Poetry · Chapter
The Grocery Man and the Bear explained
The narrator describes a child's fascination with a new, improbable story called 'The Grocery Man and the Bear,' which becomes a favorite that the child requests repeatedly, surpassing all other toys and tales.
What happens
The narrator describes a child's fascination with a new, improbable story called 'The Grocery Man and the Bear,' which becomes a favorite that the child requests repeatedly, surpassing all other toys and tales.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Rising action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This is the story's dramatic climax because the speaker confronts the painful realization that his child’s lov…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Childhood and Family
The chapter centers on a parent or caregiver telling a story to a child, highlighting the intimate bond and the child's imaginative engagement.
- Humor and Satire
The story is described as 'disconnected, unlikely, untrue,' and the narrator is surprised by its success, poking gentle fun at the whimsical nature of children's preferences.
Characters to notice
- Unknown Narrator
The storyteller who invents and repeatedly tells the tale of the Grocery Man and the Bear to a captivated child.
- Young Stranger
The child audience who becomes obsessed with the story, preferring it over all other toys and stories.
Key passages
“He was weary of all of his usual joys; His books and his blocks made him tired, And so did his games and mechanical toys, And the songs he had always admired;”
The child had grown bored with his typical playthings and activities.
Sets up the context for why the new story is so appealing.
“So I told him a story, a story so new It had never been heard anywhere; A tale disconnected, unlikely, untrue, Called The Grocery Man and the Bear.”
I invented a completely original and absurd story for him.
Introduces the central story and its fantastical nature.
“I didn’t think much of the story despite The fact ’twas a child of my brain. And I never dreamt, when I told it that night, That I’d have to tell it again;”
The narrator had low expectations for the story and didn't anticipate it would be requested again.
Highlights the narrator's surprise at the story's popularity.
“To all other stories, this one is preferred; It’s the season’s best seller by far, And out at our house it’s as frequently heard As cuss-words in Mexico are.”
This story is the child's absolute favorite, heard constantly in their home.
Emphasizes the story's dominance over all other entertainment.
“When choo-choos and horses and picture books fail, He’ll remain, quite content, in his chair, While I tell o’er and o’er the incredible tale Of The Grocery Man and the Bear.”
Even when other toys and books lose their appeal, the child happily sits and listens to this story repeatedly.
Concludes with the enduring power of the tale to captivate the child.
