Bears
The imagery of bears is significant throughout the novel, as the animal represents the town’s pride and resilience. The town’s residents are often referred to as bears in the forest. But, it also has negative connotations, such as the stubbornness, cruelty and backwardness, as it shows how the entire towns stands together against the victim of one of their celebrated hockey players.
Cherry blossoms
Sune describes smelling cherry blossoms each time he notices a positive change to befall the hockey team. The cherry blossom smell indicated new hope, new talent, a hopeful change. Sune smelled cherry blossoms when he discovered Peter and Kevin, and newly upon noticing Amat.
The cold of Beartown
The seasons in Beartown are described as most of the year being a cold and winter time, with few months of summer. The physical cold of the place is in correlation with the people living in it. They are described as being cold as well, without every saying words that indicate weakness and emotion.
The sound of hockey
Throughout the novel, the sound of the pucks banging is present, predominantly with Kevin. This sound creates tension and correlates with the emotional turmoil of the character, it complements his inability to express his discontent and aggression. The sounds also create the atmospheric tension of the hockey game, visualizing the tension.
