Although the omniscient narrator relates the story with the focus upon Sylvia for most of the story, there are a few moments when the perspective shifts to Mrs. Tilley and the hunter.
Sarah Orne Jewett's "A White Heron" is told for mostly from the point of view of the omniscient narrator. This narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of old Mrs. Tilley, Sylvia, and the ornithologist. When there is a shift to Mrs. Tilley, the reader gains more insight into her granddaughter:
"'Afraid of folks,' they said! I guess she won't be troubled no great 'em up to the old place!"
Here Mrs. Tilley provides an insight into the character of Sylvia. In another passage, she enhances this understanding of Sylvia's character as she provides more history on Sylvia with the mention of Sylvie's great talent for understanding nature's creatures and of the "hint of family sorrows."
When the point of view switches to the young man, the reader perceives Sylvia and her grandmother through his perspective, a point of view that enlightens the reader about this hunter and his self-serving attitudes:
...the shy little girl looked once or twice yesterday [as though] she had at least seen the white heron, and now she must really be made to tell. Here she comes now, paler than ever, and her worn old frock is torn and tattered....
His noting of her poverty convinces him that Sylvia will inform him where the heron is so that she can receive the money he has offered.
Despite some shifts in perspective, the narration of Jewett's story is told in a manner that is most sympathetic toward Sylvia, a sympathy that endears her to the reader, even when she considers helping the hunter.
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