Old and New Worlds in William Faulkner's The Bear Anonymous College

In The Bear, William Faulkner uses specific depictions of the wilderness and the main characters of Ben, Ike, and Sam Fathers to represent much more than just a group of guys going on a bear hunt once a year. At first, this book seems like a simple story of a bear hunting adventure, but in reality, it is much more than that; the wilderness and the way the characters act and change in the book represent changes in society during this time in the history. Through analysis of the setting, characters, and symbols, it is obvious that The Bear conveys an intriguing story of a bear hunt that turns into a much deeper story about the wilderness and the societal change during the upbringing of the New West during the 1800’s. As an overall theme, Faulkner uses the wilderness as an important symbol throughout the entirety of the book.

The story begins with the introduction of the long-standing tradition of the annual hunt of the bear, Ben. Ben lives in the wilderness, which Faulkner describes as the “…doomed wilderness” on page 193, instilling fear instantly in the mind of the reader. He also describes the wilderness as “…solitude…” on page 198, drawing a very specific image of an extremely dark and lonely place. The bear has become so...