Archetypes In Touching Spirit Bear

In Touching Spirit Bear Cole says, “In death there was no control, no anger, no one to blame, no choices, no nothing.” Cole kept showing that he wanted to live and change, even after the mauling. In addition, Cole shows many more acts of survival, in order to survive.

This book report discusses the plot, significant characters, setting (e.g., time of the story took place, historical background), problems and resolutions, themes or messages of the story. A reflection of the author’s writing style will be presented followed by a conclusion.

In both books Cole continues to get rid of his anger in different ways. For example, on the island Cole used the ancestor rock and the cold pond and in Ghost of Spirit Bear they at first sit in a freezer (Mikaelsen, Ghost 25). oth books show that people can heal no matter what they’ve done in their past. For example, Cole had changed in Touching Spirit Bear and in Ghost of Spirit Bear it shows how their whole school changes. B And both themes are inspiring and go along with the conflict very well. Both books also portray a great way for the characters to solve their own conflicts. And both have a least one very intense

Cole Matthews is not an uncommon young man that one would find in today’s society. Cole has not had a life I would call “easy” or “fair.” He had parents that as Cole stated, “all my parents do is drink.” (p27) His father beat him profusely. This is evidenced in the Circle Justice meetings when Cole said, “Or you’ll what?” “Beat me?” …..” “You’re still lying!” he shouted. “You’re usually too drunk to know your own name!” Cole knew these words guaranteed him a terrible beating next time he was alone…(p47-48) Cole didn’t feel he had any other emotions other than anger and fear. Many of us have had the same feelings as Cole, “He didn’t trust anyone who wasn’t afraid of him.” (p4) This is an

Cole Matthews is the main character of Spirit Bear. He is a 15 year old boy, I know he is because he was held back in school for one year and he is a freshman. Cole gets into a lot of trouble, so much that he has been in trouble with the law nonstop since he was just 9 years old. I read this on page 5 it says “been in trouble with the law half his life”. In his past he had a lot of trouble with his parents, his father beats him when he gets drunk, and his mom ignores whats happening. It says on page 47 & 48 that “Cole's father jumped to his feet. “I don't beat you, and you know that.” his face flushed red.”I’ve given you swats when you deserved them.” also on page 28 it says “”he drink’s until he turns into a monster. Mom just gets drunk and pretends nothing had happened. It's like a bad dream I can't wake up from ”.

I’ve never committed a crime, but author Ben Mikaelsen made me feel as if I was right there in the library waiting for my final judgement for beating a poor little kid. The book “Touching Spirit Bear” and its sequel “The Ghost of Spirit Bear” are both books written by novelist Ben Mikaelsen about two boys and their intertwined life. The first book takes place when teen delinquent Cole Matthews beats up a boy at school named Peter for telling on him. Peter’s injury leads to a permanent speech impediment and because of this Cole goes to jail. When Cole’s probation officer, Garvey, tells about a tribal version of punishment called Circle Justice, which is where the two people involved in the crime must heal together, and move forward from their quarrel, Cole jumps at the idea to get out of jail. When this doesn’t work they decide to send Cole to an Alaskan island, which Peter is eventually condemned to. Eventually they become friends and they get past their problems. It is the next book where they face challenges of going back to school and fitting in.

In Touching Spirit Bear, by Ben Mikaelsen, Cole Matthews, the protagonist, is a troublemaker. He always has been. But, when he smashes Peter Driscal’s head into the concrete sidewalk, he ends up having to make a decision; prison time, or a year on a remote Alaskan island. But, that’s not the only crime he has done. This leads to me seeing him as a sociopath. Sociopaths tend to lie, break laws, act impulsively, and lack regard to the safety of themselves and others, all of which, he does.

Responsibility is a theme that is carried throughout both books, but used in extremely diverse ways. Touching Spirit Bear is a story about forgiveness and healing, and Cole has to take responsibility for his past actions, and on improving himself emotionally. He has to forgive his father, the people around him, the Spirit Bear, and most importantly he has to forgive himself. Cole also takes responsibility for helping Peter heal from Cole’s beating, emotionally, because Peter is suicidal. Cole tells Peter, “’My dad has beaten me my whole life,’ he explained. ‘But I know now he never meant to hurt me. He was beaten by his father, and that’s all he knew.’ Cole swallowed a big lump that had formed in his throat. ‘I learned to forgive,’ he said. ‘Not just others, but also myself.’” (Mikaelsen, 214). The Last Dog on Earth, in comparison, is a coming of age story, where Logan must learn responsibility through order. His step-father Robert, through getting him a

Cole Matthews asks readers, “’Do you know what it's like waking up every morning knowing you're not good enough?’” and many young adults do. Young adults will relate to the characters in Touching Spirit Bear. “Touching Spirit Bear” is a young adult novel written by Ben Mikaelsen. It is about a teenager named Cole who, instead of going to prison for beating someone up, does a program called ‘Circle Justice’ where he is sent to a remote Alaskan island to heal. When he gets to the island he tries to escape, and attacks a bear, which almost kills him. After recovering in the hospital, he goes back to the island and tries again, this time with a willingness to change. While he’s there, he learns about himself, nature, and gains a new appreciation for life and for himself. He learns to be a better person, and forgive himself, and he realizes to fully heal he needs to help Peter, the person he beat up, heal too. Peter and Cole heal together, and eventually become friends. Touching Spirit Bear is a compelling piece of young adult fiction that will do well on the shelves, and should be published. It will do well because it is relatable, it is well written, and it fulfils a need in the genre for realistic fiction in young adult literature.

The three most important life lessons in the book “Touching Spirit Bear” are that “Anger keeps people lost” (Mikaelsen, 20), “A man is only as good as his word” (Mikaelsen, 21), and last “Whatever you do to the animals you do to yourself” (Mikaelsen, 1). With these three lessons, it led to a lot of character development in characters like Cole, who was the protagonist in the book and even people who had less of a role in the journey like Peter who came to support Cole even though Cole maltreated him.     One of the most important quotes is that “Anger keeps people lost” (Mikaelsen, 75). This point can be proven when Cole is delirious on page 75. On this page, he burns down his own home on the Alaskan island where he was put to make up for

In Ghost Of Spirit Bear, the conflict is Cole vs. Society. “‘ A two thirds majority vote is needed for the passage of this proposal,’ the chairman announced. ‘Tonight’s vote is seven in favor and two opposed’” (Mikaelson 146). Cole is needing to change the mind of the society which is the school, the circle, and the school district to allow the mascot to change to the spirit bear. Second, in Touching Spirit Bear, the conflict is Cole vs. Himself. “Rage controlled his tight grip on the match. It controlled the defiant flare of his nostrils and the striking of the match against the box. . . . The gas ignited, and flames spread quickly into a steady blaze that crept over the boxes” (Mikaelson 25). In the beginning of Touching Spirit Bear, Cole lets his rage get to him, he didn’t know how to control himself. “In death there was no control, no anger, no one to blame, no choices, no nothing. To be alive was to have choice, the power to choose was real power, not the fake power of making others afraid. Cole knew he had used that fake power many times. All of his life he had squandered his choices, wallowing in revenge and self-pity, keeping himself down. Now, as he lay near death, those he had hated were safe and warm. Those he had blamed were still alive and well. He had hurt himself most. Life was empty and meaningless unless he found some meaning” (Mikaelson 83-84). Cole is realizing that when he thought he was hurting someone

Cole Matthews Character Profile-Final Copy In the book Touching Spirit Bear, Cole Matthews is the main character. I have learned about Cole in the book Touching Spirit Bear. I will provide facts and my own opinions about Cole’s attitude and his disposition. You will learn many things from my character profile about Cole.

In Mikaelsen’s, “Touching Spirit Bear”; Cole Matthews was mistreated by those who should love him the most which caused anger to build up and the inability to forgive others. Cole had to go through a two day banishment because he brutally hurt a kid. Before Cole’s two day banishment , Cole was a stubborn delinquent whose dad always beaten him which is the reason he was always in trouble . He never had anyone there to tell him what's right from wrong which gave him the built up anger to not to forgive. He always took people for granted and he could never trust anyone or talk to anyone which is one of the prime reasons for his rage. After his banishment Cole was a new person and had a new personality he had changed he committed to change his

“The Book Thief” presented a story filled with various themes that comprised a powerful plot line. Although there were many themes in the story, there was one that stood out to me more than others. In the process of reading the book, the theme of suffering affected me the most. The definition of the word suffer is to experience or be subjected to something bad or unpleasant. Different characters within the story are subjected to dreadful feelings and are therefore suffering. Through my analyzation, I observed the three different types of suffering that the characters experienced: guilt, feelings of emptiness, and anxiety. The characters of “The Book Thief” experience these three types of suffering in different ways.

An unusual protagonist, the interlacing of the worlds of people and mice. And light. Lots and lots of light. And most importantly, the story provides a lot of messages and one is if you really want something very much, then you will get it. Besides, the main idea of ​​the book is the victory over fear. Almost every one of the heroes in the story of the book is reviewing his life and attitude towards others and changing. The book asks questions to the reader, by answering which, they put themselves in the place of heroes and not only positive ones. It is wonderful not only for what heroes are and how the plot unfolds but also how the story itself is written. Kate DiCamillo explains to the readers, on the examples of hero acts, such complex concepts as forgiveness or betrayal. The storyteller puts the reader in the place of the hero and, through the emotion of empathy, shows how one should not deal with people, but how to do it