White Bear

In “White Bear,” Victoria wakes up in a house unable to remember anything about her life. A white symbol appears on her television screen and she finds a picture of a young girl, whom she assumes is her daughter, in the living room. She begins to explore her surroundings and notices that people are under a “spell.” They refuse to answer her questions and only take pictures and videos of her. She later encounters a girl who informs her that the white symbol has caused most of the population to behave that way and tells her that she plans to destroy the transmitter. At the end of the episode, it is revealed that Victoria is a criminal. Victoria and her fiancé, Ian Ranick, abducted a little girl, tortured, and killed her in the woods. While Ian managed to avoid going to jail by hanging himself, Victoria was found guilty and forced to relive her crime every day of her life.

The white teddy bear is an “enduring symbol for the hunt of the little girl,Jemima” and how the “White Bear Justice Park” got its name. The title “White Bear” could also refer to the way Victoria was treated; like an animal, a bear. At the start of the episode, a masked man,a hunter,chased her and tried to kill her. Then she was paraded around the park in a cage-like an animal and humiliated. She was used to entertain the crowd. People took videos and pictures of her (People take pictures of animals in captivity-e.g. Zoo, circus). Also, at the end of the episode, when members of the park are instructing members of the audience on how to behave, one of the rules is to “keep your distance.” They are told that she is a a dangerous individual, and told to think of her as an “escaped lion.”

This method of punishment is not effective as it does not allow the criminal to reflect on his/her action. In class we discussed personal identity and punishment. In this situation, Victoria is not a person as she is unable to make radical decisions. She is stripped of all her human qualities and becomes a “startled animal.” Also, she is not the same person she was when she committed the crime, and therefore should not be punished. At the start, she is not able to remember who she is or what she did. By erasing her memories, they are changing a person. She is not able to reflect on her actions and understand why she received such punishment.