Touching Spirit Bear doesn't shy away from descriptions of harrowing violence, whether it's talking about Spirit Bear tearing open Cole's flesh or Cole bashing Peter's head into the pavement. Thing is, Cole's entire life has been a cycle of violence. His father beats him, so Cole goes out and picks on other children in order to feel powerful. Without intervention, Cole will continue to live in this cycle of violence until there's no hope left for him…which is why Garvey wants so badly to show Cole that violence isn't always the answer. In fact, it rarely is the right course of action.
Questions About Violence
- Why does Cole pick Peter as his victim to beat up? Be specific and give evidence from the text.
- How does Cole's father pass on his violent tendencies to his son? Again, bust out evidence from the book, please.
- Do you think Cole has broken the cycle of violence at the end? Why or why not?
- Why do you think Spirit Bear attacks Cole when he first sees him?
Chew on This
Cole doesn't feel bad about his violent behavior at first because he's grown up with it as the norm. But when he has time to reflect on what he's done to Peter, he realizes that he's imparted lasting scars on the boy—just like his father imparted lasting scars on him. Ugh.
Even though Spirit Bear almost kills Cole in a violent mauling, Cole doesn't blame the animal for what happened. He knows that it was only reacting to his own violent and murderous attack, and that otherwise it would have left him in peace. Oops.