Analysis Of Touching Spirit Bear By Ben Mikaelsen

Ben Mikaelsen's self- realization novel Touching Spirit Bear Is about a boy named Cole. Cole, a 15-year-old, others see as angry and evil, but do not understand Cole is only using his anger in the wrong way. The only people who understand are two men, one named Garvey and the other Edwin. They understand the pain of having anger. Coles banished to a remote island in Alaska because he attacks a boy named Peter sending him to the hospital. Although, this happened Cole changes on the island helping himself and others along his way to self-realization. A lesson Cole learns throughout the story of his journey to self-realization is anger never leaves, but shapes everyone for either the good or the bad; it is all a choice.
As the novel begins, Cole …show more content…
Cole Attacks the bear out of sheer anger, anger towards the bear for not being scared of him, towards the people who sent him to this island, and towards everyone else. While Cole feels the burning hatred, he has a choice on how to use anger, how to use power, but Cole invigorated towards everything draws his knife and attempts to kill the bear, but rather than Cole winning he is left to die in the middle of the woods. As Cole lies on the ground, he sees the surrounding destruction, and wincing in pain realizes “he wanted to live. In death, there was no control, no anger, no one to blame, no choices, no nothing. To be alive was to have the choice. The power to choose was the real power, not the fake power of making others afraid”(83). This illustrates one Cole has a reason to live, and with a reason to live, and shows his will to make everything better. Therefore, Cole is going to choose to use the power he has to make good decisions and help and not to make others weep and cower under him. This is a pivotal turning guide moment in the novel where Mikaelsen wants to prove to the reader anger is a choice only fading in death, but used in different ways which help or hurt. In this section, Mikaelsen uses Cole to deliberately tell the reader power is the choice and choice is how to use anger, and demonstrates death is the end of choice. Meaning the way to use anger and have an impact in life …show more content…
A place where he draws what anger is to him. Cole has fulfilled his obligation to become better and has learned to use his anger for the better. The last carving, the carving of anger, was a circle “'because every part of a circle is both the beginning and an end? And everything is one’”(239-240)? In this quote Mikaelsen demonstrates each part of the story is significant to the overall meaning and truth of the novel and nothing should be left out. Therefore, wanting the reader to understand anger as a whole and not zone into one part, evil, but to see it as a circle everything is one, a whole. Mikaelsen showing the circle as a whole represents anger as a whole. Also, with the question everything is both a beginning and an end is showcasing Cole's journey and the journey; everyone will take through life to better comprehend life. Implying everything happens in life is the end of one journey and the start of the next, and bringing one closer to what their life means. Therefore, presenting everything happens for a reason. Lastly, the shape of a circle shows nothing is straightforward, but curved there is no transparent path. Meaning, life will never be simple and grasping anger from all perspectives will bring hardships and detours, but since life's a circle there is always a path to get to one's next end. Altogether, the Mikaelsen paints the reader a mural of anger. The mural