Women of “A White Heron” and “Washington Square” Research Paper

Exclusively available on IvyPanda Available only on IvyPanda
Updated: Mar 6th, 2024

Introduction

The stories of “A White Heron” and “Washington Square” are the subject of this research paper. They are compared and contrasted according to the protagonists’ actions caused by their love and wealth. Their actions have been analyzed according to their social struggles.

We will write a custom essay on your topic a custom Research Paper on Women of “A White Heron” and “Washington Square”
808 writers online

The author of “A White Heron” is Sarah Orne Jewett (September 3, 1849 – June 24, 1909), a local of South Berwick, Maine. The story was written during the late nineteenth century (Erskine, 2002, p. 12). Jewett had published various work types like children’s literature, long fiction, non-fiction, poetries and novels, but she is most popular for writing essays. Her work “A White Heron” is constantly was cited with the other popular short story writers of her time (Heller, 2001, p. 11).

The author of “Washington Square” is Henry James (April 15, 1843 – February 28, 1916), born in Washington Square, New York. He studied at Harvard University for a year and went out of the university when he realized that his inclination was more in literature rather that in law. He writes literary genres like drama, travel essays, literary criticisms and history, and novels (Bloom, 2005, p. 4).

Discussion

Characters’ description

It is important to establish the characters first before digging deeper into the extent of the actions of the two women whose lives were influenced by the objects of their affections.

On the story “A White Heron”, Sylvia, who is nine years of age, is the main character. She is described as nature-loving, probably brought about by the fact that she was raised on the farm and lacking social life. It is mentioned in the story that when she was still younger, she had a bad experience with a “red-faced boy”, resulting to her hibernation from the city to the comfort of her grandmother’s home (Erskine, 2008, p. 12). She spends every day mingling with the animals, and lives her life far from the normal urbanized nine-year-old girl: going to school and developing several skills and capabilities that are usually achieved in school with teachers.

It is said that when children of Sylvia’s age are encouraged and sent to school, they will be industrious and generate desirable outcomes, but when they’re not, they’d feel inferior and possibly, may not be able to manifest the action people expect them to do. This is also the time when their exploration of the opposite sex is not sustained because mainly their focus is on school activities (Chapman, 2006), which explains why Sylvia is feeling a little vague about her repressed admiration over the young hunter she had just met. She was busy playing with the animals and enjoying the beauty of nature. The other characters in the story are the young girl’s grandmother and the young hunter.

On the story “Washington Square”, Catherine is the main character. She is briefly described as a dull and unattractive woman by many people, including her father. She is known by her father to be spending more time choosing the right and charming dress on her, which irritates her father more as he knows that she should be doing more productive things. She is the only family her father has as her mother and brother died years earlier.

1 hour!
The minimum time our certified writers need to deliver a 100% original paper

She does not work either, as she lives by the money that her father earns from his profession and the fortune her mother left her. The other characters in the story are Dr. Austin Sloper, who disregards yet cares for his daughter Catherine; Morris Townsend, the man who renounced his will to marry Catherine and who Dr. Sloper considers as fortune hunter; Aunt Lavinia Penniman, sister of Dr. Sloper who secretly pursued the suitor of her niece Catherine; Aunt Almond, another sister of Dr. Sloper; Marian Almond, the cousin of Catherine whose marriage paved the way for Catherine and Morris to meet; and Mrs. Montgomery, sister to Morris (Bloom, 2005, p. 20).

Synopsis

The story “A White Heron” starts off by describing Sylvia: how she spends each day with the animals in her grandmother’s farm. She was taken from the city by her grandmother after an unpleasant experience with a red-faced boy from the city. In the farm, she never encountered other people aside from her grandmother. One day, while she was taking her “best friend” cow home as instructed by her grandmother, she heard a whistle from a young man hunter whom she perceived as an enemy: with guns to kill animals.

She felt terrified and her mind was dominated with the fear that, if not her, the animals will be harmed. However, the young man pacified her fears with his charms. He brought her home as he needed a place to sleep at. She agreed and felt the charm of the young man. During the talk with Sylvia’s grandmother, the young man learned that Sylvia is a nature-loving girl. He reckoned she knew the whereabouts of his huntinge expedition: the heron, so he offered money in exchange for the information.

The following morning, with so much confusion in mind, Sylvia decided to go to the woods and saw the beauty of the city, and the farm. A few hours later, the young hunter whom she admired went away without the heron on his hands (Erskine, 2008, p. 12).

The story “Washington Square” revolves on the issues of obedience, love, respect and wealth. Catherine Sloper, Dr. Austin’s daughter, is thought of as a woman who is dull and unattractive. Not everybody does seem to like her, even her father Dr. Sloper dislikes his daughter who wastes a long time choosing and trying on dresses, rather than working. Her father mistrusts her. The life of Catherine seems to change when she met a man named Morris Townsend at her cousin’s wedding. She immediately fell for this man and thought that her impending lovely life with the man could change the way that her father sees her.

Apparently, the man is penniless, and looks at Catherine the way fortune hunters do. When he started pursuing the woman, Dr. Sloper also began cross-examining him. And after a few exchange of conversations, Dr. Sloper concluded that this man is only after Catherine’s fortune. Catherine could not accept her father’s impression over the man that she loves, and was determined to accept whatever consequence her disobedience of her father would bring about.

With the aim to keep Catherine away from Morris, he sent and let his daughter go to Europe and stay there for some time. Yet, on her return to Washington Square, his daughter was still determined to marry Morris. Dr. Sloper disinherited his daughter. When Morris learned of this, he immediately left Catherine thinking he will live with a poor, dull, unattractive lady. Catherine never revealed her ordeal to her father who soon died and left Catherine penniless. After several years, Morris returned to her. But since she has done enough stupid things in the past, she rejected him and continued living her life, setting her experiences as a lesson to the other women in her society (Bloom, 2005, p. 19).

Remember! This is just a sample
You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers

Characters’ comparison and contrast

The protagonist of “A White Heron”, when it comes to love, is a woman who has just initiated with love: nervous, fearful and impulsive. When Sylvia first met the young man hunter on her way home, she viewed him as the enemy and thus felt nervous and fearful. Yet, as she felt that this man was starting to take her breath away, she became impulsive and agreed with the man to walk her home and, consequently, let him spend the night with them.

The protagonist of “Washington Square” was also nervous, fearful and impulsive. Upon meeting the object of her affection during her cousin’s wedding, she was nervous and fearful out of the fact that the man will reject her upon discovery of the real her: dull, unattractive, and disrespected by her own father. Yet everything changed when the man pursued her. She became repulsive when her father disapproved when he realized the man is only after he daughter’s fortune.

When it comes to wealth, Sylvia did not regard money that much. She was offered money in exchange for the heron, which the hunter was looking for. She initially accepted the offer but changed when she realized she can’t trade the things that she loved all these years for the money which was being offered by a person she has just met.

On the other hand, Catherine did not care for money. It could be established that since she has lived with lots of money throughout her life, she was not threatened to be disinherited, and proceed with her decision to love a fortune hunter.

Both women had the same attitude towards love and money but of different extent. Sylvia chose love represented by her affinity for nature over money represented by the bribe against information on the heron’s whereabouts. Catherine has also chosen love represented by the relationship she shared with Morris over money represented by the fortune and inheritance her father would have left her. Sylvia’s life was changed by the man she loved but she proved her genuine love for nature and her dignity as well to her grandmother against the young hunter. Catherine’s life was changed as well by the man she loved because she was completely left of no material wealth being disinherited of her father and betrayed by the man she thought would care for her.

Conclusion

Women constantly face to a lot of social struggles from protecting their rights or to continue following established rules by the society. But women must remember that whatever they choose, they must be ready for all the consequences they will be dealing with in the end.

It is not uncommon to get confused over the choices women must face. In Catherine’s fate, she at least showed strength and determination when she made a mistake about loving Morris. She learned to accept her fate and finally reject the man whom she knew did not really love her.

As for Sylvia, she was able to decide a better option at an earlier time and was saved of bigger heartaches she might have to deal with later.

We will write
a custom essay
specifically for you
Get your first paper with
15% OFF

References

Bloom, H. “Biography of Henry James” Rev. of Bloom’s Major Novelists; Henry James 2002, pp. 4-6.

Bloom, H. “List of Characters in Washington Square” Rev. of Bloom’s Major Novelists; Henry James Salem Press, Inc 2002, p. 20.

Bloom, H. “Plot Summary of Washington Square” Rev. of Bloom’s Major Novelists; Henry James Salem Press, Inc 2002, p. 19.

Chapman, Alan. “Erik and Joan Erikson Psychosocial Development Theory 1950-97”. 2006. Businessballs. Web.

Colossians 3:20, The Holy Bible – King James Version. Web.

Erskine, T. “A White Heron Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition, 2002” Rev. of A White Heron, 2002, pp. 12 – 13.

Exodus, Chapter 22 Verse 17. , 2004. Web.

Heller, T. “Sarah Orne Jewett Critical Survey of Short Fiction, Critical Survey of Short Fiction, 2nd Revised Edition” Rev. of A White Heron, 2001, p. 11.

Print
Need an custom research paper on Women of “A White Heron” and “Washington Square” written from scratch by a professional specifically for you?
808 writers online
Cite This paper
Select a referencing style:

Reference

IvyPanda. (2024, March 6). Women of “A White Heron” and “Washington Square”. https://ivypanda.com/essays/women-of-a-white-heron-and-washington-square/

Work Cited

"Women of “A White Heron” and “Washington Square”." IvyPanda, 6 Mar. 2024, ivypanda.com/essays/women-of-a-white-heron-and-washington-square/.

References

IvyPanda. (2024) 'Women of “A White Heron” and “Washington Square”'. 6 March.

References

IvyPanda. 2024. "Women of “A White Heron” and “Washington Square”." March 6, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/women-of-a-white-heron-and-washington-square/.

1. IvyPanda. "Women of “A White Heron” and “Washington Square”." March 6, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/women-of-a-white-heron-and-washington-square/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "Women of “A White Heron” and “Washington Square”." March 6, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/women-of-a-white-heron-and-washington-square/.

Powered by CiteTotal, essay citation generator
If you are the copyright owner of this paper and no longer wish to have your work published on IvyPanda. Request the removal
More related papers
Cite
Print
1 / 1