103 pages • 3 hours read
Beartown
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Symbols & Motifs
Maya’s Guitar
Maya’s guitar is a symbol of how it is possible to live in Beartown and to remain indifferent to hockey. Maya plays her guitar at every chance, creating music instead of fawning over the team or practicing sports. Music is so important to her that Peter learns the drums so he can be closer to her and give her someone to play with. Her brief infatuation with Kevin brings her the closest she will get to caring about hockey. After the rape, her hands shake too badly to play, although she manages to start playing again, with time. Amat, who shows that he truly loves her and is sorry about what happened, spends 5,000 kronor to buy a new guitar for her, even though he and his mother could use the money. In the future, the narrator reveals that it is the only guitar Maya is willing to play. She uses her guitar to make a life for herself out of Beartown, escaping the shadow of the crime, and of the fear she felt for so long.
David’s Pucks
The players follow David because they love him. He reminds them at every opportunity that they play for themselves and each other. Sometimes he does this by ignoring their parents, the board, and the councilors. When a player needs a special boost, David will write a message on a puck and either give it to them or leave it where it will be found by the right player. His pucks remind Benji that he is loved and reduce some of the team to tears after they lose the final. David’s messages always demonstrate how much attention he pays to each boy on the team; he knows them well enough to know exactly what they need, which is something that cannot be said of many of their parents.
The Forest
The forest surrounds Beartown and is often where people go when they need to escape the town, despite the forest’s dark, wild nature. Ana is more comfortable in the forest than in her home. Benji and Kevin share the island in the forest, which is their secret hiding place. The forest makes people like Kira feel isolated because it feels like a wall around the town to her. It is a symbol of privacy and of secrets because much of what happens in the forest cannot be witnessed because of its desolate nature.
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By Fredrik Backman
