The Climb
“There was the huge tree asleep yet in the paling moonlight, and small and silly Sylvia began with utmost bravery to mount to the top of it, with tingling, eager blood coursing the channels of her whole frame, with her bare feet and fingers that pinched and held like bird’s claws to the monstrous ladder reaching up, up, almost to the sky itself.” (page 1603) Sylvia was not a normal nine-year-old girl, she did not dream of friends, and weddings, or princes and true love, no Sylvy lived, dreamed, and breathed nature. She had a connection to the woods, and all of the creatures living within it, and during the story is presented with a task and choice; remain loyal to woods she knew or betray for a very valuable reward.
Sylvy lives with
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So with this knowledge Sylvy sneaks out of bed and makes her journey up the tree. Sylvia’s voyage up the tree was not an easy one, she had to trust herself and the tree. “ The way was harder than she thought; she must reach far and hold fast”, it was as if the tree was on her side, “who knows how steadily the least twigs held themselves to advantage this light, weak creature on her way!” ( page 1602) Once at the top, "wholly triumphant," she sees the sea for the first time, "with the dawning sun making a golden dazzle over it." ( page 1602) And then she holds still, not making a sound, for she has spotted the "solemn" white heron “perched on a pine bough not far beyond” hers. She watches the white creature descend back down ‘to his home in the green world beneath" ( page 1603). This moment is very significant for Sylvy because, during her voyage up the tree, she has become one with the tree. It has shown her the secrets of its woods below and entrusted her with them. Sylvy has the information needed to please the hunter and receive the ten dollars for her grandmother, this creates a choice for Sylvy; will she betray the trust of the friend she knows well, or keep the Heron’s secret and send the hunter on his way. “But Sylvia does not speak after all,
There are also differences in the two stories. Sylvia is at home with the birds, beasts and almost all the creatures in the forest, she regards them as her family members, and the forest as her home. Like the author mentioned, “…but their feet were familiar with the path, and it was no matter whether their eyes could see it or not.” (118) Nevertheless, the man who build the fire is a newcomer with little experience. Sylvia’s grandmother advises her to give the bird’s location for the money which will lead to the death of the bird, whereas the survivor from Sulfur Creek advises the man to have a trail mate, a precaution that will be life-saving. The suggestion of “The old-timer on Sulphur Creek was right, he thought in the moment of
There are people existing among us with a special trait or characteristic that makes them stand out above the masses. They are “heroes” in a sense, who perform great acts of sacrifice and promote hope when it seems that the last drop of faith has evaporated from one’s soul. These individuals remind us of saints who walked before us, healing and caring for the sick and destitute when no other man dared. Author, Tracy Kidder (2004), brings to the forefront the noble deeds of a modern day saint, Paul Farmer, through his writing in Mountains Beyond Mountains. He illustrates how a single man can lead nations toward healing, even in the midst of war, turmoil, limited resources, or “mountains” of bureaucratic red tape. Although the book tells a story about Farmer’s life, academic achievements, and global contributions toward curing infectious diseases, the main theme, as illustrated by the book title, is that no matter what a person does, there is always more to be done. Beyond the hills and valleys of Farmer’s journey, Kidder (2004) provides scenes of leadership styles along the way. Is a leader born or is leadership learned? A review of Paul Farmer’s mission, through the eyes of the author, may provide insight to support both philosophies.
Yet after climbing the tree and realizes the importance of the white heron. The choice she has over the heron’s life is that same she has over her own. She can sacrifice her own wants for the hunters, or choose to live the life that is most authentically her. It is at this moment when Sylvia is confronted with the concept of sexuality and though she understands what it is, she wants no part of it. This is asexuality.
In the short story "A Worn Path," the message that Eudora Welty sends to the readers is one of love, endurance, persistence, and perseverance. Old Phoenix Jackson walks a long way to town, through obstacles of every sort, but no obstacle is bad enough to stop her from her main goal. She may be old and almost blind, but she knows what she has to do and won't give up on it. Her grandson has swallowed lye, and she has a holy duty of making her way to town in order to get medicine for him. The wilderness of the path does not scare her off. She stumbles over and over, but she talks herself through every obstacle. Undoubtedly, the theme of perseverance is what Eudora Welty wants to point out to her readers. Just like the name Phoenix suggests
Throughout the late 19th century following the Industrial Revolution, society became focused on urban life and began to neglect the importance of rural society and nature. In “A White Heron” Sarah Orne Jewett, through Sylvia’s decision to protect the heron, contemplates the importance of nature and rural society. In particular, Jewett employs the cow grazing scene to show the importance of and solitude that Sylvia finds in rural life. When the hunter appears and Sylvia accompanies him on his journey to find the bird, his actions and speech reveal the destructiveness of urban society on nature. The scene when Sylvia climbs the tree to find the heron, initially in order to please the hunter and satisfy her new love for him, shows her realization
By presenting the competing sets of industrial and rural values, Jewett's "A White Heron" gives us a rich and textured story that privileges nature over industry. I think the significance of this story is that it gives us an urgent and emphatic view about nature and the dangers that industrial values and society can place upon it and the people who live in it. Still, we are led to feel much like Sylvia. I think we are encouraged to protect nature, cherish our new values and freedoms, and resist the temptations of other influences that can tempt us to destroy and question the importance of the sublime gifts that living in a rural world can bestow upon us.
Sylvia is?a little maid who had tried to grow for eight years in a crowded manufacturing town?, but she is innocent and pure. ? The little woods-girl is horror-stricken to hear a clear whistle not very far away.? Sylvia was more alarmed than before. when the hunter appears and talks to her. She easily agrees to help the hunter by providing food and a place to sleep, although she initially stayed alert with the hunter....
Nine-year-old Sylvia is a child who lives in the wood. Her name, ‘‘Sylvia,’’ and her nickname, ‘‘Sylvy,’’ come from the Latin silva meaning ‘‘wood’’ or ‘‘forest.’’ Sylvia lives in the middle of the woods with grandma Tilley and hardly sees anyone else. She remembers when she lived in the city but never wants to return there. However, when she comes across a hunter who is an older man, she enjoys being around another human being and is not sure what to do with the conflicting emotions she starts to feel. He offers to give her money in exchange for giving up the nesting spot of the white heron. She is the only person who can give him what he needs. What she has to think about though is the betrayal of her relationship with nature and whether or not it is worth it. In the end, she does not reveal the heron’s nesting place.
This book is told from the diary of the main character, Sam Gribley. Sam is a boy full of determination. He didn’t give up and go home like everyone thought he would. He is strong of mind. After the first night in the freezing rain, with no fire and no food, he still went on. He is a born survivor. He lasted the winter, through storms, hunger, and loneliness, and came out on top even when everyone expected him to fail. “The land is no place for a Gribley” p. 9
The story is about a friendly hunter who comes to a budding girl named Sylvia for help to find a bird for his collection. He offers her ten dollars. At first, she agrees because of the impression the hunter makes on her. Later, she has a revelation through her love for the forest and neglects to tell him where the bird is. Sylvia represents the purity of innocence and has a bond with the natural world. Many of Sylvia’s thoughts are associated with the ability to be free. This exemplifies the women’s rights activism that was happening in the 19th century. Sarah Orne Jewett develops her theme of the change from innocence to experience in her short story “The White Heron” through the use of imagery, characterization, and symbolism.
Mrs. Tilly clearly explains this by saying “There ain’t a foot o’ ground she don’t know er way over, and the wild creaturs counts her one o’ themselves” (Jewett 75). Her oneness with nature allowed those around her to take comfort in her as if she was one of the creatures that resided within the trunks or swamp around her. Mrs. Tilly and the ornithologist seem to recognize that there is hardly no distinction between Sylvia and the natural world. Sylvia is seen as innocent, childlike and easily swayed in the eyes of Mrs. Tilly and the young man; however, she is brave in the presence of nature. “There was the huge tree asleep yet in the paling moonlight, and small and silly Sylvia began with utmost bravery to mount to the top of it…” (Jewett 77). Her natural inclination for the innocence of nature allows her to defy the fear or perhaps control that man seems to have towards nature. Instead Sylvia does not see herself as controlling those around her but to become a part of a group as she did not belong to the growing industrial world. Elizabeth Ammons perfectly describes Jewett’s story in the following excerpt from her article:
Women are very important in this world but frequently they are not cared for. Their opinions, wants, and needs are ignored. In the book “Runaway” by Alice Munro there are three short stories “Runaway”, “Chance”, and “Passion” portray three women that over the surprises of life and the path that their decisions take them. Throughout these stories the reader can identify the three strong female characters that share similarities such as love, betrayals and surprises. Carla was finishing up summer to go back to school just in time for the fall, she met her husband, Clark. The love Carla has for her husband is the reason why she left college and her family “So, naturally Carla had to run away with Clark. The way her parents behaved they were practically
Phoenix’s journey is a little long just by walking alone in the middle of the
The young hunter offers Sylvia ten dollars for helping him find the white heron. Sylvia dreams of the things that can be done with the money and the help she can provide her grandmother. “The young man stood his gun beside the door, and dropped a lumpy game-bag beside it; then he bade Mrs. Tilley good-evening, and repeated his wayfarer's story, and asked if he could have a night's lodging.” (Jewett) We understand through the internal conversation Sylvia has, what a large sum of money the ten dollars is. The money would be a great help for her and her grandmother. The money would actually make their lives easier. The fact that the money so easily could be given away by the hunter and yet make things easier for Sylvia's family is thought provoking. The value of the dollar is also something that has drastically changed when comparing
The Applicant by Sylvia Plath reveals the characteristics that are longed by men through personification and other poetic devices. The poem suggests that women need to be visibly pleasing and all around perfect in order to please and benefit men. Women have always been objectified in society, and this poem portrays that by substituting the word “woman” for “it”. As if a women does not even get to have a respectable label and instead is placed among objects. Bit by bit, parts of the poem represents evidence for this theory.