Literary Essay Sample on How Cole Learns to Live and Heal from His Anger

The book "Touching Spirit Bear" by Ben Mikaelsen introduces Cole Mathews, a young man suffering from isolation, loneliness and very deep anger problems. Cole is the main antagonist in the book who works to deal with his violent nature and control of his feelings, emotions, and actions.

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In his anger, Cole beats up a ninth-grade classmate, Peter to the point of brain damage. A Tlingit Indian parole officer named Garvey and a Tlingit elder named Edwin offers Cole an alternative to a prison called the circle of justice. Circle justice is a support group that involves the victim, offender and the community, which comes together to allow for an alternative way for an offender to deal with his crimes instead of being taken to a correctional facility (Mikaelsen, 2001). The alternative way offered to Cole was a one year sentence of isolation on an island in Alaska to reflect on his crimes. The island is run by circle justice which offers to heal to those who have had bad pasts. Justice should not be equated with punishment but must also provide the opportunity for healing for the criminal which in turn leads to the community benefiting from said transformation.

Cole's abusive and angry nature stems from the fact that his father was physically abusive to him which leads to Cole feeling isolated from his parents and the society in general, especially after his sentencing. "Cole was abandoned by people who wanted to get rid of him, and his parents were probably glad he was a million miles away from their world" (Mikaelsen, 2001, p 42). The attack on Peter was a reaction that Cole naturally felt towards anybody who dared cross him as seen in a quote by the third-person omniscient narrator "Cole jumped on him again and started smashing his head against the sidewalk. It took six other students to pull him away finally. By then, Peter was cowering on the blood-smeared sidewalk, sobbing. Cole laughed and spat at him even as he was held back. Nobody crossed Cole Mathews and got away with it" (Mikaelsen, 2001, p 42).

Cole's saving grace comes from the parole officer Garvey and Edwin who was a Tlingit elder who offered Cole a one year sentence at the Alaskan island. Garvey visits Cole during his time on the island and tries to make Cole understand how crucial it was for one to change how they viewed everything. Garvey says to Cole "yes [the hot dog celebration] was a big deal... All because that is what I made it. Yours was simply food because that is all you chose for it to be. All of life is a hot dog. Make of it what you will. I suggest you make your time here on the island a celebration" (Mikaelsen, 2001, p 166). This approach to positive thinking as a tool for personal growth made such a difference in Cole's development allowing him to approach isolation with excitement and anticipation.

The island and its beauty also played a huge role in Cole's healing process. When he showed anger towards the spirit bear and any other animal on the island, it always led to him being injured. Cole realized that if he could not be peaceful towards harmless animals, then he certainly was not ready to deal with any human being which would impede his healing process. "The mauling didn't make sense. In the past, everything had always been afraid of him. Why wasn't the bear scared" (Mikaelsen, 2001)? Cole's thoughts after the spirit bear attack made him understand how weak and vulnerable he was as he lay there motionless with his pride crashed and also his sense of anger and violence towards others destroyed (Mikaelsen, 2001, p 81).

Justice should not be equated with punishment but must also provide the opportunity for healing for the criminal which in turn leads to the community benefiting from said transformation. With the help of Garvey, Edwin, the circle justice, the spirit bear and the Alaskan island, Cole was able to overcome his anger, violence and defiant nature to become a transformed young man.

Reference

Mikaelsen, B. (2001). Touching Spirit Bear. Bozeman, Montana: Harper Trophy