Once the hunter told Sylvia about the herring that he was hunting, she decided to sneak out one night and climb the tree to find out where the herring's nest was located. Sylvia's immense curiosity, and desire to locate the bird, helped her get over her fear of the woods by the end of the story. " the woodlands and farms reached miles and miles into the distance; here and there were church steeples, and white villages; truly it was a vast and awesome world."" (Jewett 189). After she climbed the enormous tree, she realized that the woods weren't scary, and that her life has been very constricted. Once Sylvia looks out on how large the world is, she understands how many opportunities the world has to offer her. .
Sylvia is also very wary of the strange hunter when she has her first encounter with him. He explains how he is hunting the herring, and just needs a place to stay for the night so Sylvia decides to bring him back to the house. At first, Sylvia was terrified of this tall, strange man, but as time progresses, she starts to like him. "The next day the young sportsman hovered about the woods, and Sylvia kept him company, having lost her first fear of the friendly lad, who proved to be most kind and sympathetic,"" (Jewett, 187). It's ironic, because at first Sylvia is running away from the hunter, and later on in the story she's following him, which is another sign of maturity. "They share one common interest: birds. Even though the hunter and Sylvia share this interest, their intentions with this interest are very different. Sylvia enjoys listening to the birds and enjoying them for the creatures they are. On the contrary, the hunter enjoys the birds solely for killing and stuffing them for money.
The hunter talks to Sylvia about the white herring that he has been tracking, and asks her if she has ever seen it. Sylvia recalls seeing a bird with familiar features, but wasn't about to say anything just yet.