A Literary Analysis of the Symbolism in the Bear by Faulkner Essay

With all of the hunting trips that Ike experienced through his many trips, taught him many different lessons about living and many life lessons in which he experienced. On some of these trips he learned courage, self-reliance and conquering his own fear and many more lessons. In William Faulkner descriptive short stories the author use many different symbols that do relate to different things but it take serious thinking to decide what it truly relates too. Set in the deep woods of Mississippi in the early 20th century the story tells about a young boy who goes through a journey to be come a man and a respectable one at that. Though his use of symbols, Faulkner suggests that only when a person can face and conquer their fear, can they attain charter, experience and maturity.Faulkner effectively uses symbolism in "THE BEAR" by using the bear to represent the boy's deepest fear and the relation, in which Ike lives in. "Then it moved. It made no sound. It did not hurry. It crossed the glade, walking for an instant into the glare of the sun when it reached the other side it stopped again and looked back at him across one shoulder at him across one shoulder while his quiet breathing inhaled and exhaled three times". The bear was testing the Ike true courage to see what the boy would do under his deepest fear and see Ike react to the bear with out his gun. The bear wanted to see if the boy would run or freeze up or to see if the boy would admire the bear like Ike did in his dreams. The bear most represent the strength of being old and like an mortal figure that no one can bare themselves shoot the bear or hit him with a bullet. Furthermore, according to Robert A. Jellife that was the story of not just a boy but any...