Touching Spirit Bear
 | This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. (November 2010) |
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| File:Touching Spirit Bear.jpg Cover of Touching Spirit Bear | |
| Author | Ben Mikaelsen |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Amy Becca Smith |
| Cover artist | N/A |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Spirit Bear series |
| Genre | Realistic Fiction |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
Publication date | January 9, 2001 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print soft cover |
| Pages | 241 pages |
| ISBN | ISBN 038080560X Parameter error in {{ISBNT}}: invalid character |
| OCLC | 57425528 |
| Preceded by | N/A |
| Followed by | Ghost of Spirit Bear |
Touching Spirit Bear is a 2001 young adult novel written by the American author, Ben Mikaelsen. The book is about a troubled Minneapolis teen named Cole who completely changes after spending a year on a isolated southwestern Alaska island.
It was followed by a sequel, called Ghost of Spirit Bear which illustrates Cole's return to Minneapolis, where his past has returned to haunt him.
Plot
Cole Matthews is a fifteen year-old juvenile delinquent from Minneapolis. Cole's parents are no better than he is. His father, an angry alcoholic, constantly beats Cole while his mother, a quiet trophy wife, witnesses the beatings and does nothing to stop them. All his life, Cole has been referred from therapist to therapist, and from detention center to detention center. After Cole seeks vengeance on a boy named Peter who witnessed him breaking into a hardware store by ruthlessly beating him, Cole realizes that he may not have any more chances in life. Faced with a possible lengthy jail sentence and a trial in court as an adult for his crimes, Cole seeks out any alternative that he can find. His parole officer, Garvey, suggests that he try a Native American method called Circle Justice. Garvey, being a Native American of the Tlingit tribe, knows that Circle Justice could change Cole's attitude towards life and others permanently, but he questions Cole's sincerity when Cole tells him that he really does want change. Cole is sentenced to one year on an island off the coast of southeast Alaska.
Cole soon arrives on the island on an aluminum skiff with Garvey and Edwin, a Tlingit tribe elder. As the three arrive on the island, Garvey and Edwin unload boxes which carry food, survival supplies, and schoolwork for Cole to complete. Once they are done setting up inside the small log cabin that Edwin built before Cole came to the island, Garvey and Edwin give Cole warnings about what he might expect on the island. They also mention the existence of a Spirit Bear, an all-white black bear that lives off the coast of British Columbia. They tell Cole that the bear has more pride and honesty than most humans. Cole replies by saying that if he saw a Spirit Bear, he would kill it.
The two men depart from the island, and Cole feels completely alone at last. He feels his anger beginning to well up as he remembers everyone who has ever wanted to get rid of him. The next day he sees a massive all-white bear which he assumes must be the Spirit Bear. The bear is far away, but Cole throws rocks at it so that he can teach the bear to fear him. The bear does not flinch, and when Cole looks back, the bear has vanished. This happens multiple times, until finally he runs to get his knife and a spear that he has fashioned. When he gets back, Cole begins to inch towards the bear and decides that he must try to kill it. The bear charges Cole, and a violent mauling ensues. After breaking multiple ribs, an arm, a leg, and a pelvis, the bear leaves Cole alone, unable to move. Cole drifts in and out of consciousness as a violent storm hits the island and strikes a tree that nearly falls on Cole. The Spirit Bear appears twice but makes no advance. Cole realizes that the bear is only curious, and was merely defending itself. Cole quickly becomes hungry and must eat anything he can find, including worms, bugs, and a mouse. The pain of his torn flesh and broken limbs become nearly unbearable, and he realizes that his life up until then has been insignificant. He desperately wants to be part of the cycle of nature at that moment, but he knows that his desire for life might be too late. As he lies helplessly on the ground, Cole accepts death because he is happy that he was able to trust and be trusted by nature in his last moments. He is just on the verge of death when he is rescued by Edwin and Garvey when they come to check in on him.
After six months of physical therapy, the 'Circle Justice' comes together and sentences Cole to more time on the island. Cole is at first reluctant due to his injuries from the mauling. Garvey and Edwin accompany him for a short time and introduce him to many new spiritual concepts. When they soon leave him alone, Cole is afraid of seeing the spirit bear again. Cole later thinks he can help Peter when Peter wants to commit suicide, and he wants Peter to come to the island so they can be healed together. On the island with Peter and Cole, Peter thinks Cole is the same kid who caused damage to him physically and emotionally, so the building of them being fine around each other slowly progresses, but eventually they become friends and the book ends with both of them seeing Spirit Bear after Peter beat up Cole, but Cole chose not to fight and simply took the beating.
Characters
- Cole Matthews - The fifteen-year-old protagonist in the story with many behavioral problems and abusive parents. He later learns forgiveness and how to control his anger problems.
- William Matthews - Cole's alcoholic father who has a bull-headed temper. He usually beat Cole with a belt and was mainly responsible for Cole's social problems.
- Peter Driscall - A ninth grader whom Cole severely beat. He develops permanent brain damage after Cole's attack. Despite this, Peter eventually forgives him and the two become friends.
- Garvey - A Tlingit parole officer. He introduces Cole to the Circle Justice. Garvey supports Cole in every way he can. He and Edwin are the only people who attempt to help Cole succeed. Garvey gives Cole a blanket called an a'toow in the beginning of the book, showing his strong trust in Cole.
- Edwin - A Tlingit elder. Much like Garvey, he wants Cole to improve. Edwin introduces Cole to a freezing pond on an island, letting Cole tame his violent anger. He was very patient with Cole, and very wise. The reason he knew how to heal Cole was because he had once been on the Alaskan Island. He taught Cole the things that helped him.
- Cindy Matthews - Cole's mother who fears her drunken husband and doesn't stand up for her son or herself. Throughout the course of the book, she too learns self control and finally stands up to her husband, filing child abuse charges against him.