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Garvey
Cole’s dad is a wealthy, imposing man who regularly dresses in three-piece suits, no matter where he’s going. He’s a heavy drinker and believes that he can deal with every problem by throwing money or a lawsuit at it—which means that Cole poses a problem for him, as buying Cole expensive gifts and sports equipment doesn’t buy Cole’s compliance. Rather, Cole’s dad began beating Cole when Cole was small, often to the point that Cole went physically numb and couldn’t hide the bruises after the fact. Cole’s mom and dad divorced in the year before the novel begins, and they refuse to speak to each other in the novel’s present—which makes their split even more difficult for Cole to accept. Though the novel never says whether Cole’s dad was physically abusive to his wife during their marriage, their relationship did include intimidation and controlling tactics—Cole’s mom is clearly afraid of her ex-husband. Obsessed with appearances, Cole’s dad is enraged when Cole tells the Circle Justice program about the abuse, and following this, he effectively stops trying with Cole. This is in part because he’s charged with child abuse, though Cole also doesn’t want to talk to his dad, as Cole blames his dad for his own problems. It’s not until the Spirit Bear mauls Cole and Cole begins to heal that he can finally understand that blaming his dad is just another way to evade responsibility. During Cole’s time in the hospital, his mom also shares that Cole’s dad’s parents beat him when he was a kid—he doesn’t know anything but violence. As Cole heals, comes to terms with his anger, and learns to forgive, he does forgive his dad and comes to the realization that his dad must be terrified. Cole’s dad, however, changes little over the course of the novel. He ultimately sues Cole’s mom for custody of Cole, something that Garvey (Cole’s parole officer) suggests that he does to intimidate others, exert control, and win. The custody battle is still ongoing at the end of the novel, but Garvey insists that Cole’s dad will never win custody of his son.
Cole’s Dad Quotes in Touching Spirit Bear
The Touching Spirit Bear quotes below are all either spoken by Cole’s Dad or refer to Cole’s Dad. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 5
Quotes
Cole felt no regret for having burned the supplies and the shelter. Nor did he regret hurting Peter. This was all somebody else’s fault. If it weren’t for his parents, Peter, and the stupid Healing Circle, he wouldn’t even be here. Somebody would pay for what was happening. He would get revenge, especially against those who had wanted him in jail. People like Peter’s lady lawyer. He hated her.
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Chapter 13
Quotes
“I did care about you. But helping others is how I help myself.”
“You need help?” Cole asked, surprised.
Garvey nodded. “I see a lot of myself in you. When I was your age, I spent five long years in prison for things I’ll go to my grave regretting. I lived my early years here in Drake, but no one cared enough to take me through Circle Justice.” He shook his head with a sad smile. “Take my word for it, jail scars the soul. And I was never able to help those I hurt.”
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Chapter 14
Quotes
“Ever wonder why your dad beats you?”
Cole looked up, surprised. “I’ve never done anything to him.”
“I didn’t say you did.”
“He just whips me ‘cause he’s mad.”
Garvey smiled. “Remind you of anybody we know?”
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“Your father isn’t a bad person, but when he was younger, he had parents who beat him for everything he did. That’s all he ever knew. When I saw him start doing it to you, I kept telling myself things would get better. Drinking helped me ignore reality.” She shook her head. “It took a divorce and you ending up in the hospital to wake me up. I realized I couldn’t change your father, but I could change me. I’m sorry you’ve gone through all you have. Can you ever forgive me?”
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Chapter 15
Quotes
“I just know that my dad’s not going to ever come back to say he’s sorry. Even if he did, he couldn’t change what he did. He couldn’t take away all the memories.”
“So you think this is all his fault, huh?” asked Edwin.
“No,” said Cole, his voice trembling. “Mom said his parents beat him up, too. I don’t know where the anger all started. All I know is I don’t ever want to have a kid and beat him up.”
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Chapter 20
Quotes
“I just realized that I’m not a bad person. Nobody is,” he said. “People are just scared and do bad things. Sometimes people hurt each other trying to figure things out.” Cole gazed into the flames. “I hate what Dad does to me, but he must be just as scared as I am. He doesn’t want to be mean; he just doesn’t know any better.”
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Chapter 26
Quotes
“I think it’s a matter of pride. He thinks he can always get his way and doesn’t want anyone or anything to win out over him.”
Cole traced the eraser of his pencil across the table. “I used to be like that.”
“I know you did.”
“Do you think he’ll win?” asked Cole.
Garvey shook his head. “Over my dead body.”
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Get the entire Touching Spirit Bear LitChart as a printable PDF.
Cole’s Dad Quotes in Touching Spirit Bear
The Touching Spirit Bear quotes below are all either spoken by Cole’s Dad or refer to Cole’s Dad. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 5
Quotes
Cole felt no regret for having burned the supplies and the shelter. Nor did he regret hurting Peter. This was all somebody else’s fault. If it weren’t for his parents, Peter, and the stupid Healing Circle, he wouldn’t even be here. Somebody would pay for what was happening. He would get revenge, especially against those who had wanted him in jail. People like Peter’s lady lawyer. He hated her.
Related Characters:
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Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 13
Quotes
“I did care about you. But helping others is how I help myself.”
“You need help?” Cole asked, surprised.
Garvey nodded. “I see a lot of myself in you. When I was your age, I spent five long years in prison for things I’ll go to my grave regretting. I lived my early years here in Drake, but no one cared enough to take me through Circle Justice.” He shook his head with a sad smile. “Take my word for it, jail scars the soul. And I was never able to help those I hurt.”
Related Characters:
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Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 14
Quotes
“Ever wonder why your dad beats you?”
Cole looked up, surprised. “I’ve never done anything to him.”
“I didn’t say you did.”
“He just whips me ‘cause he’s mad.”
Garvey smiled. “Remind you of anybody we know?”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“Your father isn’t a bad person, but when he was younger, he had parents who beat him for everything he did. That’s all he ever knew. When I saw him start doing it to you, I kept telling myself things would get better. Drinking helped me ignore reality.” She shook her head. “It took a divorce and you ending up in the hospital to wake me up. I realized I couldn’t change your father, but I could change me. I’m sorry you’ve gone through all you have. Can you ever forgive me?”
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Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 15
Quotes
“I just know that my dad’s not going to ever come back to say he’s sorry. Even if he did, he couldn’t change what he did. He couldn’t take away all the memories.”
“So you think this is all his fault, huh?” asked Edwin.
“No,” said Cole, his voice trembling. “Mom said his parents beat him up, too. I don’t know where the anger all started. All I know is I don’t ever want to have a kid and beat him up.”
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Chapter 20
Quotes
“I just realized that I’m not a bad person. Nobody is,” he said. “People are just scared and do bad things. Sometimes people hurt each other trying to figure things out.” Cole gazed into the flames. “I hate what Dad does to me, but he must be just as scared as I am. He doesn’t want to be mean; he just doesn’t know any better.”
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Chapter 26
Quotes
“I think it’s a matter of pride. He thinks he can always get his way and doesn’t want anyone or anything to win out over him.”
Cole traced the eraser of his pencil across the table. “I used to be like that.”
“I know you did.”
“Do you think he’ll win?” asked Cole.
Garvey shook his head. “Over my dead body.”
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Page Number and Citation:
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