As Louis Bromfield once said, " houses, like people, have personalities, and like the personalities of people, they are partly molded by all that has happened to them" (Bromfield). This quote provides insight towards a short story written by Margaret Laurence called "The Mask of the Bear". Within this short story, we have Vanessa who stays at her grandparents' house because her parents are traveling to Freehold to help those who are ill. Having arrived at Grandfather and Grandmother Connor's house, Vanessa's Aunt Edna is also staying in the brick house because she has no job. Grandfather Connor is impolite and rough around the edges. Due to his attitude, he hides away in the basement frequently. Later on, Grandmother Connor becomes ill and
