Who am I??

The reason I believe The Bear to be a Bildingsroman is that it is about finding out an answer to the question "Who am I?" I think that this is the key question involved in the concept of the coming of age or rite of passage novel. We have read so many extremely different works, but they are all tied together in that the main character is seeking themselves, seeking their purpose in life. In this novel, Ike learns a lot from the hunting expeditions and from the experience of the wilderness, but the most important thing he learns is about who he is and what he stands for. When he decides to reject his inheritance because of the sins of his ancestors, he is making a bold statement about his own morality and value system. He is a part of something really big in his hunt for Old Ben, but the reason this novel shows qualities of a Bildingsroman is that Ike finds out a lot about himself.