Finding theme by looking at characters

(homework for Friday, 2/6/09)

DIRECTIONS:

Please read "The Bear at the Door" (below), and then write 1/2 page in your notebook to answer the question:

"What is the theme of this story (the message the author wants us to get)?"

Explain how the characters (their actions, words and interactions with each other) help to get the author's message to the reader.

Questions to think about:

• What is important to the parents?
  Do the parents seem normal?
  What is important to Cindy?
  Does THIS bear seem scary?
  Voices don’t actually have “sharp edges.” Can the “sharp edges” in the bear’s voice actually hurt Cindy?
  What choice does Cindy make at the end?
  What is Cindy’s reaction to something new (the bear)?
  If she had made the opposite choice, what would have happened?
  Why does she make that choice?

HINTS:

• 1. Forget everything you know about bears.
• 2. The theme of this story is about parents and children.

The Bear at the Door

"Are those child safe scissors ?"

"What are child safe scissors ?"

"You know, scissors that are..."

"Too blunt to be of any use ?"

They stand in very close range to one another: husband and wife; father and mother, pro and con. They are locked in each other's gazes and differences and disbeliefs.

Cindy stands beneath them like a vacationer at a mildly interesting tourist attraction of Statues Engaged in Child Rearing Differences. Her stuffed rabbit is a dirty souvenir from a previous visit.

"After you made me put three sets of training wheels on her bike, I really thought you'd let up a little. You know, trust that her world had finally been made completely safe. But you've actually been getting worse. Worse. Aren't you worried about my safety ?"

"What are you talking about ?" she snarls, her arms akimbo.

"The safety of my sanity."

As they bicker through a litany of child safety issues, Cindy wanders out of the kitchen and into the living room. She opens the giant front door of the house to an overweight black bear.

"So can I come in to play or what ?" he whispers in a low growl, as though his throat were full of stones.

"I'm sorry Mr Bear... I'm sorry Mr Bear..."

"Are you afraid of me ?" he whisper growls.

"I'm afraid of the rocks in your throat. I'm not allowed to bring outside things inside. Anyways I'm not supposed to touch rocks. They have sharp edges. Your voice has sharp edges."

"Okay well... do you have any cookies you could get me from the kitchen ?"

And she closes the door on her one possible friend.

Her parents continue to bicker in the fluorescently lit kitchen.