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).