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Cole’s Dad
Cole’s mom is a timid woman who, in the year before the novel begins, divorced Cole’s dad. At first, Cole resents his mother. He thinks of her as a timid, mouse-like woman who’s afraid of everything, including her own shadow—and thus, he sees her as ineffective and as just another person who abandoned him. This is mostly due to the fact that Cole’s mom is an alcoholic and never stood up to her then-husband when he beat Cole, though she knew full well the abuse was happening. Some of Cole’s mom’s behavior suggests that she didn’t stand up to her husband out of fear—he at least threatened to hurt her like he hurt Cole, and it’s never confirmed whether or not he was violent with her. Cole’s mom only begins to change when Cole’s parole officer, Garvey, impresses upon her that she shares the blame for what happened to Cole in Alaska because of her refusal to protect Cole by pressing charges against her ex-husband. Following her choice to accuse Cole’s dad of child abuse, Cole’s mom quits drinking, begins dressing more casually (before, she dressed up in an attempt to protect herself and hide her true feelings), and visits Cole regularly in the hospital and then in the detention center. She becomes more open with Cole as well, and she owns up to the mistakes she made as a parent and in her marriage. Her apology for not protecting Cole causes Cole to cry. During Cole’s final stint on the island, his mom writes often and calls Garvey regularly to check up on Cole—though the terms of Cole’s banishment mean he won’t get to read her letters or speak to his mom until he returns to the mainland.
Cole’s Mom Quotes in Touching Spirit Bear
The Touching Spirit Bear quotes below are all either spoken by Cole’s Mom or refer to Cole’s Mom. 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 14
Quotes
“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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Get the entire Touching Spirit Bear LitChart as a printable PDF.
Cole’s Mom Quotes in Touching Spirit Bear
The Touching Spirit Bear quotes below are all either spoken by Cole’s Mom or refer to Cole’s Mom. 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 14
Quotes
“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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