Journal #27 Sarah Orne Jewett

Shirly Ong
English 48B
29 February, 2008
Journal #27 Sarah Orne Jewett

Quote:
“Soon it would be berry-time, and Sylvia was a great help at picking. The cow was a good milker…the hostess gossiped frankly, adding presently that she had buried four children, so Sylvia’s mother and a son (who might be dead) in California were all the children she had left.”

Summary:
In this quote, Sylvia’s Grandmother is telling the young man about her family and their daily lives.

Response:
In the first part of this quote, Sarah Orne Jewett is demonstrating how Sylvia and her grandmother supporting themselves in the farm. Of course, they do not only live on berries and milk, but this quote depicts their lives in the farm without men. Their lives contrast lives in towns. To me, life at the farm must be enjoyable because it is not as busy as life in manufacturing town, where Sylvia has spent her first eight years. Sylvia and her grandma seem enjoy their lives at the farm too.
The second part of this quote shows the family background of Sylvia and her Grandma. It is sad to know Sylvia’s Grandma has just lost four of her children and she does not even know the condition of the last son she had left. It also shows some characteristics of the society in that period. I think this family background has two functions in the story. First, it illustrates the young man’s cold-heartedness. He shows no interest to this “family sorrow” while Sylvia’s grandma is telling him her story sadly. He is only interested in the white herons, which he has been finding. I find him very cruel and selfish. To achieve his goal of collecting birds, he shows no care to the birds and people he met. I think he has a nasty character. Secondly, this quote portrays the social phenomenon at that time: most people are working in factories in the manufacturing towns, leaving the elderly and children at the farms. I think Sarah Orne Jewett does a great job in describing this characteristic of the society at her time because Sylvia was only living with her grandma, not even with her mother. This tells me that not only men were working in towns. Women did the same thing, instead of staying at home and taking care of children. It is obvious that demand for labor at that time was very high. I am a bit surprised to learn about this because women are often expected to take care of the family, instead of working, in many stories we read.