an unbearable truth

Gail Helgason's short story, "Bluffing" illustrates a grisly bear attack at Jasper park, but is the event truly as described? After foolishly sprinting from a startled grizzly, main character, Liam, claims that he fled the scene in order for "the bear to come after [him] instead of [Gabriella]." His previous actions throughout the story are unbearable and prove this statement to be false. Being an excessively controlling person, Liam is not fond of being told what to do and isn't  "always willing to learn from people that might know more than he [does]." Although he claimed to have listened and learned from Gabriella about the proper way to respond to wildlife, it is clear that he didn't after being mauled by the fur-ocious beast. It is also quite clear that his interests are selfish and self oriented. Even knowing that Gabriella would not be able to pay for the lease on their house for the year, he still decided to "head down south" with his climbing coworker because it would "make all the difference for [him]." Climbing rocks at Yosemite appears to be of more importance to him than assisting his own girlfriend. It is also evident that his tale is false because lying is something he does often. When he sees a couple while climbing with Gabriella, he blatantly fibs and says that he saw "an elk carcass by the lake" so that they would have the lake to themselves. Although he may say he was only attempting to save Gabriella, 
his lying, selfish nature says otherwise.