The North Pole  

For all three of the central bear characters, the North Pole represents a home they have never known, a place of origin that exists as much in the minds and preconceptions of the those who know them as the minds of the bears themselves. This is because polar bears as a species are found almost exclusively at the North Pole, or in regions close to that part of the world: the two are very much identified with each other. This symbolic aspect of the book is most vividly developed in Part 3, titled "Memories of the North Pole" - an ironic title, in that Knut has no actual memories of the North Pole, only longings which may be genetic or racial memory, as opposed to actual memory.

Crates and Cages

The crates and cages in which each of the three central bear characters live represent...