The use of characterization in "A White Heron" by Sara Orne Jewett shows that gender roles influence human/animal relationships. Sylvia, the main female character in the story, expresses her love for animals by protecting them. In sharp contrast, the main male character in the story, the hunter, kills the birds he claims to love. Throughout the story, the young girl is portrayed as being friendly with animals; she treats her cow as her best friend, playing hide and seek with her, and taking her for walks. The hunter, on the other hand, was looking for the white heron he professed to love in…