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trope merge with TALIK; some other edits
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* CharacterDevelopment: [[spoiler:Cole Matthews goes from a delinquent filled with rage to an actually decent person]].
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* CharacterDevelopment: CharacterDevelopment:
** [[spoiler:Cole Matthews goes from a delinquent filled with rage to an actually decent person]].
** [[spoiler:Cole Matthews goes from a delinquent filled with rage to an actually decent person]].
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* {{Jerkass}}: Cole is [[spoiler:during the first half of the book]], lodging Peter Driscal’s skull into a sidewalk [[DisproportionateRetribution just for tattling on him]] and [[spoiler:burning down the only shelter he had on the island]].
** And don't even get us started on Cole's dad. He whips Cole so much he gets scars, and he pays off all of his bails before he even gets to jail, when he very well deserves a cell for child abuse.
** And don't even get us started on Cole's dad. He whips Cole so much he gets scars, and he pays off all of his bails before he even gets to jail, when he very well deserves a cell for child abuse.
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* {{Jerkass}}: {{Jerkass}}:
** Cole is [[spoiler:during the first half of the book]], lodging Peter Driscal’s skull into a sidewalk [[DisproportionateRetribution just for tattling on him]] and [[spoiler:burning down the only shelter he had on the island]].
**And don't even get us started on Cole's dad. He dad whips Cole so much he gets scars, and he pays off all of his bails before he even gets to jail, when he very well deserves a cell belongs for child abuse.
** Cole is [[spoiler:during the first half of the book]], lodging Peter Driscal’s skull into a sidewalk [[DisproportionateRetribution just for tattling on him]] and [[spoiler:burning down the only shelter he had on the island]].
**
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* JerkToNiceGuyPlot: [[spoiler:After being mauled by the bear, Cole undergoes redemption]].
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* RedemptionRejection: When Garvey introduces Cole to Circle Justice, Cole accepts the offer not to heal the soul, but to avoid jail. [[SarcasmMode Believe it or not]], this ends up not working well when Cole gets to the island.
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* RedemptionRejection: When Garvey introduces Cole to Circle Justice, Cole accepts the offer not to heal the soul, but to avoid jail. [[SarcasmMode Believe it or not]], this This ends up not working well when Cole gets to the island.
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[[folder:Ghosts applying to Ghost of Spirit Bear]]
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** You can not get rid of you're anger. You can only tame it.
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** You can not get rid of you're your anger. You can only tame it.
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** You can not get rid of you anger. You can only tame it.
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** You can not get rid of you you're anger. You can only tame it.
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* SeldomSeenSpecies: The spirit bear, a subspecies of the black bear.
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* BulliedIntoDepression: [[spoiler:Trish gets depression from being bullied by a GirlPosse all the time and gets depression, and eventually [[DrivenToSuicide commits suicide]]]].
to:
* BulliedIntoDepression: [[spoiler:Trish gets depression from being bullied by a GirlPosse all the time and gets depression, time, and eventually [[DrivenToSuicide commits suicide]]]].
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* TwentyMinutesIntoThePast: The book was released in 2008, but takes place directly after Cole and Peter leave the island, presumably setting the book around 2003.
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* TwentyMinutesIntoThePast: The book was released in 2008, but takes place [[ImmediateSequel directly after Cole and Peter leave the island, island]], presumably setting the book around 2003.
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* ImmediateSequel: The book starts when Cole and Peter leave the island. It takes place on the last day of the island if counting the preface.
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* FoulCafeteriaFood: Discussed. When Cole finds people calling the cafeteria food gross and dumping it in the trash half-eaten, he sees them as UngratefulBastards since he had to eat his vomit and a live mouse to survive after the bear mauling on the island.
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* FoulCafeteriaFood: Discussed. When Cole finds people calling the cafeteria food gross and dumping it in the trash half-eaten, he sees them as UngratefulBastards [[UngratefulBastard Ungrateful Bastards]] since he had to eat his vomit and a live mouse to survive after the bear mauling on the island.
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* HappyRain: At one point, it starts to rain just as Cole and Peter are walking out in the open. Cole, who had just learned that your reality is based on what you make of it, embraces it and plays in the rain with Peter.[[/folder]]
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* HappyRain: At one point, it starts to rain just as Cole and Peter are walking out in the open. Cole, who had just learned that your reality is based on what you make of it, embraces it and plays in the rain with Peter.[[/folder]]
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!!Any major plot points in Touching Spirit Bear will be spoilers off when discussing Ghost of Spirit Bear, as that part of the article will be under the assumption you've read the first book before reading the second.
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Touching Spirit Bear is a book written by Creator/BenMikaelsen. It was published on January 9th, 2001. It later got a sequel, ''Ghost of Spirit Bear'', 7 years later.
Cole Matthews is a [[TroubledAbuser troubled troublemaker]] from Minneapolis, Minnesota. At home, he is abused by his dad and his mom never tries to help him, and the abuse he suffered is passed down to his personality. His most recent act of violence is against Peter Driscal, who reported him to the police. After beating him to the point of brain damage, he is put in juvenile detention where he meets Garvey, a Tlingit elder.
Garvey introduces him to Circle Justice, a program meant to heal the soul and turn wrongdoers into good people. Cole accepts the offer, seeing it as nothing more than a GetOutOfJailFreeCard. His punishment is to go to an island in Southeast Alaska, where he’ll have activities to help him calm his anger. But when there, he is so blinded by rage that he essentially screws himself over hard enough to make his limbs stiff from cold water.
Then he meets the Spirit Bear. Then something ''very'' bad happens to him.
And that something may just be the key to saving his soul.
Cole Matthews is a [[TroubledAbuser troubled troublemaker]] from Minneapolis, Minnesota. At home, he is abused by his dad and his mom never tries to help him, and the abuse he suffered is passed down to his personality. His most recent act of violence is against Peter Driscal, who reported him to the police. After beating him to the point of brain damage, he is put in juvenile detention where he meets Garvey, a Tlingit elder.
Garvey introduces him to Circle Justice, a program meant to heal the soul and turn wrongdoers into good people. Cole accepts the offer, seeing it as nothing more than a GetOutOfJailFreeCard. His punishment is to go to an island in Southeast Alaska, where he’ll have activities to help him calm his anger. But when there, he is so blinded by rage that he essentially screws himself over hard enough to make his limbs stiff from cold water.
Then he meets the Spirit Bear. Then something ''very'' bad happens to him.
And that something may just be the key to saving his soul.
to:
Touching Spirit Bear is a book series written by Creator/BenMikaelsen. It Touching Spirit Bear was published on January 9th, 2001. It later got a sequel, ''Ghost of Spirit Bear'', 7 years later.
later on June 17, 2008.
Cole Matthewsis was a [[TroubledAbuser troubled troublemaker]] from Minneapolis, Minnesota. At home, he is was abused by his dad and his mom never tries tried to help him, and the abuse he suffered is was passed down to his personality. His most recent act of violence is at the time was against Peter Driscal, who reported him to the police. After beating him to the point of brain damage, he is was put in juvenile detention where he meets met Garvey, a Tlingit elder.
Garveyintroduces introduced him to Circle Justice, a program meant to heal the soul and turn wrongdoers into good people. Cole accepts accepted the offer, seeing it as nothing more than a GetOutOfJailFreeCard. His punishment is to go to an island in Southeast Alaska, where he’ll he will have activities to help him calm his anger. But when there, he is was so blinded by rage that he essentially screws screwed himself over hard enough to make his limbs stiff from cold water.
Then And then he meets met the Spirit Bear. Then And the Spirit Bear did something ''very'' bad happens to him.
Andthat something may just be he'll never forget.
After inviting Peter Driscal on thekey island to saving heal alongside him, they become best friends and head back to Minneapolis. However, they soon realize how violent the real world is, especially after they become the target for a group of bullies. All of this makes Cole struggle to contain his soul.
anger, and he realizes it's not enough to change himself. He has to change his world.
Cole Matthews
Garvey
And
After inviting Peter Driscal on the
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!!This book provides examples of:
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!!Tropes from Touching Spirit Bear.
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:General tropes]]
* AnAesop: Each book
* FamilyUnfriendlyViolence: As an entirely [[AddedAlliterativeAppeal serious series]], any form of violence is PlayedForDrama, often ending in bruises and blood.
* HeelFaceTurn: Most antagonistic characters redeem themselves by the end of the book, either through trauma or a simple change of heart.
* {{Jerkass}}: Each book has plenty of mean-spirited characters, whether they redeem themselves or not.
* SecondaryCharacterTitle: The books are named after the Spirit Bear, and though he does have a large role [[spoiler:mauling Cole]], other than that he's usually staring off to the side.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Tropes applying to Touching Spirit Bear]]
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* TroubledAbuser: Cole abuses others because he’s abused by his dad, [[spoiler:who was abused himself by his parents]].
----
''How much of the world did people miss because they were not calm enough, empty enough, to experience it?''
----
''How much of the world did people miss because they were not calm enough, empty enough, to experience it?''
to:
* TroubledAbuser: Cole abuses others because he’s he is abused by his dad, [[spoiler:who was abused himself by his parents]].
----
''Howparents]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Ghosts applying to Ghost of Spirit Bear]]
* TwentyMinutesIntoThePast: The book was released in 2008, but takes place directly after Cole and Peter leave the island, presumably setting the book around 2003.
* AbandonedArea: Cole and Peter try to roll bowling balls down an abandoned apartment building as a substitute for the ancestor rocks. [[spoiler:It also ends up being where the homeless man is]].
* AdaptedOut: Edwin doesn't appear at all.
* AdultsAreUseless: Every teacher does absolutely nothing about the bullying, even when it's happening in front of them.
* AnimalMotifs: The homeless man and the Spirit Bear. The man appears on-and-off and [[StealthHiBye disappears quickly]] like the Spirit Bear, and he has a lifelike bear carving of him, too.
** [[spoiler:Cole represents his school with the Spirit Bear, as he changes the school just like the Spirit Bear changed him. The Spirit Bear eventually becomes the new mascot.]]
* BulliedIntoDepression: [[spoiler:Trish gets depression from being bullied by a GirlPosse all the time and gets depression, and eventually [[DrivenToSuicide commits suicide]]]].
* BullyingTheDisabled: Keith and his friends target Peter for his limp and brain damage. And it's not just Peter; bullies tend to pick on those who aren’t able to fight back, which means they bully the disabled as muchof as they bully others. For example, Cole sees a boy with Down Syndrome getting bullied at one point.
* BullyTurnedBuddy: In theworld did first book, Peter resented Cole for giving him brain damage and ruining his life. In this book, they've gotten over it and are best friends now.
* CrazyHomelessPeople: The homeless guy Cole and Peter see frequently does not speak and only stares at the two, and doesn’t have a reaction when Peter gives him back the carving he lost. He also just has a hyper-realistic spirit bear statue.
* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:Trish gets bullied so much that she finds it unbearable and commits suicide, leaving a [[GoodbyeCruelWorld suicide letter]] behind]].
* FoulCafeteriaFood: Discussed. When Cole finds peoplemiss because calling the cafeteria food gross and dumping it in the trash half-eaten, he sees them as UngratefulBastards since he had to eat his vomit and a live mouse to survive after the bear mauling on the island.
* GangOfBullies: Keith and his friend. [[spoiler:However, Keith does have a change of heart and separates from the gang]].
* HappyRain: At one point, it starts to rain just as Cole and Peter are walking out in the open. Cole, who had just learned that your reality is based on what you make of it, embraces it and plays in the rain with Peter.[[/folder]]
* NeverMyFault:
** Peter's dad blames him for everything, though by the end he seems to have become nicer towards Peter.
** [[spoiler: Cole’s dad blames Cole for his bad life when he first visits his office, and his mom during Cole's next visit, though like Peter's dad he becomes nicer]].
* NostalgiaFilter: The adults at the Board of Education meetings think the school's bulldog mascot is better than [[spoiler:Cole's Spirit Bear mascot]], as theywere not calm enough, empty enough, had grown up with it and classify themselves as Minneapolis Central Bulldogs.
* RageBreakingPoint: When he first sees Peter get beat up by Keith and his gang, seeing it happen toexperience it?''someone so defenseless eventually releases the anger Cole had been smoldering and he starts a fight. Of course, he's called to the principal’s office and is blamed for the whole thing.
* SuckySchool: When Cole was mean, everyone was intimidated by him. While he was on the island, tension cleared up and people became meaner. By the time Cole comes back to school, almost everyone is a complete {{Jerkass}}, and the teachers don't even bat an eye. [[spoiler:Thankfully, Cole tells Ms. Kennedy that she has to reinforce rules, leading to him bringing Circle Justice to school and changing the mascot to a Spirit Bear to show change]].
[[/folder]]
----
''How
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Ghosts applying to Ghost of Spirit Bear]]
* TwentyMinutesIntoThePast: The book was released in 2008, but takes place directly after Cole and Peter leave the island, presumably setting the book around 2003.
* AbandonedArea: Cole and Peter try to roll bowling balls down an abandoned apartment building as a substitute for the ancestor rocks. [[spoiler:It also ends up being where the homeless man is]].
* AdaptedOut: Edwin doesn't appear at all.
* AdultsAreUseless: Every teacher does absolutely nothing about the bullying, even when it's happening in front of them.
* AnimalMotifs: The homeless man and the Spirit Bear. The man appears on-and-off and [[StealthHiBye disappears quickly]] like the Spirit Bear, and he has a lifelike bear carving of him, too.
** [[spoiler:Cole represents his school with the Spirit Bear, as he changes the school just like the Spirit Bear changed him. The Spirit Bear eventually becomes the new mascot.]]
* BulliedIntoDepression: [[spoiler:Trish gets depression from being bullied by a GirlPosse all the time and gets depression, and eventually [[DrivenToSuicide commits suicide]]]].
* BullyingTheDisabled: Keith and his friends target Peter for his limp and brain damage. And it's not just Peter; bullies tend to pick on those who aren’t able to fight back, which means they bully the disabled as much
* BullyTurnedBuddy: In the
* CrazyHomelessPeople: The homeless guy Cole and Peter see frequently does not speak and only stares at the two, and doesn’t have a reaction when Peter gives him back the carving he lost. He also just has a hyper-realistic spirit bear statue.
* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:Trish gets bullied so much that she finds it unbearable and commits suicide, leaving a [[GoodbyeCruelWorld suicide letter]] behind]].
* FoulCafeteriaFood: Discussed. When Cole finds people
* GangOfBullies: Keith and his friend. [[spoiler:However, Keith does have a change of heart and separates from the gang]].
* HappyRain: At one point, it starts to rain just as Cole and Peter are walking out in the open. Cole, who had just learned that your reality is based on what you make of it, embraces it and plays in the rain with Peter.[[/folder]]
* NeverMyFault:
** Peter's dad blames him for everything, though by the end he seems to have become nicer towards Peter.
** [[spoiler: Cole’s dad blames Cole for his bad life when he first visits his office, and his mom during Cole's next visit, though like Peter's dad he becomes nicer]].
* NostalgiaFilter: The adults at the Board of Education meetings think the school's bulldog mascot is better than [[spoiler:Cole's Spirit Bear mascot]], as they
* RageBreakingPoint: When he first sees Peter get beat up by Keith and his gang, seeing it happen to
* SuckySchool: When Cole was mean, everyone was intimidated by him. While he was on the island, tension cleared up and people became meaner. By the time Cole comes back to school, almost everyone is a complete {{Jerkass}}, and the teachers don't even bat an eye. [[spoiler:Thankfully, Cole tells Ms. Kennedy that she has to reinforce rules, leading to him bringing Circle Justice to school and changing the mascot to a Spirit Bear to show change]].
[[/folder]]
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* MisplacedWildlife: The Spirit Bear is depicted as living in southeast Alaska, though in real life they live in British Columbia.
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Reading the sequel, now we know about the mouse
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* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Cole's father doesn't appear at all in the second half of the book. Justified, since he's completely unloving towards Cole and wouldn't care enough to visit him.
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* NooneCouldSurviveThat: [[spoiler:Cole, who had attempted to swim in cold water and got hypothermia as a result, is mauled by the Spirit Bear and has most of his bones broken, was highly malnourished beforehand, and keeps getting blood sucked out of him by mosquitoes and horseflies, would lead someone to assume he's done for. But he clings on to life long enough for Garvey and Edwin to find and rescue him]]. His physical therapist even admits that what he went through would have killed most people.
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* AffectionateNickname: Garvey calls Cole "champ" a lot. Of course, Cole doesn't like it.
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* DoesntKnowTheirOwnChild: After Cole exposes his abusing of him, Cole's dad is asked when Cole's birthday is. He claims that birthdays have never been a big thing in the household.
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[[quoteright:318:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/41128030_sx318_5.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:318:"Whatever you do to the animals, you do to yourself. Remember that.]]
Touching Spirit Bear is a book written by Creator/BenMikaelsen. It was published on January 9th, 2001. It later got a sequel, ''Ghost of Spirit Bear'', 7 years later.
Cole Matthews is a [[TroubledAbuser troubled troublemaker]] from Minneapolis, Minnesota. At home, he is abused by his dad and his mom never tries to help him, and the abuse he suffered is passed down to his personality. His most recent act of violence is against Peter Driscal, who reported him to the police. After beating him to the point of brain damage, he is put in juvenile detention where he meets Garvey, a Tlingit elder.
Garvey introduces him to Circle Justice, a program meant to heal the soul and turn wrongdoers into good people. Cole accepts the offer, seeing it as nothing more than a GetOutOfJailFreeCard. His punishment is to go to an island in Southeast Alaska, where he’ll have activities to help him calm his anger. But when there, he is so blinded by rage that he essentially screws himself over hard enough to make his limbs stiff from cold water.
Then he meets the Spirit Bear. Then something ''very'' bad happens to him.
And that something may just be the key to saving his soul.
----
!!This book provides examples of:
* AbusiveParents: Cole's dad drank until he couldn’t remember his own name, then proceeded to beat Cole. [[spoiler:Turns out, this is because he himself was abused and didn’t know any better]].
* AlcoholicParent: Unfortunately for Cole, ''both'' his parents are alcoholics. His mom drinks to forget, and when his dad drinks he becomes a monster.
* AnAesop:
** You can not get rid of you anger. You can only tame it.
** Anger is a memory never forgotten.
** The power to choose is the real power.
** Whatever you do to the animals, you do to yourself.
** Animals can teach us more about ourselves than any teacher.
* AngryDance: At one point, Cole performs the dance of anger, but not because he was particularly angry. He just had to do a dance every day, and the dance of anger was a very special dance that portrayed how he once felt.
* BadPeopleAbuseAnimals: Discussed. During a conversation between Cole and Garvey, Garvey asks Cole what he’d do if he saw an animal at a nearby stream. Cole says he’d kill it.
* BearsAreBadNews: Zig-Zagged. The Spirit Bear is first mentioned as this majestic creature, but then proceeds to [[spoiler:nearly kill Cole. The attack saves Cole’s spirit and turns him into a better person]].
* BlindedByRage: Cole is during his [[spoiler:first]] visit to the island, so much that he screws himself over in almost every way.
* BrokenAesop: People do bad things because they’re afraid. This can be true for victims of abuse, but what about murderers? Surely [[SerialKiller Serial Killers]] like Jeffrey Dahmer or Ted Bundy weren't scared for their lives. This is even lampshaded by Peter.
-->'''Cole:''' Look, Peter, I didn't mean to hurt you.\\
'''Peter:''' You beat me up and smashed my head on the sidewalk until I was bleeding. They had to pull you off me. What do you mean you didn’t mean to hurt me?\\
'''Cole:''' What I mean is I didn’t mean to get so angry. I didn’t decide all of a sudden to get mad and hurt you.\\
'''Peter:''' And so now everything is supposed to be alright?
* CallingTheOldManOut: During a circle justice meeting, Cole exposes his dad for being a heavy drinker and whipping him.
-->'''Cole's Father:''' We always wanted the best for Cole. His mother and I have devoted our lives to him, but he-\\
'''Cole:''' [[ShutUpHannibal That’s bull]]! You drink until you can’t stand up, and you’re gone all the time. A devoted parent doesn’t whip his kid until a shirt can’t hide all the bruises!
* CharacterDevelopment: [[spoiler:Cole Matthews goes from a delinquent filled with rage to an actually decent person]].
** Cole's mom goes through character development too, becoming more confident and dressing how she wants.
* ChildhoodBrainDamage: After being beat up by Cole, Peter Driscal gains brain damage [[spoiler:and depression]].
* DancingWithMyself: After Garvey and Edwin leave him on the island [[spoiler:during his second trip]], Cole performs moves based on animals he sees on the island and learns something about said animals from them.
* DidntThinkThisThrough: When Cole tries to swim away from the island to another island, [[spoiler:[[BlindedByRage anger had clouded his mind so much]] that he forgot about the tide. Every time he did a stroke forward, the tide sent him two strokes back]].
* DontMakeMeTakeMyBeltOff: The one dive into Cole's being abused involves his dad beating him with the belt. If that wasn't bad enough, he was using the metal end.
* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:Due to being brain damaged by Cole, Peter Driscal gains depression and attempts to take his life twice, but fails]].
%%* EnfantTerrible: Cole is, [[spoiler:at first]].
* FamilyUnfriendlyViolence: This book for 9-year-olds has accurate depictions of child abuse, beating a kid up to the point of bleeding, [[spoiler:being mauled by a bear]] and eating a mouse live.
* FreudianExcuse: Cole beats up Peter to the point of brain damage and [[spoiler:suicidal thoughts]]. Why? Because he is abused by his dad and neglected by his mom.
* GhostlyAnimals: Spirit Bear. Averted since it’s a real bear and not a spirit, though it tends to disappear in the blink of an eye and is noted to have ghostly movements.
* GuiltInducedNightmare: While lying in a skiff [[spoiler:injured on his way back to Minneapolis]], Cole has a dream where everyone he knows helps him in some way, which Cole likes. He likes using people. Then everyone turns into vicious monsters and points out that he’s a liar.
-->'''The Monsters:''' You fool! Why should we do anything for you? You’re nothing! You’re a baby-faced con!
* HatesBeingAlone: Cole realizes during his [[spoiler:second]] time on the island that he's not afraid of the island; he's afraid of being alone.
* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:While lying on the ground after being mauled, Cole realizes the error of his ways and his usage of fake power, and works on redeeming himself for the rest of the book]].
* HeelRealization: [[spoiler:After lying on the ground due to being mauled, Cole realizes he’s powerless and that he likely means nothing to the world other than dirt and soil for when he dies. He uses fake power]].
* HonorThyAbuser: One of the things Cole learns on the island is to forgive. He forgives his dad for abusing him, [[spoiler:since he was abused himself and knew nothing but cruelty]].
* HouseFire: [[spoiler:Cole burns down his shelter the first time he’s on the island after being controlled by rage.]]
* ItsAllMyFault: Garvey tells Cole this while he’s lying on a skiff [[spoiler:post-bear mauling]]. Cole knows it’s his own fault.
* {{Jerkass}}: Cole is [[spoiler:during the first half of the book]], lodging Peter Driscal’s skull into a sidewalk [[DisproportionateRetribution just for tattling on him]] and [[spoiler:burning down the only shelter he had on the island]].
** And don't even get us started on Cole's dad. He whips Cole so much he gets scars, and he pays off all of his bails before he even gets to jail, when he very well deserves a cell for child abuse.
* JerkassRealization: [[spoiler:Cole realizes while lying on the ground mauled that he has been feigning power and really just beats up people to give himself a sense of superiority]].
* JerkToNiceGuyPlot: [[spoiler:After being mauled by the bear, Cole undergoes redemption]].
* KarmaHoudini: Apparently, Cole’s dad isn’t going to jail because he paid himself out of it. ''He abused Cole for everything he did''.
* KarmicInjury: [[spoiler:During the final chapter, Peter asks Garvey to let him and Cole go soak in the pond alone. This was to beat him up like Cole had beat him up a year ago. Cole doesn’t get brain damage, and as a previous aesop explained, Peter was too scared of Cole to think straight.]]
* NeverMyFault: When he first goes to the island, Cole blames Peter for his being there because he let him give him brain damage, and he blamed his dad for abusing him to turn him mean.
* NoDeadBodyPoops: [[spoiler:When Cole is eating the mouse and crushes its skull]], there’s no mention that it leaves droppings. Though that’s for the greater good, considering the scene is [[{{Squick}} squicky]] enough.
* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: The plot is set up when Cole violently beats up Peter on the sidewalk, to the point where Peter gets ''brain damage''. Some kids had to pull Cole off of him.
* ParentalNeglect: Cole's parents never loved him and preferred [[AlcoholicParent alcoholism]] (Cole’s mom drank to forget), which is the justification for Cole’s {{Jerkass}} personality. [[spoiler:The mom, however, actually did try to love him and could never protect him because she’d get abused alongside Cole, but undergoes CharacterDevelopment and no longer neglects him]].
-->'''Cole:''' My parents are divorced and don’t give a rat if I live or die. All they care about is themselves. Nobody cares about me. All my life I’ve been dumped on.
* RedemptionRejection: When Garvey introduces Cole to Circle Justice, Cole accepts the offer not to heal the soul, but to avoid jail. [[SarcasmMode Believe it or not]], this ends up not working well when Cole gets to the island.
* ReducedToRatburgers: [[spoiler:While lying on the ground mauled and injured, Cole eats a mouse because food is energy and energy is life]]. [[{{Squick}} The book goes into great detail about the experience]].
* RichBitch: Cole’s father is wealthy and powerful. He uses this to get himself out of jail, despite the fact that he abuses Cole.
* SecondaryCharacterTitle: The titular spirit bear doesn’t have much of a role aside from appearing every now and then and [[spoiler:mauling Cole]].
* SeldomSeenSpecies: The spirit bear, a subspecies of the black bear.
* SpitefulSpit: Cole tends to spit at people he doesn’t like. He spat at Peter while he was sobbing on the sidewalk, at Edwin on the skiff, and [[spoiler:life when he thought he was gonna lose it]].
* TameHisAnger: The book is about healing Cole's soul and making him a better person.
* TookALevelInKindness: [[spoiler:Cole]] redeems himself to the point where his times of evil felt like a whole other lifetime.
* TroubledAbuser: Cole abuses others because he’s abused by his dad, [[spoiler:who was abused himself by his parents]].
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Cole's father doesn't appear at all in the second half of the book. Justified, since he's completely unloving towards Cole and wouldn't care enough to visit him.
----
''How much of the world did people miss because they were not calm enough, empty enough, to experience it?''
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[[caption-width-right:318:"Whatever you do to the animals, you do to yourself. Remember that.]]
Touching Spirit Bear is a book written by Creator/BenMikaelsen. It was published on January 9th, 2001. It later got a sequel, ''Ghost of Spirit Bear'', 7 years later.
Cole Matthews is a [[TroubledAbuser troubled troublemaker]] from Minneapolis, Minnesota. At home, he is abused by his dad and his mom never tries to help him, and the abuse he suffered is passed down to his personality. His most recent act of violence is against Peter Driscal, who reported him to the police. After beating him to the point of brain damage, he is put in juvenile detention where he meets Garvey, a Tlingit elder.
Garvey introduces him to Circle Justice, a program meant to heal the soul and turn wrongdoers into good people. Cole accepts the offer, seeing it as nothing more than a GetOutOfJailFreeCard. His punishment is to go to an island in Southeast Alaska, where he’ll have activities to help him calm his anger. But when there, he is so blinded by rage that he essentially screws himself over hard enough to make his limbs stiff from cold water.
Then he meets the Spirit Bear. Then something ''very'' bad happens to him.
And that something may just be the key to saving his soul.
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!!This book provides examples of:
* AbusiveParents: Cole's dad drank until he couldn’t remember his own name, then proceeded to beat Cole. [[spoiler:Turns out, this is because he himself was abused and didn’t know any better]].
* AlcoholicParent: Unfortunately for Cole, ''both'' his parents are alcoholics. His mom drinks to forget, and when his dad drinks he becomes a monster.
* AnAesop:
** You can not get rid of you anger. You can only tame it.
** Anger is a memory never forgotten.
** The power to choose is the real power.
** Whatever you do to the animals, you do to yourself.
** Animals can teach us more about ourselves than any teacher.
* AngryDance: At one point, Cole performs the dance of anger, but not because he was particularly angry. He just had to do a dance every day, and the dance of anger was a very special dance that portrayed how he once felt.
* BadPeopleAbuseAnimals: Discussed. During a conversation between Cole and Garvey, Garvey asks Cole what he’d do if he saw an animal at a nearby stream. Cole says he’d kill it.
* BearsAreBadNews: Zig-Zagged. The Spirit Bear is first mentioned as this majestic creature, but then proceeds to [[spoiler:nearly kill Cole. The attack saves Cole’s spirit and turns him into a better person]].
* BlindedByRage: Cole is during his [[spoiler:first]] visit to the island, so much that he screws himself over in almost every way.
* BrokenAesop: People do bad things because they’re afraid. This can be true for victims of abuse, but what about murderers? Surely [[SerialKiller Serial Killers]] like Jeffrey Dahmer or Ted Bundy weren't scared for their lives. This is even lampshaded by Peter.
-->'''Cole:''' Look, Peter, I didn't mean to hurt you.\\
'''Peter:''' You beat me up and smashed my head on the sidewalk until I was bleeding. They had to pull you off me. What do you mean you didn’t mean to hurt me?\\
'''Cole:''' What I mean is I didn’t mean to get so angry. I didn’t decide all of a sudden to get mad and hurt you.\\
'''Peter:''' And so now everything is supposed to be alright?
* CallingTheOldManOut: During a circle justice meeting, Cole exposes his dad for being a heavy drinker and whipping him.
-->'''Cole's Father:''' We always wanted the best for Cole. His mother and I have devoted our lives to him, but he-\\
'''Cole:''' [[ShutUpHannibal That’s bull]]! You drink until you can’t stand up, and you’re gone all the time. A devoted parent doesn’t whip his kid until a shirt can’t hide all the bruises!
* CharacterDevelopment: [[spoiler:Cole Matthews goes from a delinquent filled with rage to an actually decent person]].
** Cole's mom goes through character development too, becoming more confident and dressing how she wants.
* ChildhoodBrainDamage: After being beat up by Cole, Peter Driscal gains brain damage [[spoiler:and depression]].
* DancingWithMyself: After Garvey and Edwin leave him on the island [[spoiler:during his second trip]], Cole performs moves based on animals he sees on the island and learns something about said animals from them.
* DidntThinkThisThrough: When Cole tries to swim away from the island to another island, [[spoiler:[[BlindedByRage anger had clouded his mind so much]] that he forgot about the tide. Every time he did a stroke forward, the tide sent him two strokes back]].
* DontMakeMeTakeMyBeltOff: The one dive into Cole's being abused involves his dad beating him with the belt. If that wasn't bad enough, he was using the metal end.
* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:Due to being brain damaged by Cole, Peter Driscal gains depression and attempts to take his life twice, but fails]].
%%* EnfantTerrible: Cole is, [[spoiler:at first]].
* FamilyUnfriendlyViolence: This book for 9-year-olds has accurate depictions of child abuse, beating a kid up to the point of bleeding, [[spoiler:being mauled by a bear]] and eating a mouse live.
* FreudianExcuse: Cole beats up Peter to the point of brain damage and [[spoiler:suicidal thoughts]]. Why? Because he is abused by his dad and neglected by his mom.
* GhostlyAnimals: Spirit Bear. Averted since it’s a real bear and not a spirit, though it tends to disappear in the blink of an eye and is noted to have ghostly movements.
* GuiltInducedNightmare: While lying in a skiff [[spoiler:injured on his way back to Minneapolis]], Cole has a dream where everyone he knows helps him in some way, which Cole likes. He likes using people. Then everyone turns into vicious monsters and points out that he’s a liar.
-->'''The Monsters:''' You fool! Why should we do anything for you? You’re nothing! You’re a baby-faced con!
* HatesBeingAlone: Cole realizes during his [[spoiler:second]] time on the island that he's not afraid of the island; he's afraid of being alone.
* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:While lying on the ground after being mauled, Cole realizes the error of his ways and his usage of fake power, and works on redeeming himself for the rest of the book]].
* HeelRealization: [[spoiler:After lying on the ground due to being mauled, Cole realizes he’s powerless and that he likely means nothing to the world other than dirt and soil for when he dies. He uses fake power]].
* HonorThyAbuser: One of the things Cole learns on the island is to forgive. He forgives his dad for abusing him, [[spoiler:since he was abused himself and knew nothing but cruelty]].
* HouseFire: [[spoiler:Cole burns down his shelter the first time he’s on the island after being controlled by rage.]]
* ItsAllMyFault: Garvey tells Cole this while he’s lying on a skiff [[spoiler:post-bear mauling]]. Cole knows it’s his own fault.
* {{Jerkass}}: Cole is [[spoiler:during the first half of the book]], lodging Peter Driscal’s skull into a sidewalk [[DisproportionateRetribution just for tattling on him]] and [[spoiler:burning down the only shelter he had on the island]].
** And don't even get us started on Cole's dad. He whips Cole so much he gets scars, and he pays off all of his bails before he even gets to jail, when he very well deserves a cell for child abuse.
* JerkassRealization: [[spoiler:Cole realizes while lying on the ground mauled that he has been feigning power and really just beats up people to give himself a sense of superiority]].
* JerkToNiceGuyPlot: [[spoiler:After being mauled by the bear, Cole undergoes redemption]].
* KarmaHoudini: Apparently, Cole’s dad isn’t going to jail because he paid himself out of it. ''He abused Cole for everything he did''.
* KarmicInjury: [[spoiler:During the final chapter, Peter asks Garvey to let him and Cole go soak in the pond alone. This was to beat him up like Cole had beat him up a year ago. Cole doesn’t get brain damage, and as a previous aesop explained, Peter was too scared of Cole to think straight.]]
* NeverMyFault: When he first goes to the island, Cole blames Peter for his being there because he let him give him brain damage, and he blamed his dad for abusing him to turn him mean.
* NoDeadBodyPoops: [[spoiler:When Cole is eating the mouse and crushes its skull]], there’s no mention that it leaves droppings. Though that’s for the greater good, considering the scene is [[{{Squick}} squicky]] enough.
* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: The plot is set up when Cole violently beats up Peter on the sidewalk, to the point where Peter gets ''brain damage''. Some kids had to pull Cole off of him.
* ParentalNeglect: Cole's parents never loved him and preferred [[AlcoholicParent alcoholism]] (Cole’s mom drank to forget), which is the justification for Cole’s {{Jerkass}} personality. [[spoiler:The mom, however, actually did try to love him and could never protect him because she’d get abused alongside Cole, but undergoes CharacterDevelopment and no longer neglects him]].
-->'''Cole:''' My parents are divorced and don’t give a rat if I live or die. All they care about is themselves. Nobody cares about me. All my life I’ve been dumped on.
* RedemptionRejection: When Garvey introduces Cole to Circle Justice, Cole accepts the offer not to heal the soul, but to avoid jail. [[SarcasmMode Believe it or not]], this ends up not working well when Cole gets to the island.
* ReducedToRatburgers: [[spoiler:While lying on the ground mauled and injured, Cole eats a mouse because food is energy and energy is life]]. [[{{Squick}} The book goes into great detail about the experience]].
* RichBitch: Cole’s father is wealthy and powerful. He uses this to get himself out of jail, despite the fact that he abuses Cole.
* SecondaryCharacterTitle: The titular spirit bear doesn’t have much of a role aside from appearing every now and then and [[spoiler:mauling Cole]].
* SeldomSeenSpecies: The spirit bear, a subspecies of the black bear.
* SpitefulSpit: Cole tends to spit at people he doesn’t like. He spat at Peter while he was sobbing on the sidewalk, at Edwin on the skiff, and [[spoiler:life when he thought he was gonna lose it]].
* TameHisAnger: The book is about healing Cole's soul and making him a better person.
* TookALevelInKindness: [[spoiler:Cole]] redeems himself to the point where his times of evil felt like a whole other lifetime.
* TroubledAbuser: Cole abuses others because he’s abused by his dad, [[spoiler:who was abused himself by his parents]].
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Cole's father doesn't appear at all in the second half of the book. Justified, since he's completely unloving towards Cole and wouldn't care enough to visit him.
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''How much of the world did people miss because they were not calm enough, empty enough, to experience it?''
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