In the "White Heron" by Sarah Orne Jewett, Sylvia’s silence signifies that protecting an animal life is more important than human’s selfish desires. In fact, Sylvia encounters an internal conflict of either following her heart and sacrificing the bird’s life or putting aside her selfish wants. The young girl decides to save the bird to the detriment of betraying the hunter: “Sylvia cannot speak; she cannot tell the heron’s secret and give its life away” (Jewett 21). This passage demonstrates that she could kill the bird by prioritizing superficial human wants. However, she realizes that this…