Adversity In Touching Spirit Bear

“Every day the clock resets. Your wins don’t matter. Your failures don’t matter. Don’t stress on what was; fight for what could be” (Sean Higgins). Here, Sean Higgins says it is imperative not to shroud oneself in the world of the past. Every moment, humans have a chance to uproot their current way of life and evolve. Changing one’s routines is quite important and arguably compulsory to live a productive life. In brief, change as a concept is vital to humans. It is not merely a word but a mindset. In the book, Touching Spirit Bear, Cole Matthews, a troubled fifteen year old boy, goes through many changes in a short period of time. In his past, Cole was beaten by his abusive father and neglected by his mother. The adversity in his past contributes

Cole has a troubled history with the outdoors that likely stems from his need to control everything around him. Upon his arrival to the island, Cole burns down his shelter and his only supplies as a way of feeling powerful. Soon after, Cole attempts to stab the Spirit Bear. The Spirit Bear is a large, white bear that periodically appears on the Alaskan island. Cole feels intimidated by this bear, so he attempts to frighten it. This is demonstrated when Cole shouts at the Spirit Bear, “‘You maggot!’ Cole yelled, leaping to his feet. ‘I’ll kill you!’” (Mikaelsen 59). However, the Spirit Bear mauls Cole until he is a helpless lump of bloody flesh. In a shocking turn of events, when the Spirit Bear next returns to Cole’s deteriorating body, Cole reaches out and pets the Spirit Bear. “Cole forced his hand forward until his fingers touched the bear’s moist white coat” (Mikaelsen 95). This sudden change may be attributed to Cole staring death in the face. Realizing that one wants to live may be all one needs to dramatically shift their way of life. This is demonstrated when Cole says, “‘When I was mauled, when I thought I was going to die, I felt like just a plant or something, like I wasn’t important… I know it doesn’t make any sense, but I realized that I was dying and I had never really even lived’” (Mikaelsen 132). Cole, who never before respected mother nature, learns to appreciate the outdoors