Ken reflects on a recurring dream he had, in which he confronted a grizzly bear. He was unsure of the grizzly bear’s value as a symbol within his dream, but during the first summer break from his graduate program, Ken came face to face with a real grizzly bear. The bear did not attack, but its presence showed Ken the limits of his own ability to be wild or free. The bear symbolizes both pure freedom and insurmountable challenges. Ken envies the freedom of the bear, which has the power and sustainability required to live successfully in the wilderness of Alaska. However, Ken knows that he cannot match the bear’s ability to do so, instead fleeing from the river’s edge to get his shotgun.

The bear’s symbolic value as both freedom and adversity provides additional insight into the issue of student debt, as Ken and Josh’s debts become grizzly bears of their own. Unlike facing off against a grizzly bear, however, Ken could tackle his student debt directly, though it is difficult and time-consuming. The idea of paying off his debt provided a sense of freedom and primal wildness similar to what the sight of the grizzly bear evoked in him.