The Bear Came Over the Mountain

When Fiona needs to be moved to Meadowlake and Grant, her husband, is not allowed
to see her in the first month, she forgets about her love for him and becomes infatuated with
another man, Aubrey. Fionas naive infidelity mirrors those of her husband, who had many
affairs but never took into consideration leaving his wife for none of them.
Fiona suffers from memory loss and that is how she becomes interested in another
man. The fact that she is not able to remember details concerning her life, including her fifty
years marriage with Grant, reflects his inability to keep his mind focused on his love for her
when tempted by women from the university. Munro seems to suggest that infidelity can only
appear if one of the partners forgets about the other. In Fionas case, this is triggered by
Alzheimer, thus she is not responsible for her actions and for what might be called her
unfaithfulness. Grant, on the other hand, has no such excuse. He was fully aware of his
repeated treachery and it was his decision to forget, from time to time, that he is married.
Thus, infidelity is possible only when someone no longer bears in mind the memory of the
partner.
When realizing that his wife is getting worse after Aubreys departure, Grant decides
to take action, proving his selfless love for Fiona. Grants decision, to take Aubrey back, turns
him into a character able to realize his mistakes and redeem himself. What is ironic, however,
is that although his choice might be painful for him, he is nonetheless the main contributor to
his wifes infidelity. Grant becomes aware that he must allow her to act the same way he did
in his younger days. He knows that he deserves no better treatment and that he finally has to
pay for his deceptions.
Dimension
Dorees entire life revolved around Lloyd. Used to obey him and depending on his
answers and decisions, she gives the impression that she will never be able to free herself
from him. Lloyds arrogance and self-sufficiency make him sure that she will stand by his
side, since she is strongly depending on him and gives the impression that she has no better
purpose in life. Although Lloyd murdered his children, Doree is so used to playing the part of
the obedient and constant-suffering wife that she sees no escape from him.

Dorees visits are a result of her guild. Lloyd justified his action by placing the burden
of the murder on Dorees shoulders, and she realizes that she has her share of guilt, since she
was constantly under her husbands domination.
Dorees has the chance to finally break free from Lloyd the moment she witnesses an
accident and saves the life of the victim. This triggers in her the desire to find freedom.
However, the heroic action she performs is possible due to Lloyds presence in her life. She
finally has the strength to let go of her past and realizes that her husband does not lie at the
centre of the universe. Better things could be available for her is she decides to make the
move and give up on him.
Runaway
Carla, the main protagonist of the story, tries to escape her husband, Clark, after she
previously ran from her parents in order to marry him against their wish. But she finds herself
unable to leave Clark, even though her friend, Sylvia, is supporting her decision. Carla returns
to him, refusing the chance to escape a bad marriage, but her pet goat appears to be the real
runaway. The title refers to both Carla and Flora, pointing out to their failed escape, an
attempt which provoked the pet goats death and might draw the conclusion that this will be
Carlas fate too.
Clarks words, that Flora may be in search of a partner, suggest that there are
similarities between the animals behavior and that of her owner, Carla. Just like Carla left her
parents for Clark, Flora did the same, deserting their home. However, when Flora disappears
again, is found dead. This might point to the fact that Clark, the potential killer, would do the
same to his wife, who tried to runaway, just like Flora, and could end up sharing her pets fate.
Runaway refers not only to the desire to escape a certain situation, but also to the
mains protagonist choice to deliberately ignore the evidence of Floras killing. Clara refuses
to walk to the edge of the woods and get the confirmation of Floras death. She prefers living
in illusion, denying the reality, running away from it in order to maintain her life as it was
before. By doing so, Clara refuses to face not as much Floras sad fate, but the possibility that
this could be her own in the future.

Dimension and Runaway

Carla and Doree share the same obedience when it comes to their husbands. Carla
cannot stop thinking about Clark even in the moment of her escape attempt: While she was
running away from him - now - Clark still kept his place in her life. But when she was
finished running away, when she just went on, what would she put in his place?. She seems
unable to get rid of his memory and image and, moreover, troubled when thinking that it
should be replaced with someone elses. She cannot picture herself outside their marriage,
although it is not a happy one.
Doree shares the same point of view. Her life is shaped by Lloyd and her actions
depend on his opinion. Just like Carla, Doree feels comfortable living in the shadows of her
husband and feels incapable of doing something without him.
Unlike Carla, Doree finds the strength to break free from his control. They both have
the reason, and even find help, but only Doree realizes that there is more to search for and to
discover than her husbands protection and his answers. Carla remains trapped in her unhappy
marriage and rejects the possibility of freedom, even if, just like Doree, could draw her
strength from one other person, Sylvia in this case. Doree manages to free herself and
ironically this happens thanks to Lloyd, whereas Carla, confronted with a loss of no
importance compared to Dorees, proves to be reluctant to both truth and freedom.
Free Radicals
Left alone after her husbands death, Nita falls into the trap of a man who has come to
fix the fuses. She soon realizes that the man represents a treat and after the invader
describes to her how he killed his entire family, she cannot help but feeling concerned about
her life. Nita soon becomes worried and discovers a way to save her life. This involves
recollecting her own past rather than relying on her disease, cancer, in order to determine the
murderer to allow her to live.
Nita meets the intruder on common ground, choosing to make him respect her by
telling a story with a similar topic as his. By changing some elements of her past she gives to
the attacker the impression that she is as aggressive and dangerous as him. Her story has the
role of uniting the two, in order for her to escape this life-threatening situation. She is bold
enough playing her life on one card. Also, she is quite witty, thinking in such a situation that
this is how she could escape, by finding a story as horrible as the killers, while letting him
know that he is her only confident, and thus he can trust her like she trusted him.
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