Character Analysis: Touching Spirit Bear

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 sent 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 the book Touching Spirit Bear, by Ben Mikaelsen, the theme is healing. The main character Cole was sent away to an Island for a year to change his behavior and life ways. But a few weeks into the task assigned by the Circle of Justice he fails. As Cole returns home he is sad that he would end up going to jail but he believed it was okay if he ended up going. But while on the island he learned how to control his anger, learned life lessons, and most of all he had a new perspective on life. Fortunately for Cole, he had learned how to control his anger but also he learned many important life lessons.“People change two ways- with slow persistent pressure, or with one single traumatic experience. That’s why some people change so much when they

In “Touching Spirit Bear” by Ben Mikaelsen, Cole Matthews is a teenage delinquent who's in big trouble for beating up a kid named Peter Driscal. He's unrepentant and even though he is facing serious jail time, his kindly parole officer, a man named Garvey, gets him into this Native American justice program called Circle Justice. The idea is that his sentencing will be focused on healing rather than punishment—and the Circle Justice elders tell him that he'll be going to a remote island in Alaska for a year in order to live off the land and think about his mistakes. The lesson i learned is that, it can be hard, but it’s possible to change. My first reason is, if you don’t try, change is almost impossible.

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.

Throughout time, everyone goes through changes, whether they’re big or small. Some people become a completely different person. In the story “Touching Spirit Bear” by Ben Mikaelsen, a boy named Cole changes his whole attitude towards others. Cole becomes a different person at the end of the story. Cole Matthews has a dramatic change of heart. Cole changes when he had to soak in the freezing pond, carry the ancestor rock and dance “the dance”. He also changes when he invites peter to the island, he also changes when peter accepts is apology later in the story. Everyone at sometime in their life will change.

Courage can be found in everyone big or small, mean, or nice. But sometimes it is hard to find your courage. In "Touching Spirit Bear" and " Maniac Magee" the author teaches us that people can be courageous by being friends with people they may not like at first and going to a place you might not want to go.

Taming anger can be hard for people who think they can just get rid of their anger. One of the biggest reasons that make it hard for them is because they don't know how to forgive themselves first.. In Ben Mikaelsens novel Touching Spirit Bear, Cole Matthews is a troubled teenager who cannot get over the rage that consumes him, but with the help of his friends he learns not only to tame his anger but also to forgive.

Touching Spirit Bear is about a teenager named Cole Matthews. Cole Matthews lives in Minneapolis he has anger issues that may have been caused because his dad beat him up and mother doesn't stand up for him. Cole Matthews gets himself into a lot of trouble .About a week after Cole robbed a hardware store without getting caught . A guy named Peter Driscal tattled on him and told the police all about the robbery . This made Cole very upset causing him to push Peter into the sidewalk making his head bleed and repeatedly kicking and punching Peter. So after the Peter incident Cole had to decide if he should go to jail for 2 years or 1 year in the circle of justice which could end up being worse than the 2 years in jail if he really doesn't want

Touching Spirit bear is a great book. I would recommend this book because it was that great of an book! Touching Spirit Bear gives so much detail. People need to read this book, it will not disappoint you with the thought of the story.

Imagine getting so mad at someone, then almost killing them and getting told to choose between jail or changing. That is what happens to Cole Matthews in Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen. Cole gets made at Peter Driscal and almost kills him. Cole has to choose between jail or a year on a island by himself as long as he agrees to change. The literary elements characterization, conflict, and theme helps the reader understand what Cole is going through.

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

As Thomas F. Crum once said, “Embracing conflict can become a joy when we know that irritation and frustration can lead to growth and fascination.” In Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen and The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell, there are some characters that are involved in a big conflict, and end up learning something from it in the end. In Touching Spirit Bear, Cole Matthews is a juvenile delinquent who has a parent that beats him up, and another that does nothing. Cole is sent away to an island for beating up, and almost killing, a kid named Peter Driscal, where he has to learn to survive with limited supplies, and later Peter has to come to the island to heal with Cole, and after an argument, Cole gives Peter his special blanket

The book I picked was Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen. It starts in Minneapolis, when the main character, fifteen-year-old Cole Matthews, beats up a boy named Peter Driscal for telling on Cole for robbing a hardware store. He is sentenced to participate in a Native American style law group called Circle Justice, as an alternative to a trial in court as an adult for his crime. Cole half-heartedly states that he is sorry for hurting Peter (Peter and his family are in the same room), and so they sentence him to live on a wooded and unpopulated island in southeast Alaska for one year. The main characters are Cole Matthews, Spirit Bear, Peter Driscal, Garvey, Edwin, and Cindy and William Matthews.

"A man far oftener appears to have a decided character from persistently following his temperament than from persistently following his principles" (Human, All Too Human). In the novel Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, the story begins with a man named Jacob who recently loses his job and joins the circus as the vet. He soon meets a special elephant named Rosie. He learns how she deals with her rough life in the circus. August is the animal care taker of the circus that no one wants to mess with. He treats Rosie and others in a way that no one should be treated. Throughout the novel it shows how August interacts with other characters. August is a temperamental man that does now know how to deal with others and his emotions.

Eleanor a spirit is torturing the family that abused her. The main character is Horace a person that is learning how to be a photographer and when his boss Mr. Middleditch has a customer that comes to his studio and talks about Eleanor dying and lied about how well they treated her. Then when they go to their house and set up to take the picture Horace sees a servant and talks to them. When he talks to the servant she says that they family has been lying about how they treated her and Horace finds out how they have abused her and was mean to her. She tells Horace that Eleanor died from her family not getting a doctor when she was sick.