Morality in The White Heron

  In "The White Heron," the main character, Sylvia, is a child living with her grandmother out in the forest, where she has a close connection to the various critters inhabiting it. So, when a hunter comes asking for the location of an heron, an endangered bird, with the offer of money in return, Sylvia is faced with a very pressing dilemma: keep the bird hidden and refuse the money that could help her and her grandmother potentially live a more comfortable life, or take the money and relinquish the bird, but with it give up her morals too?

Sylvia struggles with this question for most of the story. She's put in a very difficult spot with many conflicting feelings, and she isn't completely sure what to do until the end; The hunter seems very nice, and would be disappointed if she didn't give him the bird, but he would kill it and stuff it and put it on display. Then again, the money could help both her and her grandma a lot, though would it really be worth it to give up the life of the endangered animal? This internal strife controls her through the tale, and she tries to hold out until absolutely necessary to make a decision. She stays friendly with the hunter, but doesn't tell him the whereabouts of the heron.

In the end though, she climbs the tree the heron nests in, trying to reach it and confirm its location. However, during her journey, she is overcome by the tremendous views of the vast woodlands, by the adventure of the climb, the feeling she gets as she listens to the birdsong, watching the sunrise cast a golden glow over the trees, holding on to the bark of the giant pine tree. By the time she reaches the top, her decision is final: she will not forego her morals just for the sake of money. She sticks to her guns and keeps the heron's nesting place a secret, letting it live on to sing another day. Though she does not end up with the reward money, she still has her principals, which cannot ever be bought.