white heron and the killers

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Paper 1 Changes occur in everyone’s life whether they like it or not. They can be viewed as good or bad or a little bit of both. Even though the main characters in "The White Heron" and "The Killers" try to resist changes they see as evil, they are or will be forced to accept that these changes are, in fact, inevitable. In “The White Heron” this change is industrialism and in “The Killers” it is the social control exerted by criminals over society. In both short stories, the main characters struggle to accept the change they see taking place and in the process gain a more insightful, mature understanding of the world. The White Heron by Sarah Orne Jewett is a story about a nine year old girl named Sylvia who lives on a farm with her grandmother. She is very close with nature and has enjoyed her move away from the busy city nearby to her current residence in the country. Sylvia’s routine lifestyle is interrupted one day by a hunter who asks Sylvia and her grandmother if he can stay at their house for a day. Sylvia is smitten by her visitor who is on a mission to hunt down the rare white heron. Sylvia at first aims to impress the hunter by tracking down the white heron but, upon finding it, decides to protect the bird by not divulging its whereabouts to the hunter. Many have interpreted this story’s theme as a message of resisting industrialism. Sylvia is very attached to nature as shown by her preference to a rural lifestyle and her relationship with the farm animals. This is in direct contrast with the popular lifestyle of the people in the bustling city which Sylvia moved away from. While industrialism and the popular lifestyle are alluring, many view it as an evil because of the sacrifices made for its progress while others don’t mind at all. It is mentioned that, “Sylvia would have liked him (the hunter) vastly better without his gun; she could not

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