Observation

1.) My first observation was Cole's attitude towards the entire situation. His anger towards his parents clouded his every thought so, he took it out on every and anyone who came in his way. Cole felt that he didn't need anyone in his life, all he needed were people being scared of him, that way they wouldn't get involved in his life. He practically raised himself. Cole felt that everything he did was someone else's fault; he never did anything wrong. He blamed Peter for calling the police and telling them about his robbery and putting him in court again; his parents for not bailing him out of jail when he beat up Peter for calling the cops; Garvey and Edwin for butting into his life and helping.

This shows that in the beginning of the book Cole is portrayed as a selfish prat. He cares for no one because no one cares for him, and he doesn't give anyone the chance to care for him either. It shows that Cole thrives on someone being scared of him, that way he's sure that no one will try to get close to him. I think that Cole isn't exactly selfish, he's just scared of getting hurt; scared to get close to anyone in case he gets hurt like how his family has hurt hi his entire life.


2.) My second observation is the Spirit Bear. It seems that the Spirit Bear only shows up when Cole is at peace with himself or "invisible" and only acts when it feels threatened. I think that just means the Spirit Bear represents the goodness in people. It only shows up when you're in peace and serenity, meaning you are in no position to cause harm or you have a clear mind with no intention to cause harm. It only acts when it feels threatened, Cole attacked the Spirit Bear so it attacked him, there was no need to get hurt because a kid with anger issues wanted to kill. I wasn't as if Cole had a good reason to kill the bear other than that it was staring at him.

I think that was why the bear attacked. Cole couldn't give a good reason for his violence so the bear saw no reason to spare him. When Cole got over his anger the Spirit Bear showed itself to him. That just makes me think that the Spirit Bear was just karma in a weird way.


3.) My third observation is how Circle of Justice has changed Cole. In the beginning of the book, as mentioned in observation 1, Cole is portrayed as a selfish prat. By the end of the book Cole has learned how to deal with his anger, how not to blame others for his problems and most importantly he has learned to forgive.

What this observation is saying is that a little time alone is good but you also have to learn to have friends, communicate and enjoy yourself. When Cole was on thee island alone, yes he learned things about himself, yes he learned to be at peace, sure he dance the dance of anger but he was lonely. He was thrilled when Edwin visited regularly even if he didn't say much it was some sort of company. Circle of Justice gave him an alternative to jail, the island, and it helped him immensely.

Cole invited Peter Driscal on the island and apologized, the old Cole would have just laughed at the situation and try everything to get Peter even more scared of him. He didn't fight back when Peter was hitting him, he just told him to stop. The old Cole was all about violence, I think that passage showed how drastically Cole had transformed.

Quote

Then Peter started kicking him. To Cole it felt as if a sledgehammer was striking his chest and arms. He rolled away, but the next kick caught him in the face and slammed his head back. He tasted blood. The world spun in lazy circles. The hammer kept hitting. "Stop!" Cole gasped. "Please stop!"

"Then fight you coward!" Peter screamed like a madman.

"I'm not going to fight you," Cole shouted as the next angry kicks to his stomach took his breath away. Then the kicking stopped. Cole opened his eyes in time to see Peter sink to his knees next to him crying. Peter's body shook with great hiccuping sobs.