Transformation in Ben Mikaelsen’s Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen

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Recommended: The concept of transformation in literature

Help and devotion are shown in many different varieties throughout communities. These good acts are documented often in literature. Such is the topic in Ben Mikaelsen’s novel Touching Spirit Bear. People step out of their lives to help others become a better individual. Edwin and Garvey take on the challenge of making Cole Mathews a better person. In Ben Mikaelsen’s Touching Spirit Bear, the help of others enables an individual to transform as illustrated through characterization, epiphanies, and symbols, which shows others that even at peoples worst times, help is all they need.
To begin with in Ben Mikaelsen’s Touching Spirit Bear, the help of others enables an individual to transform as demonstrated by characterization. How the author characterizes the characters in the book is a big part if they will or will not change. In Touching Spirit Bear, Ben Mikaelsen did a good job on choosing the characters by how they act and what they do. Mikaelsen made Cole an angry person which helps the reader see that anyone can change. Cole is helped by Edwin and Garvey because they had gone to the island too as a boy. Edwin and Garvey went through all the changes as Cole does and they help his personality change. Cole acts like he is really bad, but Edwin knows that he is just angry. Because the author did a good job on characterizing Cole and Edwin we can see that they help each other transform into another person. The author made clear that “anger well[s] up inside Cole” (Mikaelsen 5). Cole can’t see that he has an anger issue. He doesn’t realize that hurting people isn’t right. Mikaelsen made it clear that it wasn’t going to be easy helping Cole through his journey to transform. It allows the readers to see that anyone can change. Cole is g...

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...imes, all they need is help.
In conclusion, the use of symbols, epiphanies, and characterization demonstrates how the help of others enables an individual to transform in Touching Spirit Bear. Through others, Cole realizes that he is not alone. When Cole helps Peter, he discovers that he can feel better without hurting others. No one has to go through changes alone. The courage and thoughtfulness of others can help people become the person they want to be. Ben Mikaelsen uses Touching Spirit Bear to reveal that everyone needs help from time to time, while showing that even a person so angry like Cole Mathew can change. If an individual doesn’t acknowledge that they need help even if they don’t want it then that individual will not be able to become a better man.

Work Cited
Mikaelsen, Ben. Touching Spirit Bear. New York: HarperCollins Publishers Inc., 2001.
Print.

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