Pity the Bear in Judith Minty's Story, Killing the BearJudith Minty's story, "Killing the Bear", is a rather frightening tale of a woman who shoots a bear to death. . The story, however, is not just a simple account of the incident. It is full of stories and facts about bears, which affect how the reader responds to the story. At first the reader expects the bear to be portrayed as a cold-blooded monster who must be killed for the main character's safety, but this expectation is foiled throughout the story and the reader sees the bear in a very different light. Because of the stories and facts told about bears throughout the story, the reader comes to feel sorry for the bear, but most will still recognize the need to kill it. The beginning of the story seems very calm and peaceful. This creates a scene that many people are familiar with. Even the dog's story is one that most people who have ever owned a pet would instantly recognize. The woman, however, seems very vulnerable. She's outside in a hammock and the dog seems to be of little help since "she ended up becoming more his protector than the other way around" (2). The second section features scary images of animals, but they are all in the zoo and therefore pose no threat. Yet this still confirms the reader's initial expectation that the bear is a menacing animal. Of all the zoo animals described, the bear seems the most harmless, but she is still afraid of it. The reader has not yet seen any danger, but still has the feeling that something is about to happen. The only bear we see is a “bundle of clothes near a dead tree” (5) in a cage at the zoo. The third part of the story returns the reader to the calm of safety, but then quickly sends the tone of the story into a frenzy. These constant shifts in tone show the reader how strong and resourceful the woman is, but it also shows us how easily she can panic. We come to have little confidence in the main character's ability to respond well if a dangerous situation arises. Throughout the story, "Killing the Bear", the reader is given a number of side notes about bears and the woman's experience with them..