"The Bear" by William Faulkner

Today's blog post is a response to my second reading for the World Journalism Institute: William Faulkner's novella, "The Bear."

The story follows a young man through adulthood, allowing us only into his life during two weeks of a few select years, for an annual hunting trip. During these trips he seeks to bring down a legendary old bear named Old Ben, and in the meantime, grows in maturity and wisdom.

I wish that I could say that I enjoyed reading this famous short story, but I don't feel that Faulkner's style quite fits my taste. He tends to pile up adjectives and commas to the degree that it is impossible to tell where a sentence begins or where it is going. I actually began to count the words in one of his longer sentences, but after I reached around 200 words I gave up.

I was put off by the writing style, and came to wonder why the Journalism Institute would have me read it. However the more I thought about the story I began to see the point.

Ike McCaslin, the story's protagonist, is in a situation quite similar to that of the journalist. He is involved in an annual struggle against something bigger and more powerful than him, in a vast and complex forest. The pursuit of this animal, this epic hunt, is what shapes and matures him. After years of struggle, the bear is killed and eventually the very lands he hunts in are sold to a logging company, ending the pursuit forever.

The journalist too is involved in a similar hunt. We must daily seek after the elusive and hidden truth. The ways in which we pursue this truth are as important as the discovery itself. The ethical journalist must respect the rules of the hunt, as did Ian McCaslin. He must come to understand the world in which he hunts, to be able to read and understand the signs that are around him. He should treat the inhabitants of that world with respect, even those which he seeks to overcome. In the end, the world in which we report does not belong to any of us, to exploit, to rule, or protect. For we are reporters in God's kingdom and we hunt only by His willing and blessing.