In Touching Spirit Bear, Cole Matthews is definitely facing a formidable foe when he arrives on the deserted island in Alaska—and he finds himself immediately at the mercy of the elements. He deals with fierce cold and hunger, and when he has the terrible idea to lash out against Spirit Bear, Cole finds out what really happens when you mess with a wild animal. He gets completely torn apart by the bear and almost dies of blood loss, broken bones, and hunger. Good times.
Eventually, though, Cole comes to understand what Edwin and Garvey have been trying to tell him all along: that he's a part of nature, just like all these animals. He comes to coexist with them in peace, and he even starts carving a totem pole to honor all the animals he's met and learned from.
Questions About Man and the Natural World
- Why does Spirit Bear attack Cole?
- Why does Cole regret scaring away the beaver that swims up to him?
- How does Cole change his patterns in order to reflect the natural world around him?
- Does Cole come to gain a respect for the natural world? If so, how? Are there ways in which he doesn't? If so, what are they?
Chew on This
When Cole stops fighting against the natural world and instead strives to be a part of it, he finds that he's much more at peace, and his anger starts to fade away.
Cole wants desperately to see Spirit Bear again when he returns to the island, but he's only able to do so when he clears his mind of troublesome human thought and becomes more like the animals and plants around him, completely living in the moment and not overthinking things.