Black Woods, Blue Sky

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death. 

Bears symbolize primal, instinctual desires, reinforcing the struggle for survival in an unforgiving, wild landscape and how nature defines and destroys. The bear is a creature that can stand upright like a human yet remains undeniably wild and dangerous. Grizzly bears are described as nearly human in intelligence and behavior, creating a sense of kinship between people and these creatures. Syd explains to Birdie that the grizzly bear holds deep significance in Alaskan culture: “They prop up the bear’s disembodied head. They offer him food and drink and honor. It’s about fear. Reverence. Awe. But maybe shame too. Hell of a beautiful mess” (81). Indigenous Alaskan traditions often view the grizzly as a spiritual being, sometimes as an ancestor or a figure of transformation. Many Indigenous stories feature bears as shape-shifters or creatures with near-human intelligence, reflecting a belief in the fluid boundary between the animal and human worlds. Through this motif, Ivey employs the folk trope of the animal bridegroom as a psychological interrogation of hidden monstrousness, the inherent danger in certain behaviors, and the unseen forces that drive individuals toward destruction.