The Bear: The Paradox of Courage
I’ve just decided to drop out of UM and go join the college in the woods run by the giant, immortal bear. With any luck, I’ll at least master the courage so prominently stressed in “The Bear.” Everything seems to come back around to the idea of bravery in the untamed wild. The hunting party is perpetually in search of a dog that will track and hold a monster undaunted. The boy (Ike? Why is his name only used on one occasion?) has to venture into the woods without his firearms, virtually defenseless, in order to catch a glimpse of the bear. Sam Fathers has to establish his superiority over a violent, predatory wolf, and that without breaking the wolf’s courage. And then, of course, Boon dismisses the safety of shooting the bear from a distance and chooses to wrestle the terror with a knife—can you name a gutsier move on a hunting trip?
Faulkner is not quiet on what his idea of what courage actually is. “It was the young hound which even a year ago had no judgment and … still had none. Maybe that’s what courage is, he thought.” Is courage just… stupidity? Ignorance of danger? A refusal to care? That would be Ike’s idea, at least. Sam Fathers makes quite a different statement earlier in the story which I find much more agreeable, however: “Be scared. You can’t help that. But don’t be afraid.” Out of curiosity I dug into a couple of dictionaries to see if there is some minor difference between “being scared” and “being afraid” that would make this statement less contradictory. There is none. This can be interpreted, then, to differentiate between the two kinds of fear: that which rules you, and that which cannot restrain you. If a man feels fear, there is nothing he can do about that. I somehow doubt that any sort of deep breathing technique exists to erase fear from your mind when you’re staring down a monster unarmed. But fear does not rule a man’s mind and force him to scream, flee, and cower like the dogs in the story; not unless that man allows it. Courage is not the absence of fear—it is the ability to ignore it. Ike doesn’t quite hit this mark, but I quite enjoy Sam’s paradox of “scared but unafraid.”
P.S. I commented on Sophia and Natalie's posts.
P.S. I commented on Sophia and Natalie's posts.
The theme of courage is strong throughout the story, however I see it just as much with Ike's opinion of the young, reckless dogs as with Old Ben's comfortability with getting close to people (namely Ike). I think Faulkner is showing that courage comes in more forms than what would first meet the eye.
ReplyDeleteCourage is everywhere in this. I found it absolutely astonishing when Boon decided to not shoot the bear, but instead get up close and personal with it. Perhaps it's just a way of stating his authority as a human over an animal? Proving he's not afraid of anything, even Old Ben.
ReplyDeleteI've always been a fan of "scared but unafraid". To me, it showcases someone who not dishonest with themselves and understand when it's time to put away the fears that reside within you and take charge of a situation. This is so evident in our everyday lives, wether it be about our schooling, our future job opportunities, and relationship related. Our trust in God needs to be present for this to be acted out in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteThe boy's courage in this story took me by surprise. Particularly in the begining when he wanders through the woods and leaves behind his compass and gets lost. In that moment yes he was wrong to leave it behind, but he doesn't freak out when he realizes he is lost and instead thinks of the best way he cand find his way back.
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