Summary

In third-person narration focusing on sensory experiences like the hairy softness of a blanket, the smooth un-climability of walls, and the sweet taste of milk, a young polar bear comes to realizations about the world he is inhabiting. He distinguishes between two pairs of arms – one that feeds him, one that inspects him – and learns that the arms belong to two men, Matthias and Christian, who is also referred to as “doctor” and who jokes that Homo sapiens do not have to undergo the same constant testing as Knut. He also learns that as a result of how Matthias announces the arrival of milk, he is named Knut. At one point, Knut irritably bites Christian, which results in Christian becoming briefly upset, sitting and chatting with Matthias to calm himself, and conversation revealing that Matthias is...