A Change for Good

Throughout the book Touching Spirit Bear, Cole Mathews attitude about life changes. He goes from a thug who robs stores and beats others to a stone rolling, wood chopping soft guy. All from one mercy-beating from a bear. 

During the beginning of the book Cole is a bad guy. Beating people, stealing, fighting, Cole is your stereotypical school-yard bully. He has a terrible view on life and spends many nights in detention centers. So after committing a robbery he eventually starts telling people about it. Not because he feels bad about it, but instead to gloat. Eventually someone named Peter, squeals on him and Cole finds out. Leading to Cole beating him so badly that he receives a mental disability. But instead of going to jail, Cole gets accepted to go a remote Alaskan island. Where he will think about his actions for the next 12 months. Now Cole in no ways feels bad about what he did to Peter. So to avoid jail time he chooses to except the offer and leaves to go to Alaska.

Apon arriving he gets a shack and supplies. The boat leaves and Cole is left alone on the island. With anger sweltering inside, he grab gasoline and some matches and sets the shack and supplies ablaze. Feeling better, he decides to escape. He fails and then his anger drives him to pick a fight with a bear. After losing he is left to die. He slowly awaits for death, thinking about his decisions and the effects on others. On the verge of passing out, he gets rescued and returns home. After recovering he is left with physical marks and a mental scare in his brain. Yet he still hasn’t healed; he gets sent back to the island and makes friends with nature, learning that the only way to heal himself is to help the people he hurt heal. After almost a year he asks if Peter can come to the island. After serious consideration, Peter and Peter’s parents join Cole on the island. After a few days Cole and Peter are left with Cole’s Parole Officer. During this time Cole and Peter learn to heal together. Throughout the stay Cole continues to manage his anger and eventually leaves the island with Peter as his friend.

Cole is tired of being the bad guy. He wants to become a spirit bear. With strength inside of him.

So throughout the next book Cole goes home and tries to continue with life. But without his normal routine he realizes returning home a new changed man, is the hardest challenge yet.