Comparing The White Heron And Under The Lion's Paw

At first glance, based on the stories “The White Heron” and “Under the Lion’s Paw,” the authors, Sarah Orne Jewett and Hamlin Garland, seem to share similar interpretations of the world. In “The White Heron,” the world is observed and represented as a cold place where one must make difficult choices, and those choices do not always have a correct answer. There are regrets in life. In “Under the Lion’s Paw,” the world is observed and represented as a cold place where the decisions you make are tough, and you may fall upon bad luck often. However, there exists a difference between these stories. In “The White Heron,” the main character’s life is not changed as drastically by the decisions she made. In “Under the Lion’s Paw,” the decisions made

“The White Heron” does this in a naïve way because the main character is a young girl. For example, the main character shows her age by hiding in the bushes when she first meets the young hunter. In fact, Sylvia would not even make eye contact with the hunter (Perkins 532). But, after Sylvia got used to the stranger, the two became “new-made friends” and watched the moon come up together (Perkins 533). It seems as though the world could be a decent place indeed, but then the story alternates. It begins to change perspective when the grandmother claims to have buried four children, and she says, “I’d ha’ seen the world myself if it had been so I could” (Perkins 533). The grandmother’s assertion lets the reader know that she and Sylvy live an underprivileged life. It is at this point of the story that the reader learns that Sylvy knows the grounds well, knows all about birds, and loves animals. The hunter is looking for a white heron to make part of his collection of stuffed birds. As it turns out, Sylvy knows exactly where this bird resides (Perkins 534). The reader can see the conflict here, since Sylvy loves animals. But, the hunter offers ten dollars to show him the bird. Sylvy thinks, “No amount of thought, that night, could decide how many wished-for treasures the ten dollars, so lightly spoken of, would buy” (Perkins 534). In order

There are several differences, including how the problems are dealt with, how the lives of the characters are changed, and how realistic each story is. The problems in “The White Heron” are managed by Sylvia reflecting on her possible loss of money and loss of a friend. She is still happy about her decision, though, because in her young mind, saving the bird was what would bring her the most happiness. Haskins in “Under the Lion’s Paw” deals with his problems considerably differently, although he does reflect on his actions at the end of the story in a kind of stupor (Perkins 684). He and his family put up with all the back-breaking labor in order to better their lives. When this does not happen, Tim Haskins commits a crime by threatening to kill his landlord with a pitchfork. He does this in a fit of anger. This anger and depression are absent in “The White Heron.” In “The White Heron,” the main character’s life is not changed dramatically. She does not accept the ten dollars from the hunter, but her and her grandmother will continue to live poorly, but satisfactory. In “Under the Lion’s Paw,” the Haskins family becomes homeless. Their lives are forever changed by an abrupt decision made by the father. Although they experienced bad luck in the beginning, nothing could have prepared the family for this awful fate. “The White Heron” registers