28 pages 56 minutes read

Alice Munro

The Bear Came over the Mountain

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1999

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Story Analysis

Analysis: “The Bear Came Over the Mountain”

Content Warning: The source material includes mentions of infidelity, suicide, university sex scandals, mental health issues, and molestation.

“The Bear Came Over the Mountain” is, in many ways, a character study of an unfaithful man who has little remorse for his actions but claims to love his wife. A character study is a story or narrative that is driven by the internal struggles of one or more main characters; Munro has chosen Grant as the point-of-view character, so the character study focuses on him. Grant’s memories, fears, and denial surrounding his infidelity comprise a majority of the story. He feels that he was a good husband even while cheating and believes he made up for it despite never admitting what he did. He feels punished by the changes going on with Fiona, to the point of questioning her condition.

Grant exemplifies The Enduring Effects of Infidelity and Guilt, as the story explores how his infidelity and the guilt surrounding it disrupt his life and affect his perspective. During Fiona’s first doctor’s visit when they begin to suspect she is facing Alzheimer’s—a visit that should be about Fiona and her health—Grant’s mind wanders to the way Fiona used to mimic “uncannily the voices of women of his that she had never met or known about” (289).

Related Titles

By Alice Munro

Plot Summary

logo

Dance of the Happy Shades: And Other Stories

Alice Munro

Dance of the Happy Shades: And Other Stories

Alice Munro

Study Guide

logo

Friend of My Youth

Alice Munro

Friend of My Youth

Alice Munro

Plot Summary

logo

Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage

Alice Munro

Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage

Alice Munro

Study Guide

logo

How I Met My Husband

Alice Munro

How I Met My Husband

Alice Munro

Study Guide

logo

Lives of Girls and Women

Alice Munro

Lives of Girls and Women

Alice Munro

Plot Summary

logo

The Beggar Maid

Alice Munro

The Beggar Maid

Alice Munro

Plot Summary

logo

The Love Of A Good Woman

Alice Munro

The Love Of A Good Woman

Alice Munro

Plot Summary

logo

The View from Castle Rock

Alice Munro

The View from Castle Rock

Alice Munro

Plot Summary

logo

Too Much Happiness

Alice Munro

Too Much Happiness

Alice Munro

Study Guide

logo

Walker Brothers Cowboy

Alice Munro

Walker Brothers Cowboy

Alice Munro