"The Bear" is such an intricate story that a substantial portion of a group's time will likely be devoted to understanding its events and motivations. This is particularly true when part four is included in the reading. Due to its complexity, it is an admirable achievement for a discussion group to identify and resolve the fundamental interpretive challenges: Who are the characters? What drives them? What occurs in part four? Go Down, Moses has been the sole text in both graduate and undergraduate seminars, where excellent students read the entire book multiple times and spent several weeks analyzing "The Bear" without exhausting the text or their interest. Like much of Faulkner's finest fiction, "The Bear" can be read multiple times with great benefit, even within the confines of a single course or series of book discussions.

Among the primary issues that demand thorough reading and discussion to understand clearly are the significances of the key stages in Isaac's spiritual development; the perspective on nature that the story conveys; Isaac's reasons for rejecting his inheritance and the values underpinning those reasons; and whether Isaac's decision is heroic, quixotic, or a blend of both. Although each topic requires extensive preparation for readers to fully grasp the relevant material, they are highly engaging to discuss once the group is ready.

1. Faulkner highlights Isaac's initial venture into the wilderness, his solitary encounter with Old Ben, his surprising reaction to discovering Lion, the death of Old Ben, and Isaac's final visit to Sam's grave as pivotal moments in Isaac's spiritual growth. What significance does each event hold for Isaac individually? How do these events collectively shape his thinking?

2. Old Ben and Lion are depicted as symbolic adversaries. What interpretations does Isaac himself attribute to each of these animals? What do their existence and opposition signify to him? What other symbolic animals appear in the story? How does Isaac interpret them? Do you perceive interesting meanings in them that he does not articulate?

3. Sam Fathers is Isaac's most influential mentor. What lessons does Sam impart to Isaac? Which of these lessons are most significant to Isaac?

4. In part four, Isaac explains to his older cousin, Cass Edmonds, why he refuses to accept the plantation his grandfather established as his inheritance. He reveals that the decisive moment for him was discovering that his grandfather had fathered a son with his own slave daughter, leading her mother to commit suicide. Why was this discovery crucial to Isaac's decision? What other reasons does he have for rejecting the land? What does he hope to achieve through this refusal?

5. What are the primary arguments Isaac presents to justify rejecting his inheritance? What are the key points Cass uses to convince Isaac to accept his inheritance? Which arguments on each side do you find most compelling? How effectively does each counter the other's perspective? What stance would you take in this debate? What reasons would you provide?

6. In part four, Isaac asserts that land cannot be owned by anyone and should be available for communal use. He learns and relearns this lesson throughout the narrative. How does he come to understand this principle? What evidence supports his belief? Is his evidence convincing or not?

7. The novella features various models of fatherhood through characters like Lucius McCaslin, McCaslin Edmonds, Sam Fathers, and Isaac. What are the strengths and weaknesses of each paternal figure? Which model do you find most admirable, and why?

8. Although Boon Hogganbeck is a minor character among the hunters and simpler compared to Isaac, Sam, or McCaslin, he plays a significant...