Monday, September 29, 2008
Max's post: Faulkner
Faulkner’s story “the bear” is about a succession of hunting seasons where a group of hunters try and track and kill a bear they deem “Old Ben”. In the beginning “Old Ben” is portrayed as a beast having “furious immortality” in which “ran not even a mortal beast but an anachronism indomitable and invincible”. But as the story wears on the hunters get closer and closer to killing him, readers get to see that he isn’t impregnable. Do you think that Faulkner is using “Old Ben” as a symbol for nature and how humanity attempts to dominate and control it? The nearer the hunters draw to the kill, the harder it gets for them to survive and prosper. Do you think that there is any meaning in this? Is Faulkner saying that the more we exploit nature the harder it will be for us?
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8 comments:
I agree that William Faulkner is using “Old Ben” as a symbol for nature. Humans attempt to dominate nature just as the hunters attempt to dominate animals such as “Old Ben” the bear and also “Lion”, the dog. However, the hunters described are not like most people with a desire to control nature. With Lion, Sam didn’t want him to be domesticated: “We don’t want him tame. We want him as he is” (161). This is the same with the hunters and nature, they attempt to control it but they don’t want to completely tame it.
These hunters seem more concerned with the ability to withstand the wilderness in its natural state rather than being concerned with completely controlling it. They seem to take pride in their ability to endure the harshness of nature. The boy is brought to the forest to “earn for himself from the wilderness the name and state of hunter provided he in turn were humble and enduring enough” (141) And also their ability to navigate through the wilderness. For example, the boy is praised for being able to navigate back in the dark without his compass.
Although the hunters attempt to kill the bear and thus dominate him, at some points in the reading it seems as if they do not intend to kill the bear: “To him, they were going not to hunt bear and deer but to keep yearly rendez-vous with the bear which they did not even intend to kill” (142). Both the boy and Sam did not shoot the bear when they had the opportunity too (155). It is almost as if they have a certain level of respect for the bear which parallels their respect for nature.
I have to agree with Tara’s point that it is not the hunters’ goal to really dominate nature, but rather take pride in their ability to withstand it. In the story, the men celebrate the fact that they have the “will and hardiness to endure and the humility and skills to survive”(140), almost as if nature is the true test of their manhood. The hunters seem to rejoice in nature’s unpredictability, and consider it a rite of passage that proves one worthy to become a true woodsman. In fact, when referring to Ike, Sam says that “only after he had served his apprenticeship in the woods which would prove him worthy to be a hunter, would he even be permitted to distinguish the crooked point”(142). This quote reveals the importance nature holds for the hunters. So important, that they refer to Ike’s time in the woods as an “apprenticeship”. Without nature, they would be unable practice what they love the most.
Tara seems right on target when she makes the claim that the hunters have “a certain level of respect for the bear, which parallels their respect for nature”. When Ike becomes lost in the woods he admits that he, “relinquished completely to it” (152), showing that nature often has the upper hand. Although much of the story is focused on the hunt for “Old Ben”, I do not believe this is the men’s attempt to dominate nature. Before killing it, Ike took the time to know “the old bear’s footprint better than he did his own” (154). By the end the boy rejoices in the fact that “there was no territory within twenty-five miles of the camp path that he did not know” (154). Although the death of “Old Ben” in the end represents something, I do not believe it is human’s control over nature. In fact, the men say that they are “ordered and compelled by and within the wilderness” (140). Many aspects of the story suggest the tangible bond that humans create with nature as their familiarity with it grows.
Max makes an excellent point when he observes that Old Ben may be a symbol for nature entirely. It seems, however, that perhaps the roles are a bit less clear cut than man versus nature. Faulkner employs the interesting technique of creating characters of whichever species with traits that belong to the opposite species. Old Ben has been endowed with a personality befitting that of a man, an understanding of etiquette, a participant on equal footing along with the hunters. Major de Spain remarks “I’m disappointed in him. He has broken the rules. I didn’t think he would have done that. He has killed mine and McCaslin’s dogs, but that was all right. We gamble the dogs against him; we gave each other warning,” (157), as if the bear had entered into a contract with them. Boon seems to be the antithesis of this- Ike notices being in Memphis “…made Boon’s beard look worse and more unshaven and his face look more and more like he should never have brought it out of the woods at all or at lease out of reach of Major de Spain of McCaslin or someone who knew it and could have said, “Dont be afraid. He wont hurt you,”” (170) sounding more as if he were explaining a particularly vicious looking animal, not a man.
This lack of dichotomy is not insignificant, and the hunt that Ike participates in seems to be a rite of passage, one necessary for young boys who want to grow up to be “a better woodsman that you or me either,” (175), because it is in watching the actions of animals that one recognizes what it is to be human. It is by remembering that Ben is a bear that his name becomes significant, that one notices that he had “earned a name such as a human man could have worn and not been sorry,” (170), to see “all save that thin clear quenchless lucidity which alone differed him from this bear and from all the other bears and bucks he would follow during almost seventy years,” (152). All the same with the acknowledgement of the differences must come the acknowledgement of the similarities. Lion seems the best chimera of the two natures, both coldly calculating and wildly bestial and Ike says of him “We don’t want him tame. We want him like he is,” (161).
I agree with Tara in that there is a difference in the way these hunter's try to control nature and the way modern day humans do. In the passage, Isaac "knew the old bear's footprints better than he did his own" (154). This proves that these hunters take great time and practice great diligence to exact there rewards. But at the same time, Faulkner points out that these hunter's don't bring home trophies, but instead enjoy the act of the hunt. He does allude to human's taking advantage of the land, "wilderness whose edges were being constantly and punily gnawed at by men with plows and axes," (141) but for hunter's specifically, I think that Faulkner is trying to point out a rite of passage, a connection to the way man used to survive. Tara pointed out that Isaac must "earn for himself from the wilderness the name and state of hunter provided he in turn were humble and enduring enough” (141), so I feel that Faulkner tries to honor this way of life. He builds the bear up to a mythic state, implying that it must take great skill be a decent hunter. Also, his use of other animals, the mule that has no fear of wild animals, the untamed Lion as Tara also mentioned, and the tiny, brainless dog shows that Faulkner values the relationships humans share with both wild and domesticated animals. I do think that as the passage draws to a close, and the hunters’ lack of desire to actually kill the bear shows a sort of gray area in the matter: while one would literally be victorious in slaying Old Ben, there would be no emotional or spiritual benefits to it. This aspect of the hunter seems to me to be paramount in Faulkner’s story.
Max and Tara, I totally agree with you both in that Faulkner is using “Old Ben” as a symbol for nature. “Old Ben” seems to personify the constant struggle that nature has to endure because of man. Man is in constant flux trying to overcome nature just as the hunters are with “Old Ben.” The fact that “Old Ben” is killed may signify the fact that man has succeeded in its attempts to overcome nature. Or maybe the killing of “Old Ben” is merely to show reward to the years of hunting down “Old Ben” and never succeeding?
I loved Claire’s comment on “The Bear” in that she believed that “Faulkner employs the interesting technique of creating characters of whichever species with traits that belong to the opposite species.” “Old Ben” has outsmarted the hunters for years with his human like techniques. By taking on these attributes, “Old Ben” is able to “cheat” death until the hunters are able to acquire a dog that is not afraid to take on the task of killing “Old Ben.” By placing human like qualities on “Old Ben,” the reader and speaker both seem to sympathize with the bear. The speaker tells of opportunities to kill “Old Ben” where he backed off, such as when he sends the fyce after “Old Ben.” “Old Ben’s” death was not “victorious,” as Anthony said, but perhaps because the bear had become something more than just a hunted animal.
I definitely have to agree that both “Old Ben” and “Lion” serve as symbols of nature. As Tara P. points out, the hunters seem to strive to control both animals, but not completely dominate them. The hunting of “Old Ben” and somewhat taming of “Lion” proves the humans’ control over nature. The hunters unintentionally exercise their power over the two animals, thereby proving that a person can never remove himself from nature entirely. I wonder if the purpose of the personification of the animals is to point out the human’s influence over them. For example, Faulkner writes, “It was as if Lion were a woman,” (162) to describe the dog in his calmest state. As both Tara L. and Claire pointed out, “Old Ben” exhibits human qualities in his cunning ability to out-smart the hunters. This humanizing of the animals indicates the inability of man to assume a different perspective in describing nature.
Through the personification, Faulkner could be illustrating how man sees nature through his own perspective, rather than taking it on its own account. Though the hunters seem to have respect for the nature they are in, as many people stated, they are still unable to remove themselves from their surroundings to see nature for what it truly is. This inability to see the entire picture could be what prevents them from attaining the kill earlier in the passage. Faulkner, therefore, stresses the importance of looking at nature for what it is in the selection.
So I have to agree with the rest of the class and say that Old Ben is a definite symbol for nature. He repesents the power and control of nature over man but also the mysicism and illusiveness of nature. The fact that Sam and the other hunters are seemingly unable to kill Old Ben, even when they have point blank shots, represents man's desire to control nature but not fully ruin its domination over them. They dont "tame" lion becasue they need an aspect of wildness, of uncontrolable power to catch old ben. Lion is the connection between nature and man, he has characteristics of nature, but he is ultimatley under man's control. They say that "we dont want him tame. We want him the way he is" (161), but the next line: "We just want him to find out at last that the only way he can get out of that crib and stay out of it is to do what Sam or somebody tells him to do" (161). Basically they are saying that want something wild, something uncontainable to do what they want and how they want. To me this shows their desire to conquer nature while also being able to enjoy it's natural elements. this reminds me of when people place fish in a pond to catch; yes you are conquering nature like someone would in the wild but you cant have the best of both worlds. Either let Lion be untamed, or tame him and let him remain as a pet.
Old Ben is the mystery of nature and of life that the hunters want to reveal but wouldnt know how to feel after they reveal it. If/when they finally do conquer nature by killing Old Ben would they feel accomplished, or would their respect for nature die with Old Ben?
ERIC HALEY
As most everyone has already said,
the bear, "Old Ben" symbolizes nature. This story does provide a struggle between man vs. nature, but it is not as simple as that. Man is not just trying to dominate nature in this short story by Faulkner. We see that Old Ben is nearly immortal by the fact that he has been so elusive and has become a legend in the woods. This is the very reason the bear was given a human name, because he was such a legend in the woods for these hunters. The hunters were not so much dominating and destroying nature as Claire mentions, they were trying to 'withstand' nature. As another commentor said, it was a right of passage for these hunters who had been brought up this way and had this as a way of life. This lead to them having a certain level of respect for nature, "Old Ben," for they had to have a cogniscient (sp?) understanding of what was around them for they were hunters and their way of life revolved around nature. Old Ben was the legend and that is why it became harder for the men to come to the fact that they were out there to kill him. They have been hunting him for so long that the very pursuit of the bear had become invigorating. To draw a parallel is to bring in the pre-2004 Boston Red Sox into this story. For 86 years, Boston Red Sox fans so desperately wanted that World Series ring, but we could never get it. In the end, the year after year impossible, couldn't be written better in a Hollywood script, tragedies the Sox showed were more compelling than the actual goal of winning the World Series. Very similar to the hunters, they had high regards for Old Ben, yet they were trying to go out there and hunt him.
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