Gentle Ben by Walt Morey
"Gentle Ben" is a children's book by Walt Morey set in the Alaskan wilderness, centered around thirteen-year-old Mark Anderson, who grapples with loneliness following the death of his brother. Mark forms a secret friendship with Ben, a captive Alaskan brown bear owned by the cruel Fog Benson. While Mark fantasizes about owning Ben, he fears his stern father, Karl, will disapprove. With encouragement from his understanding mother, Ellen, Mark ultimately convinces his father to purchase the bear. The narrative explores themes of friendship, responsibility, and the bond between humans and animals, culminating in a dramatic turn when Ben is forced to flee captivity.
As the story unfolds, Ben's journey into the wild and his eventual reunion with Mark highlight a profound connection that transcends their initial circumstances. The tale incorporates elements of nature that oscillate between realism and mysticism, enriching the emotional depth of the characters. "Gentle Ben" is recognized for its heartfelt storytelling and has earned prestigious awards, cementing Morey's legacy in children's literature. This book resonates with readers not only for its engaging plot but also for its poignant exploration of love, loss, and the beauty of the natural world.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Gentle Ben by Walt Morey
First published: 1965; illustrated
Type of work: Adventure tale
Themes: Friendship, emotions, animals, and nature
Time of work: The early twentieth century
Recommended Ages: 10-13
Locale: A remote fishing village on the Alaskan sea coast
Principal Characters:
Gentle Ben , an Alaskan brown bear, taken captive and befriended by a small boyMark Anderson , thirteen, a frail, lonely boy, who befriends the bearKarl Anderson , Mark’s father, who is a salmon fishermanEllen Anderson , Mark’s mother, who is a small, gentle womanFog Benson , the cruel fish pirate, who captures and mistreats the bearClearwater , a simple man, who is a capable fisherman and longtime friend to the Anderson familyMike Kelly , a brusque-mannered cannery operator, who becomes a friend to the Anderson familyPeter King , an old trophy hunter, whose values change after meeting Ben and the Anderson family
The Story
The story of Gentle Ben takes place in the Alaskan wilderness. Thirteen-year-old Mark Anderson, lonely and friendless after the death of his only brother, copes with the emotional emptiness by secretly befriending Ben, an Alaskan brown bear held captive by Fog Benson, a cruel and unfeeling man. Mark fantasizes about owning the bear but fears that Karl, his strong, stern father will never agree to what he would consider the outlandish, ridiculous whim of a frail boy. Mark’s visits with the bear are no secret to his mother, Ellen, a small woman whose gentle nature belies tremendous inner strength and wisdom. She allows the visits, convinced that the relationship provides her frail son a much-needed emotional bond and sense of responsibility.
When Benson offers to sell Ben, Mark and his mother persuade his reluctant father to buy him. Mark is ecstatic and busily fills his days caring for the bear, which results in both the bear and the boy growing rapidly. When winter arrives, a satisfied Ben settles down to hibernate. On an idle night in the Bar Club, Benson braggingly declares that he trained the bear and, to prove it, goes to Ben’s shed where he viciously attacks the sleeping animal. Jarred awake by the pain, Ben’s giant paw rips into Benson’s face and hurls him across the shed.
Life changes for the gentle bear when the angry townspeople demand that he be removed or destroyed, and a devious boat owner offers to take him to safety on an outside island. His plan to sell Ben, however, goes awry when the cage rips loose and falls overboard. Ben swims to a nearby island where his life in the wild begins, and his winter sleep resumes. Meanwhile, Karl is forced to accept employment at a fish trap that is located on the island where Ben sleeps. In late May, a majestic Ben emerges. He and Mark soon find one another, and immediately restore their friendship and trust.
A final crisis occurs when an unscrupulous, big-game guide discovers Ben and arranges to guide Peter King, a tough, old man and enthusiastic big-game hunter. The outcome of the hunt is dramatically affected when King has an accident. King, exploring alone, is struck by a huge rock, which pins his leg to the ground. Mark finds him and unsuccessfully attempts to free him when Ben arrives. Mark coaxes Ben to roll the rock off the terrified King. Amazed at the tame bear, King decides to capture him on film. Before leaving the island, he ensures Ben’s safety and finances a fish trap business partnership with Karl Anderson.
Context
Gentle Ben is Walt Morey’s first and perhaps best-known children’s book, for which he received the Dutton Junior Annual Book Award in 1965, and the Sequoyah Children’s Book Award in 1967. The majority of Morey’s works are written for children and, like Gentle Ben, develop themes about animals and nature, such as Kavik, the Wolf Dog (1968), Scrub Dog of Alaska (1971), Operation Blue Bear (1975), Year of the Black Pony (1976), and The Lemon Meringue Dog (1980).
The reading experience of Gentle Ben reminds many not only of other works by Morey, but of Lynd Ward’s Biggest Bear (1952), which was written for young children, and Ernestine Byrd’s Ice King (1965), in which an orphaned polar bear cub has a brief, close friendship with an Eskimo boy, much like the friendship between Ben and Mark.
The story of Gentle Ben is told with a simplicity and sincerity which dignifies its characters, human and animal. The story has been said to contain a biblical lion-and-lamb kind of love. The depiction of nature vacillates between realism and mysticism. In some passages in the story nature is personified, described in poetic language as a wild, difficult beauty with mysterious qualities.