.
The hunter never gives up his search for the Heron. In fact, he's been dedicated to the "...two or three rare ones [he] has been hunting for these five years" (70). In contrast to Sylvia's appreciation of nature, his method might seem strange; however, I don't think it's a fair comparison. He is, after all, an ornithologist of the 1800's. Most scientists preceding the 20th century commonly practiced the bottling, stuffing, capture, or exhibition of the subjects they studied. Darwin brought several specimens back to England after his time abroad. Generally, these were taxidermied after dissection and study. On the last page of the story, 75, his questioning of Sylvia indicates that he'll continue searching for his quarry. After all, there are other areas he knows of which are more known for White Herons, and why would he give up the hunt after five years of searching?
Sylvia experiences a test of character when the ornithologist is introduced, but her opinion that animals are friends is not altered in the end. On 67, the cow is her companion, of whose company she is glad to keep. On 74, she experiences a moment of intimacy when she learns the Heron's secret.
I think that Sylvia's decision to remain true to her real beliefs despite outside influences is exactly the point conveyed here. And though the ornithologist was unsuccessful in the end, he too likely refused to give up the chase. In relation to fairytales, I think this is another common point. In "Beauty and the Beast" for example, the beautiful maiden stays true to her kind heart and eventually wins that of a cursed prince. The male characters in fairytales usually follow that principle as well, generally adhering to a code of chivalry.
To answer David’s first question as to “Do you believe that every fairy tale has a true meaning”. I believe that is the definition of a fairy tale, as to be told to have some sort of a purpose or lesson. What do ya’ll think the purpose or lesson was to this story?
DeleteYou're right, Jordan. Her "extreme love for nature" is displayed clearly in the way she describes the bird. I believe the bird represents beauty itself, and Sylvia wants to conceal it for herself. I believe that she did not truly know when or if she was going to tell the sportsman about the location of the white heron. She had a great deal of financial opportunities to think about.
ReplyDeleteFairy tales teach tons of lessons; it is very hard to depict meanings in fairy tales. Usually, fairy tales contain more than one theme, especially if the main character goes through multiple conflicts. Do you think that t
Do you think that "Little Red Riding Hood" has more than one theme?
ReplyDeleteHmmm... I wonder if "A White Heron" has more than one theme.
DeleteI would say that Little Red Riding Hood has lots of "themes" if not more than one "lesson."
Lessons:
1) Conform to the Norm: Little Red goes against what adults tell her and pays the price.
2) Do not trust Strangers: Little Red (and Grandma) are victimized by a stranger.
3) Trust Grown-Ups to Fix it: Little Red's dad and the other lumberjacks/huntsmen kill the wolf.
4) Be observant: In the end, Red notices Grandma's big teeth, eyes, etc., thus deducing that "she" isn't the individual Red expected.
Themes:
1) Adult vs. Child: Red's refusal to listen to grownups
2) Outcast vs. Society: Wolf vs. Village
3) Vulnerable vs. Strong: Grandma and Red are victimized by the wolf, who is stronger and apparently more clever.
4) Male vs. Female: Red and Grandma are victimized by the wolf, who is depicted as male. Also, Red is unconvinced of danger until she is shown the example by the wolf and the men who kill him, while Mom is unsuccessful in warning her.
I'd love to see what y'all can come up with for "A White Heron." I'm rather braindead and I think people will come to dislike the length of my posts. I looked back at one and had a TLDR reaction to proofreading.
I see the comparison between Sylvia and Little Red Riding Hood but I do not see the similarities between the wolf and the sportsman. The wolf had bad intentions all throughout the story and the sportsman's intentions seem fairly good. Even though he wants to kill the white heron, I still think he has respect for nature and the beauty of it. He is hunting the bird because it is a rare find and because he thinks it is so beautiful. The wolf did not have good intentions at all. He was considered the "bad guy" throughout the whole tale. I do, however, wonder if the author was really trying to go for a fairy tale sort of story and teach some kind of lesson, or if she was just going for entertainment.
ReplyDeleteTo answer Ms. G’s questions of “How does the hunter's love of nature differ from Sylvia's love of nature?” , I can definitely relate to Sylvia on this. I actually took a mammalogy class in junction this semester. This class require us as a class to go out and trap, shoot, and kill mammal specimens (such as rabbits, mice, gophers, bats and squirrels) and take tissue and blood samples and then prep them. Some of the specimens I stuffed are actually on display at the Texas Tech Museum. However, before this class I have never been able to willingly kill an animal before. I even for a period of time was a vegetarian. So although I kept telling myself this was for science I was never able to actually kill an animal myself someone had to do it for me, and sometimes I even let some of my mice go (but don’t tell my professor that). So I feel like Sylvia and I have a similar view of nature that we understand that the hunter was only trying to expand his knowledge of nature, but we are more like Jane Goodall in that we observe nature instead of destroy in order to learn more. But isn’t there a need for both kinds of viewers on nature?
ReplyDeleteAryn, I love that you posed the question that there may be different kinds of viewers in nature. Jane Goodall studied gorillas without causing them harm, and to an extent is doing all she can to preserve their lives? I feel that Jane Goodall and Sylvia have a lot in common as well...
ReplyDeleteSylvia is clearly passionate about nature, and I love how it says,"she went alone so she could show the sportsman exactly where the heron was the next day". Do you think we would have a better understanding if we could know what was going through her head when she changed her mind? Is it beauty? Or is it deeper than that, is it friendship?
I think you can tell a lot about someone how faithful they are to the things they love, I feel it is far more than beauty.