The Bear

The poem implies that it is set in the Arctic circle where there is tundra, wolf, and the blubber of animals, such as seals. Inuit mythology poses a world in which the animals people hunt willingly sacrifice themselves for food but continue on through the restorative cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. Bears hold special significance as a symbol of death and rebirth because of their patterns of hibernation. Bears eat during the summer and fall, then retire to dens during the winter where they sleep. They lose most of their fat reserves and emerge hungry and thin but alive in the spring to continue with the cycle. This pattern mimics death and rebirth.

The hunter’s pursuit of the bear could represent an allegory of the hunter’s pursuit of immortality, spirituality, and the ability to transcend death. When the hunter dreams about the bear in spring, he may be dreaming about the reincarnation of the bear he has just killed. Metaphorically, he becomes not just a physical bear, but the spirit of the bear and part of the spiritual essence of the Arctic.