Introduction & Overview of The Bear by William Faulkner

The Bear Introduction

Although several versions of "The Bear" exist, the one most commonly read comes from William Faulkner's 1942 novel, Go Down, Moses. Isaac (Ike) McCaslin, the young hero of "The Bear," remains a central figure throughout the novel as well. The story of a young man's development against a background of vanishing wilderness was well received by readers and critics alike. Today it appears in many anthologies. Faulkner did not add the long fourth section of the story until it appeared in Go Down, Moses, and he argued that its primary role was to connect the story to the rest of the novel. If read alone, the fourth section of "The Bear" should be omitted. Yet the fourth section puts into context the relationships and events that contnbuted to young Ike's upbringing in the woods. It is learned that Major deSpain and Colonel Compson received their commissions in the Civil War,...
(read more)