Ben Mikaelsen's moving novel, Touching Spirit Bear, revolves around the story of Cole Matthews and his life-changing experience. Cole's year-long exile on an isolated island completely transforms the temperamental Minneapolis teenager, who finds satisfaction in beating up others, into a human being who understands the power of choice, life, and healing. Cole's choices impact readers in more ways than one, showing them that change is possible, if only the right choices are made and everyone involved is healing. By following Cole's chosen path, the reader is able to see him as a person who changes. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay At the beginning of the novel, Cole Matthews is seen as a completely different human being than he is at the end. Readers see Cole as a physically abused teenager, full of anger, who lashes out at others and expects them to fear him as he fears his father. He is raised in a way that makes him feel that he is meant to be obeyed. There are many scenarios in which he proves that he is, in his opinion, superior. He shows that his only outlet for his anger is to hurt other people, both physically and mentally. From his point of view, he is the one everyone should fear, not the other way around. His attitude towards bullying others makes it clear that his anger is vented by making hurting people an almost "casual" hobby. So far in the novel, he never feels guilty for hurting others. “The boy, Peter Drsical, was a sixth-grader whom Cole had targeted many times before just for the fun of it. However, no one reported Cole Matthews without paying the price. That day he joined Peter in the school corridor. "You're a dead man," the skinny red-haired boy warned, giving him a hard shove. He laughed when he saw the fear in Peter's eyes. The quote gives the impression that Cole is a character who has tormented others multiple times and gotten away with it; the book states that this is not the first time he has bullied Peter. He feels an unmistakable satisfaction that others are going through the pain he experienced in his home. Although Cole Matthews torments others for fun, he later finds himself in the position of a victim, where there is absolutely no one around for miles to help him, and that's when he appreciates life for what it is, and gradually, he begins transforming into a better person. Shortly after arriving on the island, Cole is attacked by the Spirit Bear, and it is then that he truly understands the value of life, the power of choice, and the beauty he has destroyed. There is a moment in Cole's journey when he realizes that life is worth appreciating, and that's when he desperately hopes to live without pain, or to be dead so he doesn't have to endure the agony. The moment Cole begins to wonder if he will live long enough to return to Minneapolis is when he realizes how much he has truly missed in life. “A strange thought came to Cole: the world was beautiful. Yes, the world was beautiful! Even the wet moss and crushed grass near his hand were beautiful. Looking at the delicate patterns, he wondered why he had never noticed this before. How much beauty has he missed in his life? How much beauty had he destroyed?” (Chapter 12). He understands that some things aren't worth dealing with, and just because one person suffers, doesn't mean others have to. At this point in the story, readers get a glimpse of the real Cole, the person who has a heart, but who is taught to make others fear him...