Poetry · Chapter
Bear Hunt explained
Two youths from York state, Bill Brown and Tom Dawes, go hunting and fishing.
What happens
Two youths from York state, Bill Brown and Tom Dawes, go hunting and fishing. They encounter a mother bear with her cubs, shoot her, and a violent struggle ensues. Bill Brown is severely injured but Tom Dawes saves him by killing the bear with a knife.
Themes in this chapter
Pioneer and Settler Struggles
The bear hunt illustrates the dangers and physical challenges faced by early settlers in the Canadian wilderness.
Nature and the Environment
The poem depicts a direct and violent encounter with wildlife, highlighting the untamed natural environment of the region.
Characters to notice
- Bill Brown
One of the two youths from York state; he is mauled by the bear and has two ribs broken, but survives thanks to Dawes.
- Poor Tom
Tom Dawes, Bill Brown's mate; he rescues Brown by clubbing the bear and then stabbing it to death.
Key passages
“Two youths came over from York state, Bill Brown and Tom Dawes his mate, For many months they were wishing The sport of hunting and of fishing.”
Two young men from New York State, Bill Brown and his friend Tom Dawes, had long desired to go hunting and fishing.
Introduces the characters and their motivation for the expedition.
“He would been smothered but for Dawes, Who rescued him from her great paws, With club he knocked her on the crown And thus he saved the life of Brown.”
Bill Brown would have been killed if not for Tom Dawes, who struck the bear on the head with a club and saved him.
Highlights the critical moment of rescue and Dawes' bravery.