In William Faulkner's Go Down, Moses, "Delta Autumn" frames the main story, "The Bear," by setting the wilderness as a place for education. Ike's experience with the "grandfather" buck clearly foreshadows what Ike will learn of Old Ben in "The Bear," where Old Ben has a "furious immortality" (Faulkner, 186).Ike also learns that Cass has had the same experience of Sam Fathers showing him the "grandfather" buck, just as students in school hear from older students about what they have learned in the past. In these ways, Ike passes his entrance examination for the wilderness, learns of immortality from the "grandfather" buck which applies to Old Ben's immortality, and hears about a parallel experience from an older student. After a read of "Delta Autumn", we gain a better understanding of "The Bear". 4 pgs. bibliography lists 1 source.
