The Bear Came Over the Mountain - Alice Munro - ★★.½
AUTHOR: Alice Munro
GENRE: Short Story
PUBLICATION DATE: December 27, 1999
RATING: 2.5 stars.
In a Nutshell: A long short story focussed on an elderly couple whose life changes after the wife is admitted to hospice care (possibly for Alzheimer’s) after almost fifty years of marriage. Good writing, unlikable narrator, overload of tropes, flat ending. Not a good start to my exploration of Alice Munro’s works.
Plot Preview:
After almost fifty years of marriage, Grant has to let go of his wife Fiona when her memory issues lead to her being admitted to hospice care. When Grant goes to visit her after the mandatary one-month adjustment period, he is dismayed to find that Fiona is emotionally attached to another patient. As Grant ponders over their decades together, he realises what he needs to do to win back Fiona’s affections.
If the above makes you think that it is a story of love, you are not right. It is a story of hypocrisy.
This work explores the complications of human relationships, especially in the face of a challenge such as a devastating medical diagnosis. It presents a complex exploration of love, whether demanded, anticipated, or provided.
As this was my first Alice Munro story, I had had high hopes considering her stalwart reputation in short fiction. But I wasn’t blown away by this tale, which is really surprising as it promised to be emotionally intense. I think a part of the reason is that the characters didn’t endear themselves to me, despite their circumstances. Grant is especially annoying in the way he comments on women and their bodies without even realising his objectification. Typical of so many people of his generation! As the story comes from his third person perspective, it was tougher to connect with the proceedings as he seemed to ask for sympathy without deserving it. How can one sympathize with such a manipulative character, even when his machinations are subtle?
Another reason is that I am not fond of the infidelity trope, whether it is justified or not. And it is even more annoying when the infidelity is casually swept aside without any emotional evaluation.
The ending probably meant to be impressive but was just meh to me. A couple of my friends found it heartwarming, but I am stumped at that claim. Maybe I did miss something!
Basically, the writing style is good, but the characters are not appealing, the plot development is lacklustre, and the scene transitions are abrupt.
The title is a derivation from a children’s campfire song "The Bear Went Over the Mountain", which talks of a bear climbing a mountain with determination, only to find disappointment on the other side. Our bear in this case is Grant, who, at seventy years of age, has already climbed “over” the mountain, and still not happy with what he has, is constantly looking for and hoping for more.
A decent story if you want to try out this author’s writing, though I have no idea if it is among her acclaimed works or not. It’s free, so it’s not like you would lose anything. Frankly speaking, I was hoping for way better.
This story originally appeared in the December 27, 1999 issue of The New Yorker. You can read it online from this link:
It was also published in the collection “Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage”. This story has been adapted into an Oscar-nominated movie titled ‘Away From Her’, but I haven’t watched it, nor do I intend to.
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