In 1886, author Sarah Orne Jewett wrote a short story "A White Heron". The story's premise revolves around a young girl, Sylvia, who is uprooted from her city home and taken by her grandmother, Mrs. Tilley, to live in the midst of a wooded country culture. Sylvia, a nine-year-old girl, is quiet and shy, but she takes care of the family cow in a place where life was so different from the “crowded manufacturing town” (p.1598) from which she came. For the first time in her short life Sylvia understood what it truly meant to be alive. It is important to understand Sylvia's character to truly understand the meaning of the tree and Sylvia climbing to the top. Personal growth and maturity are a life expectancy, but having the opportunity to experience it in the countryside, on a farm, is central to the changes Sylvia experiences. Sylvia is described as shy, silent and at the same time fearful. Jewett presents Sylvia as “Fear of people” (p.1598) and a loner, which is why she found the “lonely house” (p.1598) a place she never wanted to leave. Early in the story, while bringing the dairy cow home one evening, Jewett shares Sylvia's fear of strangers when "this little woodland girl is horrified to hear a clear whistle not far away" (p. 1598) . His fears are set in motion by “the boy's whistle, firm and a little aggressive” (p.1598). Sylvia's fear is further exacerbated when the stranger asks her “can I stay at your house” (p.1598), because this is the kind of question she would never want to be asked if she still lived in the city. Sylvia becomes more worried and confused when her grandmother, Mrs. Tilley, takes in the stranger. He only has his experiences from the crowded city...... middle of paper ......le to climb to the top, his breathtaking view of the sea he has heard but never seen, the bird's-eye view of The bird of the forest and the swamp, and its long, harrowing descent, exemplify what it means to grow up. In this particular story the branches of the tree represent the steps we take towards adulthood. At each branch Sylvia was led to make a very sophisticated decision that would change her life. He has learned that there are more important things in life than money, gifts and flattery. As time passed, Sylvia still dreamed of "her stranger" and wondered if her future would be different if she gave in to her crush and followed him around like a puppy. However, learning to make good choices and live with them is critical to learning to make the far-reaching decisions required of Sylvia on her adventurous journey to maturity and adulthood..