Touching Spirit Bear Literary Analysis Essay

Touching Spirit Bear is about a teen who is dealing with problems in his everyday life. Among these are topics such as alcoholism, poor marriage choices, poor parenting, self-identity challenges, and self compassion. Having said that, Touching Spirit Bear would provide psychological concepts through open expression of well-developed emotions, and would improve our understanding that life isn't always fair, but there are ways to cope with it. 

Cole Matthews is enraged. Defiant, angry, and a bully. But his rage has gotten the best of him this time. Cole must be imprisoned for smashing his ninth-grade classmate's head against a sidewalk, causing him speech and coordination problems. But then there was Garvey, a Tlingit Indian parole officer who proposed Circle Justice, a Native American tradition in which the victim, offender, and community all work together to find a healing solution. Cole sneers at the idea; although he accepted it solely to avoid jail time, he is not a fool if it will keep him out of jail. He'll go to any length. Cole is banished for a year to a remote Alaskan island, where his arrogance leads to a near-death experience after being mauled by a mysterious, legendary white bear known as Spirit Bear. Cole, nearly killed, awaits his fate and begins the journey from rage to humility. 

"I still feel bad about my cat, and you're angry because you have to pay a fine. In Circle Justice, you sign a healing contract.(Garvey - Chapter 1). Garvey goes on to explain to Cole that he should apply for Circle Justice not just to avoid jail time, but also for the sake of healing, because Cole is also a victim, as he realizes during his exile on the island. A victim from his unpleasant past who inspired him to harm others. Cole did some exercises on the island as part of his punishment and as a self-reflection: every day, Cole must soak in a pond to help him find the balance between anger and happiness. Cole must carry the "ancestor rock" up an island hill every day in honour of his ancestors and the unity of all human life. Cole interpreted it as "rolling his anger away." Cole does different animal dances, in which he places himself in the spirit of the animals. Cole is looking for a simpler understanding of the natural world in this way. Cole carved totem poles as well. Totem poles, according to Edwin, tell a storey, which could be about Cole's journey. Cole carved a variety of objects, including a mouse, an eagle, and the Spirit Bear. Cole learned to appreciate its symbolism as a result of it. It has been practised for centuries by native cultures, most notably by the Tlingit Tribe. The ultimate goal of Circle Justice is to heal, not to punish, and anyone can contribute to that goal. For the victim and the perpetrator to re-establish contact. Also known as "Alternative Justice," although it requires a lot of work, it is well worth it. Although being sent to an island after committing a crime may never be an option, as depicted in the novel, there is still hope that any healing path is possible.

"Edwin held up the stick 'the right end of this stick is your happiness, the left end is you anger' Edwin said. He handed the stick to Cole.(Edwin - Chapter 17). Edwin asked Cole to break off the angry side, but every time he did, another angry side appeared, and he realised that anger could not be eliminated. Its point was that whatever you focus on, happiness or anger, will become your reality, and everything you do will be associated with one of those two. Cole's own healing process will not be complete unless he learns to control his anger and assists Peter in overcoming his own problems, which were Cole's fault in the first place. The Circle of Life represents the interconnectedness of all humans and nature. Every character in the book is dependent in some way on the support and development of others. Garvey and Edwin's troubled past motivated their desire to assist Peter with his problems, particularly Cole's need to repent for his past mistakes and Cole's desire to establish a positive relationship with Peter. Cole's mother realises that reconnecting with Cole is the only way for her to escape her own indifference and once again embrace her son with love. The appearance of the Spirit Bear on Cole and Peter on the island was the catalyst for Cole to gain Peter's trust by understanding how the Bear assisted Cole in changing his ways and proving that he had changed.

Cole was laying on the ground after the mauling, helpless, starving, and left to die. While Cole is still fighting for his life, he thinks about his abusive parents, how helpless Peter is, and examines the source of all his rage, and a sudden realisation hits him. He desired to live. He wished to live so that he could atone for all the wrongdoing he had caused others, particularly Peter. Cole made a firm decision at this point and attempted to gain energy and feed himself with a handful of grass. As mosquitoes swarmed over his body, he attempted to eat worms from the ground. He even caught a mouse and, before it died, drew it to his mouth and began chewing it until he crushed its skull with his teeth, while seagulls picked fresh flesh from his ripped chest and thigh. He then eats his vomit-the fish from a few days ago. The Spirit Bear appears out of nowhere and begins walking towards him. Cole notices the Spirit Bear a few inches above his head. Instead of hurting the bear, he rubbed its shoulder and felt its white fur. Cole felt pain again as the bear turned and walked away. He hears voices around him as he slowly closes his eyes. It turned out to be Garvey and Edwin who were driving Cole to Satey.

We can see from the various ways each character, including Cole, has developed throughout the novel that there are many paths to complete healing and understanding. The storey of Touching Spirit Bear places a special emphasis on native cultures and traditions as a means of dealing with anger, forgiveness, and personal healing. We are left wondering about universal ways in which a person can cope constructively with failings and past anger.

Cole's character is pretty extreme - by that I mean a kid who is constantly in trouble, who smashed a classmate's head against a sidewalk, and who actually tried to fight a bear during the course of the novel. Although Cole has extreme anger issues, we can still relate to him. Cole's family issues, sense of isolation, and the feeling of proving yourself but people don't seem to understand are things that almost everyone who's ever grown up can relate to, even if we don't feel the same way Cole does or how he deals with them. Cole has done and caused a lot of terrible things, but he only does so in response to his internal feelings. Cole's entire healing and forgiveness process reminds us that no matter how hopeless things appear to be—how late it appears to be to change—how people we need are so far away—there is always the possibility of a better tomorrow. Despite having fought a bear, Cole's greatest adversary is himself. We all get in our own way of success at times, and this novel is a great example of how we should perceive and respond to it.