Touching Spirit Bear
Characterizations
Cole(Round/Dynamic)
Why?--Coles undergoes internal changes throughout the plot. Coles starts as a rebellious, young teenager who holds no knowledge on controlling his anger. He shuts people out, and isolates himself from all others. His time on the island changes him, along with advice from Garvey and Edwin. By the end of the plot Cole learns how to rid himself of this anger. Old emotions and ways of thinking disappear as Cole becomes someone who wants to help. Cole begins to trust people and forgive them for their actions.
Garvey(Static)
Why?--Garvey does not change very much himself, but helps with Cole’s transition into becoming a new person. He is more of a guide to Cole in the plot, rather than developing as a person himself. Garvey did not undergo any emotional changes in story.
Edwin(Static)
Edwin does not show much emotion when he appears in the book. He gives Cole methods in which he can deal and cope with his anger. He acts as another guide to Cole.
Peter(Round/Dynamic)
Peter becomes petrified of Cole after the attack. After Cole learns to control his anger, Peter travels to the island and stays on it with him. During his stay there, he forgives Cole for what he has done. This action also relieves him of this fear, and enables him to feel better about himself.
Cole’s Mom(Round)
Cole’s mom grows as a person throughout the plot. She lives in fear of her husband abusing her, and so she turns to alcohol to try to ignore the problem. When a bear mauls Cole, she decides to stand up for him and take his father to court for abuse. She gains more courage, confidence, and gets treatment for her alcohol problem.
Cole’s Father(Flat)
Cole’s father remains the same. Even after all of this happens, he still uses money to solve his problems, and does not grow as a person.
Descriptions
Cole Matthews: A mis behaved teenage boy. Always getting in serious trouble which drives his parents to the limit. They seem to give up on his and resort to other options of discipline.
Garvey: A worker in the juvenile justice circle system. He is very helpful to Cole throughout the novel and one of the only people who trusts Cole and has faith that he is able to change.
Edwin: An indian from Alaska who is also determined to help Cole. In his path to healing, Edwin teaches Cole different indian dances to help him through his hardships.
Mr. Matthews: Cole’s father who has a terrible drinking problem. When he is drunk, he often beats Cole which most likely influenced Cole’s violent actions.
Peter Driscal: The 15 year old boy who was beaten up by Cole. Cole’s injuries to Peter left him with a speech problem and frightening flashbacks. As the story progresses, Peter is more willing to help Cole on his path to healing.
Direct Characterizations
Direct characterization is when the personality of a character is revealed with the use of descriptive language. One example of this in Touching Spirit Bear is when Cole is describing his mother and how she is never present in his life and shows how he feels neglected by her. “His mom acted like a scared Barbie doll, always looking good but never standing up to anyone (Mikaelsen 9)”. This quote immediately shows the reader what kind of person his mother is by the descriptive language.
Another example of direct characterization in Touching Spirit Bear is when Cole is describing the Keeper, someone who is in charge of Cole’s sentencing, and leader of the Hearing circle. He says, “She wore blue jeans and a flannel shirt, even though she was old enough to be my grandmother (Mikaelsen 35)”. This description represents the Keepers laid back personality, how she makes her own rules, and isn’t afraid to speak her mind and be herself.
Indirect Characterizations
“I’m tired of being around someone who blames the world for all of his problems”. (Mikaelsen 23)
The indirect characterization found in this quote is when Garvey calls Cole a person who blames the world for all of his problems.
“Cole let his irritation show. “ Not mixed together, stupid””. (Mikaelsen 29)
Garvey teaches Cole a lesson by making Cole eat all of the ingredients of a cake separately and then eating a slice of an actual cake. Cole explains that the ingredients taste well all together if they are mixed together, calling Garvey stupid in the process. Because Cole called Garvey stupid, this is indirect characterization.