Who does not know the adventurous stories of characters like Huckleberry Finn or Holden Caulfield - the Bildungsroman is quite a popular genre of American fiction. Generally portraying an adolescent protagonist on his way towards maturity, the image of coming-of-age, alternatively called initiation, is also a common topic of short stories. These short stories basically deal with the protagonist's shocking confrontation with (usually) one hitherto unknown aspect of the adult world, which offers the protagonist the possibility of development and "growing up".
A short story that contains such an initiation process is Sarah One Jewett's "A White Heron". Sylvia, the nine year old protagonist, gets confronted with female suppression in a patriarchal society, embodied by a nameless hunter who tries to find a rare bird in order to kill it for his collection. Feeling more and more attracted by the hunter due to the awakening of her own sexuality, Sylvia wants to please him and is tempted to reveal the bird's hide after having found it herself when climbing a tree. However, the protagonist decides to remain silent at the end of the story and not to give the bird's life away.
Literary scholars have argued that, with regard to the protagonist's initiation, there are generally two readings of the story: on the one hand, one can read it as Sylvia's successful process of self-discovery and her initiation into the secret of nature, but on the other hand it can also be read as Sylvia's anti-initiation into sexuality and society.
This paper is going to argue that these two readings of the story are not incompatible, but that Sylvia's initiation occurs on two different levels within the story and that her successful initiation into the secret of nature even requires her rejection of submitting herself to male dominance and her anti-initiation into (hetero-)sexuality.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- The Story of Initiation
- The Term in its Literary Context
- The Journey of Initiation
- Different Types of Initiation
- Aspects of Initiation in Sarah Orne Jewett's "A White Heron"
- The Masculine Intruder in the Female World
- The Awakening of Sylvia's Sexuality
- Sylvia's Process of Self-Discovery and her Initiation into the Secret of Nature
- Sylvia's (Anti-)Initiation into Sexuality
- The Masculine Intruder in the Female World
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This essay analyzes the initiation process of the protagonist, Sylvia, in Sarah Orne Jewett's short story "A White Heron". The essay explores the different levels of Sylvia's initiation, including her confrontation with male dominance, her awakening sexuality, and her self-discovery through her relationship with nature. It examines how these different dimensions of initiation interact and influence each other within the story.
- Female initiation in a patriarchal society
- The awakening of sexuality and its social implications
- The relationship between self-discovery and nature
- The conflict between individual desire and societal expectations
- The power of silence and its role in resisting oppression
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Introduction: This chapter introduces the concept of initiation in literature, focusing on the journey of a protagonist towards maturity and their confrontation with the adult world. It establishes the context for analyzing Sylvia's initiation in "A White Heron".
- The Story of Initiation: This chapter provides a theoretical framework for understanding initiation in literature. It explores the literary context of the term, analyzes the tripartite structure of the journey of initiation, and discusses different types of initiation based on their outcomes.
- The Masculine Intruder in the Female World: This chapter explores the impact of the hunter's presence on Sylvia's initiation. It examines the awakening of her sexuality and the role of societal expectations in shaping her choices.
- Sylvia's Process of Self-Discovery and her Initiation into the Secret of Nature: This chapter analyzes Sylvia's connection with nature and her self-discovery through her exploration of the forest. It argues that her initiation into the secret of nature is a significant aspect of her growth.
- Sylvia's (Anti-)Initiation into Sexuality: This chapter discusses Sylvia's decision to withhold the bird's location from the hunter, interpreting this choice as a form of resistance against societal pressures and an (anti-)initiation into sexuality.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
This essay examines the concept of initiation in literature, particularly in the context of female characters. It focuses on themes such as self-discovery, the awakening of sexuality, the power dynamics between genders, and the relationship between nature and human identity. Key terms explored include initiation, Bildungsroman, patriarchal society, self-discovery, nature, sexuality, and anti-initiation.
- Citation du texte
- Anonym (Auteur), 2020, Aspects of Initiation in Sarah Orne Jewett's "A White Heron", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1040923
