The book “The Bear” in William Faulkner’s novel Go Down, Moses, is told from the point of view of Isaac (Ike) McCaslin. Ike is Lucius Quintus Carothers McCaslins grandson. This particular excerpt from Go Down, Moses spans over five generations and encompasses the consequences that each descendant has faced due to the actions of Lucius Quintus Carothers McCaslin. Some of the issues depicted are the abuse of the land, slavery, and miscegenation which spawns an illegitimate second family in which the members of the first family fail to acknowledge. The main concern throughout the novel is Ike’s apprehension and decision process on whether or not to repudiate the land that he has inherited. There is a rumored curse to the land because of all…show more content… The land was a former plantation and Ike has diverse emotions associated with his decision of what to do with the land. The land in which he is about to inherit carries a multitude of destructive history, accounting his families involvement with slaves. Ike is shameful of his families past with the mistreatment of slaves but at the same time he feels an obligation to continue his families legacy by accepting his inheritance of the land. Through the history of the families involvement with slavery and the incestuous relationship between Lucius Quintus Carothers McCaslin and his illegitimate daughter that he fathered with a black slave. The dynamics within the family is convoluted by the issue of race and the “white” members within the family’s failure to acknowledge their black ancestry and interracial relatives.
A turning point in the novel is when Ike inherits the land when he is of age. This proves that Ike is no longer a child and his maturation level has progressed to the point where his ancestors felt that twenty one was old enough to be the proprietor of the land. Ike is indecisive of how to properly make his decision concerning the land, a choice that comprises numerous unforeseen complications and