William Faulkner makes extensive use of the setting in “The Bear”. Faulkner uses the woods in which the main action of the story takes place, the animals in those woods, and the historical setting of his novel to represent the values held by the main characters and to act as a motivating force in Ike McCaslin’s behavior. One purpose these woods serve is to represent the "Old South" and the dignity and tradition associated with it.
These great woods are the setting for the noble hunt of Big Ben. It is in these woods that Ike McCaslin gains his manhood and learns the beauty of the "old South" which the woods represent. The woods also reflect the change of the South as Ike discovers the horrors that the Southern lifestyle was responsible for. This change is indicated in book five when the woods are b
eing torn down and the noblest game remaining in them are Boon’s precious squirrels.
The majority of book four deals with Ike’s discovering of his past and what his grandfather did to his slaves. Without this background information, the reader wouldn’t understand why Ike wishes to repudiate his inheritance and trade the life of a rich plantation owner for that of a celibate carpenter. In context, however, the reader sees that Ike chooses this celibate life because he wishes to have nothing to do with his perverted past, even at the expense of his wife. Faulkner makes extensive use of setting throughout The Bear. The author employs it both as a motivating force in human behavior and as a representation of the values held by characters.
This old bear is not the only symbol of the "Old South." As
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