Summary

When John finally is reunited with his dad after the encounter with the bears, he is relieved to see all of his uncles, too. John’s father asks him why the pot is upside down and John tells him it was to hide from the bears. John hears a gunshot and his father says they are having bear steak for dinner. When John gets home he tells his mother there were bears on the mountain.

Analysis

John finally gets to tell his father about the bears and it is apparent his family has been worried about him. The song that John and his mother created is now obsolete because clearly there are bears on the mountain. The theme of living off of the land is demonstrated in that John’s uncles shoot the bears for food. This underscores the harsh conditions that the families...