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A White Heron Narrator:

Who is the narrator, can she or he read minds, and, more importantly, can we trust her or him?

Third Person (Omniscient)

Although the narrator stays within Sylvia's brain for most of the story, there are a few moments when the perspective shifts to Mrs. Tilley and the hunter.

In the case of Mrs. Tilley, these shifts serve to give us more of Sylvia's backstory, including details about how she ended up in the countryside, as well as a "hint of family sorrows" (1.17). On the other hand, the perspective shifts to the hunter show us his condescending reactions to Sylvia and Mrs. Tilley, giving us reason to look at him with a skeptical eye. This technique helps keep up empathetic toward Sylvia and her life's circumstances, which keeps us rooting for her, even when she suddenly changes course.