When the Legends Die is a book about the life of, main character, Tom Black Bull. He didn’t spend his life like most kids would spend theirs. He lived off of the reservation with his mom and dad, living like what his mom would call “the good old days.” Then his dad dies, He makes friends with a wild bear and names himself Bear’s Brother. Then another tragic event happens, his mother dies. Now it is just him and his bear. After a while of living in lonesome, the chief of the tribe back on the reservation, Blue Elk, who knew they lived off the grid, came to Tom’s lodge, and forced him back onto the reservation so he could go to the school. Tom soon finds out that the normal life of most kids is a lot different than the life he has been living off the reservation. He finds that a lot of these people can be very mean and cruel. People are just mean to him and don't respect his past way of life. Nobody understands and respects his best…show more content… This bear is Tom’s closest companion. They had been through a lot together, and he was the only other thing Tom had and loved ever since his parents died. The townspeople from the reservation, to say the least, didn't think the same way about the bear. They thought it was posing a big threat to the safety of the townspeople, and especially to their small pets, like cats and dogs. Many people when they first saw the bear tried to shoot him, “Get a gun! It's a bear!” (Borland 49) When Tom was forced to go to school the bear caused a lot of problems. They did not want it near the school with all of the people around, but Tom refused to give the bear up. Eventually Blue Elk tells Tom that the bear must go back to the mountains and that he can go visit the bear when he has free time, and it won't be on a chain. Tom did not like this, but he agreed anyways, he thought it would be better than them just ending up shooting the bear if he kept fighting for
