Have mercy on the bear in Judith Minty's story, Killing the Bear Judith Minty's story, "Killing the Bear", is a rather chilling story about a woman who shoots a bear to death. The story, however, is not simply a simple account of the accident. It is full of stories and facts about bears, which influence how the reader reacts to the story. At first, the reader expects the bear to be portrayed as a cold-blooded monster that must be killed for the main character's safety, however this expectation is thwarted throughout the story and the reader sees the bear in a very different. Because of the stories and facts told about bears throughout the story, the reader comes to pity the bear, but most will still recognize the need to kill it. The beginning of the story seems very quiet and peaceful. It creates a scene that many people would be familiar with. The dog's story is also one that most people who have owned a pet would immediately recognize. The woman, however, seems very vulnerable. She is outside in a hammock and the dog seems to be of little help as "she has become more of his protector than the other way around" (2). The second section features scary images of animals, but they are all in the zoo, so they pose no threat. However, this still maintains the reader's original expectation that the bear was a threatening animal. Of all the zoo animals described, the bear seems the most harmless, yet she is still afraid of it. The reader has not yet been shown any danger, but there is still a feeling that something is about to happen. The only bear we have seen is a "bundle of clothes next to [a] dead tree" (5) in a cage at the zoo. The third section of the story brings the reader back to calm confidence, but then quickly shifts the tone of the story into a frenzy. These constant shifts in tone show the reader how strong and resourceful the woman is, but they also show us how easily she can be thrown into panic. We come to have little faith in the main character's ability to react well if a dangerous situation arises. Throughout the story, "Killing the Bear," the reader is given a series of side notes about bears and the woman's experience with them..