Cole's Transformation in Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen

Do you think a boy can go from an at-risk juvenile delinquent, to a caring, kind, trustworthy young man? I think that this story can teach you a great life lesson. Find out as I tell what happens in Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen. Cole Mathews had been in the juvenile justice system for quite some time, and his rich parents usually would get him out of trouble with the law. Recently whenCole broke into a store illegally, he bragged about it to one of his classmates, Peter turned him in.

In revenge, Cole beat Peter up very badly, causing Peter head trauma and a permanent speech problem. Cole's parole officer Garvey suggests he chooses Circle Justice instead of going to jail he immediately looks into this option. It takes a while to get to the decision on what they are going to do with Cole. Circle Justice meets up and at the meeting in there is Cole, his parents, Nathan Black Cole's lawyer, Peter, his parents, their lawyer, the keeper, Garvey, and some people from the city.

Get quality help now

writer-marian

Verified writer

Proficient in: Anger

4.8 (309)

“ Writer-marian did a very good job with my paper, she got straight to the point, she made it clear and organized ”

+84 relevant experts are online

Hire writer

They decided that Cole will go to an island in Alaska and spend a year there try to learn things about him. Cole travels to the island with Garvey and Edwin a Tlingit Indian from Alaska. Edwin tells Cole that he could possibly end up dying on the island if he doesn't find food and keep warm in the winter. Cole tries to plan an escape by swimming and the water is freezing cold he finds out that swimming got him nowhere.

As Edwin and Garvey leave, having set up the area for Cole shortly after, he then lights a match and burns the shelter as symbol to those who he felt didn't really care about him. Cole realizes how terrible his efforts are when he gets a leg cramp and notices that the incoming tide is pushing him back to the shore. As he struggles to get up, he sees a white bear maybe the spirit bear. He was intimidated by how fearless the bear was, and he even threw a rock at it to see if it would get scared. However, the bear remains motionless until it suddenly disappears. Cole observes the orca whales just off the shore, and the Spirit Bear appears once more. Cole now prepares a sharpened branch as a spear along with his small knife for the next time the Spirit Bear appears. Cole thrusts the spear towards the bear, but the animal easily deflects it. The bear easily strikes Cole over the head. The bear bites into Cole's thigh, scratches Cole's chest, and lifts him over his head.

As a final act of victory, the Bear places his paws on Cole's chest and cracks his ribs. Then, the bear stands over Cole in the pouring rain, and Cole can only move his left arm and his head, unable to lift himself. Every other part of his body is broken and in pain. The bear slowly shifts away as seagulls a few steps away fight over torn pieces of Cole's flesh. Cole realizes that the bear is the only thing that has ever been unafraid of him. Cole wanted to scream, "Hey look at me! I'm Cole Mathews! I'm better than you." But all he could manage was a grunt. Cole feels powerless and alone. Cole is still lying on the ground. Cole is embarrassed that he has to go to the bathroom where he is lying and has to feed himself by eating grass and he even catches a mouse and eats it. A few days later Cole is found by Garvey and Edwin. Cole is taken to the nearest hospital in Drake and meets Rosey the nurse. He travels to a bigger hospital by plane the next day.

Six months later Cole's father has been arrested and charged with child abuse for what he has done to Cole. Garvey and Cole's mom are with him at the hospital as he is being led to the juvenile detention center. Cole's mother apologizes for not defending Cole against his father, and she says that she has stopped drinking. Cole broke his contract with the circle, so he should be returned to the Circle Justice. However, at that moment Edwin walks in, freshly arrived from Alaska. Cole is honest with the group and explains that he only went to the island to escape jail, and his mother then explains how she feels that he has truly changed. Edwin is the last to speak, and explains to the circle that Cole has at least had a change in direction. Over several weeks the Circle keeps meeting without Cole. Edwin and Garvey declare that Cole may return to the island and try again for the process of healing.

All of the costs of the trip are funded by selling Cole's possessions such as his dirt bike and bicycle. This trip is truly his last chance. Edwin and Garvey agree to stay on the island for two days in order to give time for Cole to build the shelter. When they ask him to prepare food for them, Cole hands them cold hot dogs. Edwin and Garvey then go into a speech about how "life is a hot dog." Where as Cole sees the hot dog as food, Garvey cuts the hot dog into three pieces, shares it. The next day, Edwin and Garvey wake Cole up early. They go to the stream and Edwin says that they will go swimming in a freezing pond to teach Cole a lesson. He makes Cole dip completely into the water shoulder-high to think. They go back to the camp and notice whales off the shore and that night they did a whale dance. The next morning they again go into the freezing pond for the anger exercise. Edwin then continues to take Cole to meet his "ancestors."

The exercise involves taking a large "ancestor rock" representing the ancestors up a slope, and Edwin tells Cole how these ancestors have many lessons to teach him. They spot a wolf on the way back to camp, and that night Cole doesn't want to cook for them or do a wolf dance and they threaten to take him back to Minneapolis. The lesson of the wolf dance is "that you need the help of others, like a wolf pack." The next morning, Cole is instructed to go on his own to the pond to soak in the freezing water and reflect on his anger. Then, he goes to the mountain to carry the "ancestor rock" up the mountain and then release his anger downwards as he rolled down the rock.

He nearly finishes constructing the shelter, installing a door and windows. The two adults are so impressed that they tell Cole that they are leaving him the next morning. Cole prepares an extra special meal for them as their last dinner together. Cole saw the Spirit Bear again he proposes to do a Spirit Bear dance as the last dance before they leave. Cole's spirit bear dance reenacts his mauling in its entirety before Edwin and Garvey. Cole is finally alone on the island, and he focuses on keeping himself busy as much as possible. Edwin makes his first visit back a couple days later. When Cole finds a huge washed-up pole, he decides to make a totem pole carving out of it. However, the log brings the possibility of making a canoe for escape, and Cole skips his morning soak in the freezing pond. On his next visit, Edwin sees that Cole had started to make a canoe but had instead made part of a totem pole, and Edwin is impressed that Cole has chosen the right path. Cole signals his first signs of feeling kindness for Peter, who Edwin reports is not doing well. Cole dances an eagle dance, but Edwin says that he is not ready for an anger dance, the one that would heal him the most.Cole continues to busy himself making a totem pole with an eagle and then a wolf.

Cole meets a beaver in the pond, does a beaver dance, and carves a beaver into the totem pole. Cole asks himself, how could he become invisible to the Spirit Bear, and what does he have left to be able to heal?Cole realizes that to be invisible he has to clear his mind. He had to become invisible "not to the world, but to himself." He heads to the shore to clear his mind, and when he does so, the Spirit Bear appears by the shore.

The sight of the bear is only one he sees it disappears very quickly. That night, Cole feels ready to do the dance of anger it naturally comes to him as he lets out a scream and dances around the fire. He again relived the bear attack, and he cries asking forgiveness for attaching Peter. He then forgives those who have hurt him. When Edwin comes again, Cole tells him that during the dance of anger he had learned to forgive, because if one doesn't forgive, one gives the other person control over your emotions. Edwin reminds him that he needs to find a way to make up for Peter. Then, Cole asks Edwin if this is why Edwin and Garvey help him, and Edwin says, "Yes."Much time passes, and suddenly Cole is facing the horrible winter. He uses his stockpiled firewood and rarely goes out. He even gives up his morning soak in the freezing pond and carrying the ancestor rock. The only daunting task left was to find the last image to carve into his totem pole.

Edwin tells him that Peter has attempted suicide, and Cole is horrified. Edwin comes back in the skiff to say that Peter has attempted suicide again and that his parents are desperate. Cole says that Peter should come to the island to find hope.Cole tellsEdwin that he thinks Peter should come to the island with him to heal. Coleanswers that he would stay on the island a lifetime if it meant that Peter would get better and feel better. Edwin leaves and returns two weeks later with Peter Driscal on the skiff. They had followed Cole's instructions. Peter came with his parents as well as Garvey. The circle had been meeting for hours to decide how to help Peter and Cole. Cole reveals for the first time to the whole group that he can't heal until he helps Peter heal. Peter's parents decide to leave the next morning, they feel that Peter is safe with Garvey's protection.

Peter still doesn't want to speak to Cole, but after Cole offers him a candy bar, he takes it. Cole's mother is said to be doing well. Peter is still afraid of Cole, he has to sleep in a cold tent as Garvey and Peter sleep in the warmth. Days go by without any change in Peter, but eventually he rolls the ancestor rock down the hill and attempts to enter the freezing pond. Peter invites Cole to sleep inside of the warm shelter instead of outside. Peter begins to be mean Cole by mudding up his sleeping bag, destroying some of Cole's carvings, and doing other things to annoy him. Cole offers him a totem pole of his own to carve, and Peter accepts it. Cole is particularly angered when Peter denies that Cole was attacked by an actual spirit bearand says it was probably just a black bear. Peter carves back the bear that he had scratched off of Cole's totem pole. Cole is so impressed by Peter's carving skills that he asks Peter to teach him how to carve better. Peterhelps Cole carve a circle for his anger part of his totem. This is how Cole has gone from an at-risk juvenile delinquent to a kind, caring, and trustworthy young man. He has changed by the soaking in the morning, rolling the ancestor rock on the hill, and wanting to help others. I thought that the character development was really good in this book, and it teaches you a great life lesson.