The Moral Compass Of a Child

802 Words4 Pages
The Moral Compass of a Child Many encounters may shape a person’s journey through life and it all begins in childhood. Morals constructed early will be followed for a lifetime. In Sarah Orne Jewett’s “A White Heron”, Sylvia is a young girl that finds out about herself when she has a chance encounter with a stranger. Sylvia’s moral compass becomes an internal battle that is illustrated through her childhood innocence, relationship with nature, and path to maturity. One attribute that a child should always treasure above all others is innocence. Sylvia begins her journey one night looking for one of the farmstead’s cows. She innocently goes out searching by herself and ends up “horror-stricken to hear a clear whistle not very far away” from a young man that is hunting for birds (Jewett 2). The hunter is very interested in the knowledge that Sylvia possesses in regards to the birds found in the area. She is enthusiastic when the stranger tells her he “would give ten dollars” to the person who helps find “the little white heron” (Jewett 2). Sylvia’s innocence is tested when she finds the nest of the white heron and contemplates what the young man “would think when she told him how to find his way straight to the heron’s nest” (Jewett 6). Sylvia, through her innocence, comes to realize there is more value saving the bird than accepting the money. She remembers “how the white heron came flying through the golden air and how they watched the sea and the morning together” and realizes she must keep silent (Jewett 6). Sylvia’s childhood innocence can best be displayed with her respect and relationship with nature. A relationship with nature can be a very powerful bond that proves to be much greater than other external temptations such as money. Sylvia loves living with her grandmother at the farm and never wishes to go back home to the city (Jewett 1).
Open Document