Beartown
Beartown is a symbol in itself, as a town that represents pack-like backward thinking. It is a symbol of social pressure, pressure of community and traditional pride. When Maya comes out with the truth, the entire town is set against her, victim-blaming her, and victimizing her assaulter. The members of the Beartown community call themselves bears, because of their strength and resilience, but they show stubbornness and rudeness instead.
Ice Hockey
The narrator really wants to convince the reader about the importance of ice hockey for the Beartown throughout the novel. Ice hockey is a symbol of the town’s hope, success and survival. Ice hockey is everything to this small town. It is also a symbol of social status and a tool of social divide among the Beartown residents.
The Pack
The Pack is a group of anonymous individuals in Beartown who only listen to Ramona, and who are a neutral voice of the town. Ramona describes them as not always knowing what’s right or wrong, but knowing what is good and evil, to explain their support of Peter to stay the team’s general manager after the entire council turns against him.
Friendship
The motif of friendship is significant in the novel, and it shows the importance of the support from a friend. Ana is Maya’s best friend and the one who gives her strength from the beginning. Benji also gives strength and support to Kevin, but there is a significant contrast between the two. It also shows sacrifice and fear of being an outcast, in Amat’s case, exchanging pretense for a true friendship and consequences of it.
