Realism was the literary period of the late 1800s to early 1900s that focused on everyday American life. The characteristics of realism involved focusing more on the character than on the plot, as well as decisions that the character was faced with. In the realistic story, "A White Heron," character and characterization are the most important elements of the story because of the emphasis on Sylvia in general, as well as the difficult resolution she is forced to make.
The whole story involves learning more about Sylvia through ways such as extensive dialogue between her grandmother and the stranger. Sylvia is accentuated when her grandmother says, "There ain't a foot o" ground she don't know her way over, and the wild creatur's counts her one o" themselves." When Sylvia sees the stranger in the woods, she develops somewhat of a crush on him, realizing that "she had never seen anybody so charming and delightful; the women's heart, asleep in the child, was vaguely thrilled by a dream of love." The entire first half of "A White Heron" describes Sylvia's day-to-day life at her house, and how it drastically changed when the mysterious stranger appeared.
Sylvia is presented with a difficult decision when the stranger asks if she would reveal the location of the heron's nest. With every intention of telling the stranger the precise position of the heron's home, Sylvia sets out early in the morning to find the heron. When she discovers the nest, however, she cannot bring herself to tell the stranger where it is. She is torn between changing her poor lifestyle for the better, or saving the heron's life. In the end, she chooses to keep quiet, for "she cannot tell the heron's secret and give its life away." .
The main character in "A White Heron" is the most significant component because of the author's emphasis on, not only Sylvia, but the complex decision she must consider. The entire plot of the story leads up to the dramatic ending in which Sylvia must choose between saving the heron and helping the stranger.
