loyalty. Tennie and her son Jim are among the McCaslin slaves who decide to stay with the McCaslin family.

Point of View
Though "The Bear" is narrated in third-person, the story is seen through the eyes of Ike McCaslin. However, not everything Ike knows is revealed. For instance, neither Ike nor the narrator explicitly confirms that Boon killed Sam. McCaslin assumes this, and Ike, the only witness, does not dispute it. The speculations made by Ike and McCaslin regarding Eunice's suicide further complicate matters. This shows that the narrator is not omniscient but rather a limited and experimental variation of the traditional third-person narrator.

Setting
"The Bear" takes place in Faulkner's imagined Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi, spanning various periods of Ike McCaslin's youth. The narrative begins with Ike at sixteen and primarily focuses on his early hunting trips in the fall of 1877 and the summer of 1878. The second section recounts events from 1879, including Lion's capture, and continues two years later when Lion nearly corners Old Ben. The third section details Old Ben's death the following year. The fourth section shifts from the pre-war era of Carothers McCaslin to Ike's renouncement of his estate, his childless marriage, and austere life, structured around Eunice's timeline. Eunice, a slave purchased in 1807, gave birth to Tomey in 1810 and committed suicide in 1832. Chapter five revisits Ike's final hunting trip in 1882.

Symbolism
The most significant symbol in "The Bear" is Old Ben, representing the natural world he inhabits. His death symbolizes the destruction of nature brought by railroads and loggers. Boon Hogganbeck, who kills Ben, embodies modern man’s attempt to dominate nature using sheer force. Although Boon manages to kill Ben, he is ultimately overpowered by a tree full of frenzied squirrels, implying that humanity's blind destruction of nature will lead to eventual frustration and despair.

Allusion
Biblical allusions are abundant in "The Bear," as is common in Faulkner's work. Sam Fathers is seen as a Christ-like figure whose teachings provide absolute truths for Ike to follow. Buck and Sophonsiba are likened to a modern Abraham and Sarah, with Ike as the improbable child born in their old age. This analogy emphasizes the irony of Ike rejecting their inherited beliefs for Sam Fathers' teachings. Some references are more subtle. For example, the woods teeming with snakes, which Ash warns Ike about in section five, depict an Eden that is no longer innocent, but only partially pure. The snake, a significant symbol in Chickasaw mythology, is also addressed as "Grandfather" by Ike. While a familiarity with the Bible can enhance understanding of these allusions, their collective impact suggests that "The Bear" addresses universal themes.

Foreshadowing
The phrase "And so he should have feared and hated Lion" appears multiple times in the second section of "The Bear," foreshadowing Lion's significant role in the hunt for Old Ben. This repeated phrase continuously reminds readers of the story's eventual outcome. Although Lion's strength, skill, and bravery are highlighted, it is somewhat misleading to suggest that Ike or the humans should fear him. Why should Dee fear and hate Lion if he is the ideal dog for assisting Ike and the others in their quest? The answer lies not in the foreshadowing itself but in the events that unfold later in the story. Despite hunting Ben for several years, his death marks the beginning of the end for many things. Ben's demise signals the end of the hunting club, the hunting grounds, and a wilderness untouched by development and civilization. It also signifies the end of traditions and rituals upheld by Sam Fathers and others. The phrase "And so he should have feared and hated Lion" offers readers a "20-20 hindsight" perspective, where knowledge of the future shapes the understanding of the past.

Modernism
Faulkner's works embody several aspects of modernist literature. Modernism describes an international artistic movement that started around World War I and continued through World War II. This movement diverged from the traditional narrative forms of realism and naturalism. Modernists experimented with narrative structure and dialogue, aiming to replicate subjective thought and experience. They explored new perspectives and new methods of communication. In the art world, this movement was embraced by painters like Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse. One of the most notable features of Faulkner's work, and modernism in general, is the experimentation with narrative time. While the first three sections of "The Bear" appear relatively straightforward, section four shifts back and forth in time with little indication of the story's direction. This section also introduces a change in technique. Unlike the simpler sentences used in the earlier sections, section four employs long, complex sentences that may span several paragraphs and different time periods. Remarkably, this section constitutes almost half the story yet contains only one hundred sentences. These passages mimic interior monologues, as if the narrator and characters are speaking to themselves without concern for clarity to any listener. Due to these experiments, some find Faulkner's work challenging to read and comprehend. Many readers believe this intricate technique reflects Faulkner's views on the complexity of modern life.

"The Bear" stands as a storytelling masterpiece. Faulkner employs stream-of-consciousness narration to delve deeply into the emotions and thoughts of his characters during moments of profound revelation. For instance, Isaac's reading of the plantation ledgers unveils his grandfather's incestuous relationship with his slave daughter, and Isaac's awareness of the vibrant life beneath the surface of the declining wilderness. Faulkner also utilizes breathless realistic adventure techniques to vividly recount hunting scenes involving deer and bear. A significant portion of part four features intricate dialogues, including a written exchange between Buck and Buddy in the plantation ledgers, and a spoken conversation between Isaac and Cass regarding Isaac's decision.

Lion and Old Ben are crafted as symbolic figures. Isaac learns to interpret them both as symbols—Lion representing a kind of death force that is ultimately subdued by the dominant life force embodied by Old Ben. Sam Fathers, whose name adds to his symbolic resonance, emerges as a voice for all who have cherished the wilderness before Isaac. Sam embodies the heritage of all three races that have inhabited the region and acts as a paternal figure to Isaac, imparting ancient traditions and beliefs. Isaac comes to understand the characters and the wilderness landscape as a form of transcendental allegory, thereby guiding the reader to adopt this perspective as well.

"The Bear" profoundly addresses themes of racism and environmentalism, ultimately weaving them together.

As a child, Isaac realizes that Sam Fathers, whom he deeply respects as a model of freedom and responsibility, is permanently scarred by his history as a slave and the descendant of slaves. Isaac's initial reaction is to demand Sam's freedom. However, since more than ten years have passed since the Civil War ended, Sam is already legally free. Isaac starts to understand that the past cannot be changed. The tragedies of American slavery and the deep-seated racism it instilled in the American psyche cannot be erased simply with a wish or a word. Throughout the novel, Go Down, Moses, it becomes evident that Isaac learns a lifetime of principled living, opposing racist exploitation, cannot alone begin to undo past injustices or their present-day manifestations.

In "The Bear," Isaac confronts the harsh realities of slavery's legacy when he understands his connection to Tomey's Turl, who assists with the hunts Isaac joins each autumn after turning ten. During the first six years of hunting with seasoned men in the wilderness, Isaac absorbs values from Sam Fathers and the wilderness itself. These values, now recognized as environmentalist, stress that experiencing the wilderness is crucial to remind modern humans of our fragile hold on the earth, which is far greater, older, and more enduring than we are. It teaches us that we belong to it in deeper ways than any part of it can ever belong to any one of us. Isaac learns to view with sorrow the temporary taming of a last American wilderness and the arrogance it fosters in those who achieve it. His grandfather becomes a symbol of this arrogance's sins, particularly in his exploitation of slaves and slave women. Isaac dedicates himself to promoting humility in response to nature and advocating for justice between races.

1880s: The Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery, and the Fourteenth Amendment, which guaranteed civil liberties, are ratified by all states.

1942: The Supreme Court overturns the Georgia Contract Labor Act, ruling that the "peonage" it endorses violates the anti-slavery amendment.

Today: Laws protect all individuals from slavery, yet immigrants and people of color often face civil liberty violations.

1882: Standard Oil establishes a trust to monopolize the industry and eliminate competition. This practice is soon adopted by other industries, resulting in significant job losses.

1941: Ford Motor Company signs its first agreement with a labor union. General Motors offers a wage increase to prevent strikes.

Today: Large corporations continue to resist government intervention and labor unions to maximize profits and minimize external regulations that hinder those profits.

1883: Theodore Roosevelt begins purchasing ranches in the Dakota Territory. In 1887, his passion for hunting and the outdoors prompts him to establish the Boone-Crockett Club, named after two legendary woodsmen.

1933: Aldo Leopold publishes the first U.S. textbook on game management, reflecting a growing societal concern for the responsible management of America's land, animals, and resources.

Today: Lumber companies in the Pacific Northwest seek legal protection to harvest old-growth forests, despite the risk of causing the extinction of the spotted owl.

1887: The Dawes General Allotment Act is passed, resulting in two-thirds of Indian reservation lands being transferred to white ownership.

1934: The Wheeler-Howard Act, also known as the Indian Reorganization Act, aims to improve the dire conditions on many reservations, which are attributed to the earlier Dawes General Allotment Act of 1887.

Today: The Chickasaw tribe, which had around 4,000 members when forcibly relocated to Oklahoma in the 1830s, now has approximately 25,000 descendants.

Scholars have identified numerous literary antecedents to "The Bear." One of the most significant is Herman Melville's "Moby-Dick" (1851), where the pursuit of the whale Moby Dick in a vast ocean culminates in a three-day chase. In Melville's work, the whale embodies intricate symbolic meanings that provoke deep questions about humanity's relationship with nature and the cosmos. Additionally, the traditional hunting narratives of the American wilderness are of notable interest. Many of these tales have become integral to Western and Southwestern humor, such as those involving Davy Crockett. A particularly intriguing example is Thomas Bangs Thorpe's "The Big Bear of Arkansas" (1854), where an Arkansas native recounts his adventures chasing an elusive bear. Faulkner's story also incorporates a fair amount of humor. For instance, there is a scene where Isaac supervises the camp cook, who decides to try hunting despite having no prior experience. Another crucial precursor is Henry David Thoreau's "Walden" (1854), which provides a transcendental and environmentalist perspective on nature that likely influenced Faulkner's thoughts. However, in Faulkner's view, the life force of nature appears less deliberate and self-aware. He portrays a transcendent nature that seems to achieve self-consciousness only through human reflection.

"The Bear" offers the most profound reading experience when considered within the framework of Faulkner's novel, Go Down, Moses. In this novel, "The Bear" is surrounded by stories that delve into Isaac's life. "The Old People" recounts his first triumphant hunt in the wilderness, where he kills a deer and, with Sam's guidance, begins to comprehend the significance of this act. He learns that a properly conducted hunt connects him eternally with the spirit of the wilderness. "Delta Autumn," which follows "The Bear," portrays Isaac in his advanced years, nearing 80, as he grapples with another painful recurrence of his family's legacy. McCaslin Edmonds' grandson, Carothers, has fallen for a woman who has given birth to his son. However, due to her Negro ancestry, Carothers refuses to marry her. When she meets Isaac, he discovers that she is also a descendant of Tomey's Turl. Once more, the white McCaslins have exploited and abandoned the black McCaslins. Isaac's principles remain unchanged, but he endures significant anguish and says things he does not mean as he confronts this tragic resurgence of injustice.

Several characters who make brief appearances in "The Bear" receive more extensive development elsewhere in Go Down, Moses. Notably, Isaac's father and uncle, Buck and Buddy McCaslin, feature in "Was," and Lucas and Molly Beauchamp appear in "The Fire and the Hearth" and "Go Down, Moses." Lucas and Molly are also central figures in Faulkner's later novel, Intruder in the Dust (1948). Boon Hogganbeck emerges as a main character in The Reivers (1962). Faulkner addresses the wilderness theme with substantial irony in "Old Man," which exists as a standalone novella and serves as a counterpoint to the title story in The Wild Palms (1939). The setting of "The Bear" is similar to that of Absalom, Absalom! (1936), and the protagonist of that novel, Thomas Sutpen, bears a resemblance to his contemporary, Lucius McCaslin, in his ruthless exploitation of land and people to fulfill his quest for power.

"The Bear" was adapted into a film by Frank Stokes in 1972. This version, which omits the fourth section of the story, is available on videocassette from AIMS Media.

In 1980, Encyclopaedia Britannica Educational Corporation produced another film adaptation of "The Bear." This version also excludes section four and is accessible on videocassette.

Barr Films released a similar video in 1981, concentrating on the story's hunting aspects.

In 1980, Bernard Wilets wrote and produced a reel-to-reel version, distributed by BFA Educational Media.

A cassette tape featuring several of Faulkner's stories is available under the title The Stories of William Faulkner Parts I and II. Narrated by Wolfram Kandinsky and Michael Kramer, it was published by Books on Tape in 1994.

Sources
Aiken, Charles, "A Geographical Approach to William Faulkner's 'The Bear'," in Geographical Review, Vol. 71, no. 4, October 1981, pp. 446-459.

Brooks, Cleanth, William Faulkner: The Yoknapatawpha Country, Louisiana State University Press, 1963.

Grimwood, Michael, "Faulkner and the Vocational Liabilities of Black Characterization," in Faulkner and Race, edited by Doreen Fowler and Ann J. Abadie, University Press of Mississippi, 1987, pp. 255-271.

Lewis, R. W. B., "The Hero in the New World: William Faulkner's 'The Bear'," in Kenyon Review, Vol. XIII, no. 4, Autumn 1951, pp. 641-660.

Rudich, Norman, "Faulkner and the Sin of Private Property," in The Minnesota Review, Vol. 17, 1981, pp. 55-57.

Simpson, Lewis, An essay in Nine Essays in Modern Literature, edited by Donald E. Stanford, Louisiana University Press, 1965, p. 194.

Further Reading
Adams, Richard P., "Focus on William Faulkner's 'The Bear': Moses and the Wilderness," in American Dreams, American Nightmares, edited by David Madden, Southern Illinois University Press, 1970, pp. 129-135.

This article suggests Ike is unable to liberate anyone, despite his belief that it is his duty to do so.

Bear, Man and God: Eight Approaches to William Faulkner's "The Bear," edited by Francis Lee Utley, Lynn Z. Bloom, and Arthur F. Kinney, Random House, 1971.

Includes the story's text, source materials, excerpts from other Faulkner works, and several critical essays on the narrative.

Claridge, Laura P., "Isaac McCaslin's Failed Bid for Adulthood," American Literature, Vol. 55, no. 2, May 1983, pp. 241-251.

Claridge argues that Isaac "relinquishes," rather than "repudiates," his inheritance, indicating his lifelong inability to take action and, by doing so, to mature.

Hoffman, Daniel, "William Faulkner: 'The Bear'," in Landmarks of American Writing, edited by Henrig Cohen, Basic Books, Inc., 1969, pp. 341-352.

Hoffman's chapter on "The Bear" delves into several critical themes, including Ike's quest resembling that of a Grail Knight, the portrayal of Native Americans as instinctual beings versus the Christian concept of sin, and the juxtaposition of the primeval forest with the complex plantation society.

Kern, Alexander C., "Myth and Symbol in Criticism of Faulkner's 'The Bear'," in Myth and Symbol, edited by Bernice Slote, University of Nebraska Press, 1963, pp. 252-262.

Kern's paper explores the various symbols in the story, particularly the bear, the deer, and the snake.

Sundquist, Eric J., "The True Inheritance of Ike McCaslin," in Critical Essays on William Faulkner: The McCaslin Family, edited by Arthur F. Kinney, G. K. Hall, 1990.

Sundquist situates "The Bear" within the context of the McCaslin family saga and discusses the mythic archetypes of hunting present in the story.

Willis, Susan, "Aesthetics of the Rural Slum: Contradiction and Dependency in 'The Bear'," in Faulkner: New Perspectives, edited by Richard H. Broadhead, Prentice-Hall, 1983.

Willis examines "The Bear" as a narrative about the South's economic development, proposing the commissary and the wilderness as opposing elements of this growth.