3. Introduction to the poem

"The Bear Story" by Axel Munthe, is a story that revolves around a comic incident that happens in the life of a woman who takes a bear for her pet. The story also talks about how one must not be blinded by his/her emotions, and be quick to arrive at conclusions. Axel Munthe, who is an animal lover himself, portrays the bear in the story as a tamed animal, breaking the common belief that bears are ferocious animals. Generally, animals are grouped into Wild and domestic. Wild animals are certain species of animals that adjust themselves to living in the forest and fend for themselves. On the contrary, pet animals adapt themselves to the human environment and act as companions to them. Although most wild animals are considered to be ferocious, there are many animals that do not altogether fall under this classification. Animals like deer, monkeys, giraffes can be classified as wild animals, because they roam freely in the forests, and find their own food. They cannot be kept at home or controlled with a leash. Animals that can be controlled like that and kept at home are called pet animals. Some common pet animals are dogs, cats, love birds.

 

Characters in the story: