The Bear Came Over the Mountain

by Alice Munro

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The Bear Came Over the Mountain

Alice Munro's "The Bear Came Over the Mountain" uses its title metaphorically, inspired by the children's song about a bear crossing a mountain only to see more of the same. This reflects the story's...

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The Bear Came Over the Mountain

The irony in "The Bear Came Over the Mountain" is situational irony, where outcomes defy expectations. Grant, who was unfaithful during his marriage, witnesses his wife Fiona, now in a retirement...

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The Bear Came Over the Mountain

In "The Bear Came Over the Mountain," Alice Munro explores themes of infidelity and chronic illness within marriage. Infidelity in the story highlights underlying relationship issues, such as...

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The Bear Came Over the Mountain

The types of conflict in "The Bear Came over the Mountain" include internal conflict, such as Grant's struggle with guilt and fidelity, and external conflict, like the challenges posed by Fiona's...

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The Bear Came Over the Mountain

The story’s exposition reveals that Fiona has dementia and is currently engaged in a relationship with Aubrey, a former patient at the same facility. The rising action appears as Grant comes to visit...

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The Bear Came Over the Mountain

One literary device Alice Munro uses in her short story "The Bear Came over the Mountain" is nonlinear chronology. The story starts out with the heroin Fiona and her boyfriend Grant being...

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