Touching Spirit Bear

The small boat arrives at the island, and the two men take Cole to the small shelter in the forest that Edwin built. Inside is a stove and a bed. Edwin warns Cole of the dangers of the island, including cold, wet, bears and other animals, and a thorny bush called devil’s club. He tries to instill in Cole a sense that he is not invincible and that he must learn his place in the circle that all creatures inhabit.

Cole often has thoughts of hurting others, and this is especially true when Edwin begins doing what Cole sees as lecturing. Cole is also skilled at faking emotions, sincerity, and guilt, which he used to win over the council responsible for deciding if he was eligible for Circle Justice, as well as to convince Edwin to be his sponsor. He plans to escape the island and prove how foolish everyone is.

Edwin tells Cole about the Spirit Bear, explaining that it lives in British Columbia, Canada, and is “pure white and has pride, dignity, and honor. More than most people” (17). Cole snidely remarks that he would kill one if he saw it, and Edwin warns Cole, “Whatever you do to the animals, you do to yourself” (17). Edwin admits that he too was brought to this island when he lost his way in life. Garvey gives Cole an at.óow (ah-tow), a Tlingit blanket that has no owner and is passed between people who trust one another. He asks Cole not to waste this opportunity. Edwin assures Cole that he and Garvey will check on him in a few days and that Cole will receive supplies every few weeks after that.

Edwin and Garvey leave Cole alone on the island to heal and reflect. He begins to cry, thinking about how alone he once again is; he feels abandoned by his parents. Cole’s sadness usually turns into anger, and this is no exception. He feels enraged at the world and lashes out: “Rage controlled Cole’s hand as he threw back, paused for a split second, and then flipped the lighted match inside the shelter” (21). He watches as the shelter burns to the ground.

Although Cole hoped to feel some satisfaction from burning down the shelter, he remains “sullen.” Eagles soar overheard and he can see a family of seals in the bay. Despite the beauty around him, Cole says, “This place sucks!” (23). Cole thinks about everything that is wrong in his life. His parents seem not to care about him, and nobody understands how he feels or what he is going through. He remembers when Garvey came to the detention center and asked Cole what he felt was wrong in his life. Cole shared several examples of his disastrous home life with Garvey: His parents do not care about his pursuits (such as wrestling), they spend all their time drinking, and it seems like everything Cole says and does is wrong. Cole also revealed that his dad hits him “over and over until [he is] so numb [he] don’t feel anything” (23). Cole blamed his father’s behavior on his alcohol use and explained that his mother allows it to happen. Garvey admitted that he experienced something similar growing up and presented a lesson for Cole in the form of a cake. First, he asked Cole to taste each ingredient of a cake separately. He then asked Cole to taste a fully baked cake. Cole admitted that the cake tasted better than the ingredients but didn’t see what Garvey was aiming at. Upset, Cole kicked the table. Garvey left the detention center, shoulders hanging “as if tired from a long hike” (25).

The more that Cole thinks about all of this, the wilder he becomes, and soon he sees his bullies, police, and parents in the flames. Cole views being sent to this island as “the hurt of being alone and unwanted” and wants nothing more than for everyone else to feel his pain (25). He starts laughing, only slowing as the flames do. Suddenly, he bolts for the shore, deciding to swim to the next island. He knows he is a strong swimmer and hopes to be picked up by a passing boat so he can land elsewhere and disappear. The water is ice cold and he realizes his time before freezing to death is limited.

As Cole attempts to swim to the next island, his lungs go numb with cold and his mind becomes cloudy. He thinks back to the Healing Circles he attended in preparation for his sentence. People called “Keepers” organize various Healing Circles—including “Talking Circles, Peacemaking Circles, and Community Circles” (29)—to assess the candidate, discuss possible sentences, and determine a course of action for healing. At Cole’s first Hearing Circle, more people arrived than he expected. He noticed that everyone, even the judge, was dressed casually; the only exceptions were Cole’s father and Cole’s lawyer, who wore suits. Cole was shocked to see Peter and his parents arrive as well.

The Keeper of the Circle, an elder woman, asked everyone to join hands for a prayer. Cole found himself “comparing his mother’s frightened, weak squeeze to his father’s iron-hard grip” (31). He also gave Peter the evil eye, showing no empathy or shame for his actions. The Keeper began by discussing the importance of healing rather than punishment, as well as meeting “the needs of both the offender and the victim” (31). She noted that the path of healing is much more challenging than punishment but also much more worthwhile. The Keeper passed around a feather; only the person holding it could speak. She asked for suggestions regarding how both Peter and Cole could heal. Cole felt singled out as everyone took a turn voicing their concerns about the violence in their community. When it was Cole’s turn with the feather, he falsely claimed to feel sorry and to want help overcoming his anger. Cole’s father received the feather next and threatened his son to behave. When Peter spoke, he struggled to say, “I’m Peter Driscal, and I’m here ‘cause I got beat up” before quickly passing it along (33). Cole felt a shred of guilt and empathy for Peter, realizing that he caused Peter’s impaired speech. He then told himself that Peter should have “kept his mouth shut” (33).

Still swimming towards the next island, Cole continues to go numb and feels as if he is losing his grip on reality; when he glances behind him, he appears to be no further than he was minutes before. He suddenly realizes that the tide is slowly pushing him backward—something he would have considered had he not been so angry. With his arms and legs almost completely numb, he has no choice but to let the tide carry him to shore, “his body bruised, his cold skull throbbing in rhythm with his heartbeat” (34). Cole drags himself on his belly toward the site of the fire he set. Night falls, and Cole is alone with his thoughts on the forest floor.

When he awakes the next morning, Cole finds himself near the burned-down shelter. He is weak, covered in blood and ash, and everything hurts. Despite his pain, he rises to his feet and spots movement in the forest. When Cole realizes he is witnessing a bear across the bay, he knows it is the Spirit Bear that Edwin told him about. The bear watches Cole, “morning light [glinting] off its shiny white fur” (36). It seems to have a sense of pride and confidence, as well as a keen alertness of the world around it. Cole feels offended by the bear’s stare and throws a rock toward it, yelling threats about killing it. Cole grabs a charred hunting knife off the ground, but when he turns back, the Spirit Bear is gone. He warns the bear, “I’ll teach you to be afraid of me” (36), even though he can no longer see it. Cole reflects on the burnt shelter and supplies, feeling no regret and remembering how his father falsely claimed to be supportive of Cole during the Healing Circle.

When Cole’s father claimed to be a supportive parent at the Healing Circle, Cole called him a liar in front of everyone. He insisted that his father beats him, causing his father to grab his arm in anger. They argued back and forth until the Keeper demanded the feather back from Cole’s father. She reminded them of respect once more and, “as if handling a priceless gem” (40), handed the feather to Cole. Cole attempted to be calm while speaking. When Cole’s mother had a turn to talk, his father glared at her and she said nothing, passing the feather to Garvey. Garvey stated that Cole is a symptom of a larger familial and community problem. Peter admitted that he felt Cole should have his “head smashed against a sidewalk so he [would] know[] how it feels” (41). When the Keeper spoke again, she employed a metaphor about planting new seeds. After the Healing Circle ended three hours later, Garvey confronted Cole, suspecting that he hadn’t spoken sincerely. Cole tried to deflect by mentioning how his father lied.

On the island, Cole still plans to escape but first wants to make sure he is fed and warm. He starts a fire with some leftover embers and sits watching the tide to determine the best time to swim out again. Hearing something in the forest, he jumps, thinking it might be the Spirit Bear. Cole thinks about his father and remembers a time that his father beat him with a metal belt buckle for returning home late. Cole begged his father to stop, and even his mother spoke up, but his father listened to neither of them. Cole also remembers how Garvey came up with the idea for Cole to come to the island and spend “an extended time alone to face himself and to face the angry spirits inside of him” (43). Cole’s bravado pushed him to act unafraid of living on an island alone for a year, but Garvey pointed out that weather and hunger are not things that Cole can manipulate the way he does people.