Cole’s Journey of Healing and Redemption in Touching Spirit Bear
Dances
Animal Dances
Animals are all symbols of something else – the totem pole idea of power and identity is everywhere that you feel and dance to. Dance is something you feel; you don’t have to think about it.
- Whale Dance: Edwin learned that the whale is gentle and graceful; Garvey believes the whale is smart and powerful; Cole relates to whales because they don’t have a permanent home, kind of like him.
- Wolf Dance: Cole learns that you need the help of others. He danced alone at first and had a bad attitude towards this.
- Beaver Dance: Cole learns trust.
- Spirit Bear: Cole relives the mauling and the day he saw the spirit bear. He admits he’s afraid of being alone. He makes a really nice dinner for Edwin and Garvey of spaghetti, biscuits, and a Snickers bar.
Anger Dance
Cole is ready to do this dance after he realizes that in order to see the spirit bear, he has to clear his mind. He is by himself on the island and goes over to a tree by the cabin. Cole realizes that he attacked the bear because it defied him, being bigger than him and unafraid of him – like the tree. He attacks the tree, breaking its branches. After wrecking things, he cries out for Peter to forgive him because he’s sorry. Cole goes back to the kicked fire ashes and puts them back together, symbolizing how he has to fix, restore, and heal the hurt between him and Peter.
Life Lessons
Food for Thought
- Hot Dog Lesson: Something is only as good as you make it to be. If you don’t care about something, it will just be okay and only serve its purpose; it will do nothing more and nothing less. If you take time and care about something, it will turn out special and make a lot of something small. Something is only as great as you wish it to be.
- Cake Lesson: This lesson is linked with the hot dog lesson. Lots of bad things can make something good. You have to care about your life and want to make it good. Your life is only what you make out of it, whether bad or good things have happened during it.
Nature’s Wisdom
- Stick Lesson: Anger will always be there, but you need to be able to clear your mind and not think about your anger – you need to think more positively.
- Connection between Hot Dog Lesson and Stick Lesson: Look at things in the most positive way, even though something isn’t that great. You need to have a positive outlook towards it. You can’t think of things in the worst way. Everything has a good and bad side to it; the choice is yours on what you make of it or how you look at it.
- Morning Soak: Edwin takes Cole to a cold pond where he can sit in the water and clear his mind to help release his anger.
- Knife Gift/Lesson: Garvey gives Cole a knife before leaving. The knife can either help you or destroy and hurt you. You have to make good decisions on how to use it, just like life.
- Ancestor Rock: This is a way for Cole to think about his life and all he’s gone through and then release any anger he has towards whatever has happened. When Cole stumbles one time, he realizes all the times he has stumbled in life and realizes he has come a long way. He lets his anger become the rock. Cole realizes he has to quit blaming others for his mistakes, as blame equals anger. He pushes the rock down the hill and feels relieved and lighter.
- Group Soak: Cole is adjusting more to the cold water and taking it more seriously. He leaves when he’s done.
- Solo Soak: During a solo soak, Cole really starts to clear his mind, and a fish swims up to him. As soon as he starts thinking about his day, the fish swims away. He learns that in order to see the spirit bear, he has to clear his mind.
Trust and Potential
Potential is the chance of being trusted, the opportunity to do something. Trust is full belief in someone. Garvey and Edwin know there is potential in Cole to be trusted. Edwin demonstrates this by taking the spark plug out of the boat to prevent Cole from escaping when they first arrive on the island. Before they leave, Cole says, “Don’t forget to put the spark plug in,” but Edwin tells him it has been in for days.
Transformation and Growth
- Cole has a chance to make a canoe and escape, but he feels bad and wrong doing that, so he makes a totem pole out of it instead. It makes him feel good and provides a way to discover himself and see who he really is.
- Cole learns patience because he has to be patient and wait for Peter to open up to him and trust him.
Cole’s Growing Strengths
- Strength: Cole becomes mentally strong after recovering from the bear attack. He decides he wants to live and not give up on life. He also exhibits mental strength when Peter is beating him up by choosing not to fight back.
- Gentleness: Cole shows gentleness when he feels regret that the baby birds had to die.
- Honesty: Cole demonstrates honesty when he told the truth about not doing all the dances because he didn’t know how to do them.
In the end, Cole wants to bring Peter to the island so he can forgive Cole and learn that his life has purpose and is important.