Touching Sprit Bear Character Analysis

Also, he doesn't trust anyone who isn’t afraid of him. For example, on page four, the book clarifies, “He didn’t trust anyone who wasn’t afraid of him.” As you can see, Cole is not the nicest person in the world. Cole Matthews has been in trouble with the law for half of his life. An example from the text is (page five) “...who has been in trouble with the law half his life.”

This is a summary of the book “Touching Spirit Bear” By: Ben Mikaelsen. It’s a fictional book that takes place in Minneapolis

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.

In chapter 13 of Touching Spirit Bear, the character Cole begins a new transformation that will change his life. According to the text it states, “‘I didn’t think anybody cared about me anymore,” Cole said….” Cole now believes this because he realizes Gravey and Edwin care about because they took him to the hospital when they found him ripped up with broken bones. His parents don’t even about him. This is going to help by trusting people and not get mad all the time. Cole’s dad beat him and his mom ran when this went on. The author states, “He (Cole) spoke softly, ‘I don’t need to prove anything. I’m telling the truth.’” This means that Cole now learns that telling the truth is the right thing to do and he does not need to prove himself. This

“Forgiving isn’t forgetting.” This quote means if you forgive someone you don’t forget what they did to you. In Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen, Cole is a character who learns to forgive himself and others. Cole also learns to forgive the Spirit Bear. The thematic statement is to forgive someone you have to forgive yourself.

Lots of authors that write books use “The Hero’s Journey”. Almost every book follows the Hero’s Journey. There are stages in the Hero’s Journey like The Call to Adventure, Crossing the Threshold, and the Big Ordeal. Ben Mikaelsen wrote the book, Touching Spirit Bear. Touching Spirit Bear follows the Hero’s Journey like many other books.

“What you focus on becomes reality. Everybody carries anger inside. But also happiness. Those who focus on anger will always be angry. Those who focus on happiness will-,”Edwin, Touching Spirit Bear.

Have you ever thought about how everything that goes around comes around ending up like a circle? Circles are always connected and so is everything around us. In the novel Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikealson, Cole is sent to an isolated island to reflect on his actions. At the island, he gets mauled by the spirit bear and almost dies. This lets him think about what he has done and allows him to change. The motif of circles that Cole encounters, changes him and influences him for the better.

This was all somebody else’s fault”. Page 45 of the book. This quotation helps readers understand how Cole does not feel remorse for his wrongdoings, and instead wants to blame them on someone else so he can get away with it. Cole is soon met with consequences of his actions after he tests his anger on the Spirit Bear. After Cole gets mauled by the Spirit Bear, he is left stranded on the island alone, debilitated and vulnerable to death.

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

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.

I read the book Ghost Of Spirit Bear, which is the sequel to Touching Spirit Bear. I decided I wanted to read this book because I enjoyed Touching Spirit Bear. There are amazing conflicts and themes in this series, it truly inspires me.

We were engendered to live and interact with others because that’s what makes our lives consequential. In our world, there are many perpetual malefactions of human suffering that cadge for people’s attention. Surprisingly, not many of us avail others in any way, shape, or form and that might be due to different factors that circumvent us. Sundry authors distributed their opinion through articles and documentaries about the causes and effects of human suffering. During times of distress and suffering, people often times react in an unresponsive and careless manner which results in reinforcing the enemy, and perpetrators of iniquity.

Human development is an ongoing process of not just, Hawkins concentric circle known as, the body, but the soul. His Temporal Systems circle that includes family, friends, church, society, government, economy, and education are what help shape and develop these areas of one’s life. During this process of human development painful things happen and if not dealt with can cause damaging results later. The title of Wilson’s book, Hurt People Hurt People, is a perfect description of what can happen. Wilson, knowing change is not easy, said it best when she said, “We must enter the change process with open eyes. When we do, we’ll see that the necessary truth requires tears, time and even some terror” (p. 96).

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