Touching Spirit Bear

by

Ben Mikaelsen

Edwin is the Tlingit elder who facilitates Cole’s banishment on a remote Alaskan island after Cole assaults Peter. He’s a potbellied, quiet man with a look that seems consistently calm and knowing. Edwin gets on Cole’s bad side immediately by forcing Cole to put his clothes on inside out to show shame, acting unafraid of Cole, and refusing to rise to any of Cole’s bait. Even more irritatingly, Edwin insists that Spirit Bears are more dignified than some people, something that Cole finds offensive. Edwin also makes Cole feel insignificant by insisting that he’s part of a much greater circle of life and needs to respect nature and animals. Despite their bad start, Cole is thrilled to see Edwin when Edwin and Cole’s parole officer, Garvey, return to the island to discover that the Spirit Bear mauled Cole. Months later, when Cole is recovered and attends his first Circle Justice meeting, Edwin flies in from Alaska to attend and makes the case to the disbelieving Circle members that Cole has changed and should be allowed to continue to change. Once he and Garvey convince the Circle to return Cole to the island, Cole’s thoughts on Edwin begin to change. Though Edwin remains quiet—at times, maddeningly so—he also introduces Cole to several rituals he can perform to gain control over his anger. He shares that he was also banished on the island as a young person, and that these rituals helped him. However, Edwin wasn’t able to help the person he hurt, which is why he now helps Cole. By withholding information, and instead simply giving Cole the space and the tools he needs, Edwin is able to force Cole into making a number of intellectual leaps on his own. Though Edwin believes that Cole has changed and turned himself around, he becomes increasingly distant and angry as Peter’s mental health deteriorates as a result of Cole’s violence. He does, however, arrange for Peter to come to the island so he can attempt to heal.

Edwin Quotes in Touching Spirit Bear

The Touching Spirit Bear quotes below are all either spoken by Edwin or refer to Edwin. 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:
Fear, Power, and Cycles of Violence Theme Icon
).
Chapter 2 Quotes

“Other animals come here for water, too,” Edwin said. “How would you feel if a bear made its den beside the stream?”

Cole shrugged. “I’d kill it.”

The potbellied elder nodded with a knowing smile. “Animals feel the same way. Don’t forget that.” [...] “You aren’t the only creature here. You’re part of a much bigger circle. Learn your place or you’ll have a rough time.”

Related Characters: Cole Matthews (speaker), Edwin (speaker)
Related Symbols: Circles, Spirit Bear
Page Number: 17
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 8 Quotes

Cole’s gaze wandered in a big circle around him. All of the landscape, the air, the trees, the animals, the water, the rain, all seemed to be part of something bigger. They moved in harmony, bending and flowing, twisting and breathing, as if connected. But Cole felt alone and apart. His soaked clothes chilled his bones. The hard ground pushed at his wounded body like a big hand shoving him away.

Related Characters: Cole Matthews, Edwin
Related Symbols: Circles, Spirit Bear
Page Number: 70
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 12 Quotes

Frantic, Cole struggled to fly, but he couldn’t escape the nest. All he could do was open his beak wide and raise it upward toward the sky, the action a simple admission that he was powerless. There were no conditions, no vices, no lies, no deceit, no manipulation. Only submission and a simple desire to live. He wanted to live, but for that he needed help; otherwise his life would end in the nest.

Related Characters: Cole Matthews, Edwin, Garvey
Related Symbols: Spirit Bear
Page Number: 94
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.”

Related Characters: Cole Matthews (speaker), Edwin (speaker), Garvey, Cole’s Dad, Cole’s Mom
Page Number: 132
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 17 Quotes

So, unless I go somewhere and freeze every morning, I’ll keep getting mad, huh?”

Edwin smiled but shook his head. “You only look at the left end of the stick and at the cloudy sky now because your experiences in life have made that a habit. Happiness, like anger, is also a habit. You learn to be happy one day at a time. But habits change hard. This pond will help you.”

Related Characters: Cole Matthews (speaker), Edwin (speaker)
Page Number: 146
Explanation and Analysis:
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.”

Related Characters: Cole Matthews (speaker), Peter Driscal, Edwin, Garvey, Cole’s Dad
Page Number: 168
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 24 Quotes

“There’s still something missing. It isn’t enough to be sorry and forgive. Somehow I have to figure out a way to help Peter. Until then, I’ll never be able to carve anything in the blank space. That’s what I had to discover before I could heal, wasn’t it?”

Edwin smiled slightly and nodded. “How to help Peter heal is something that will haunt you and stay in your thoughts like a sliver under your skin. The harm you did to him will fester and pain you all your life unless you’re able to make up for it.”

Related Characters: Cole Matthews (speaker), Edwin (speaker), Peter Driscal
Page Number: 196
Explanation and Analysis:

“How is Garvey?” Cole asked excitedly.

“He said that last week Peter tried to commit suicide.”

“Suicide!” Cole caught his breath. “Why?”

“If someone is treated as if his life is worthless, he begins to believe it.”

“But his life isn’t worthless,” Cole protested.

Edwin stood, and with one motion opened the door and flung the last of his hot chocolate outside.

“I never told him he was worthless,” Cole argued.

“Smashing his head on a sidewalk is a funny way of telling Peter he’s valuable.”

Related Characters: Cole Matthews (speaker), Edwin (speaker), Peter Driscal
Page Number: 201
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Touching Spirit Bear LitChart as a printable PDF.
Touching Spirit Bear PDF

Edwin Quotes in Touching Spirit Bear

The Touching Spirit Bear quotes below are all either spoken by Edwin or refer to Edwin. 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:
Fear, Power, and Cycles of Violence Theme Icon
).
Chapter 2 Quotes

“Other animals come here for water, too,” Edwin said. “How would you feel if a bear made its den beside the stream?”

Cole shrugged. “I’d kill it.”

The potbellied elder nodded with a knowing smile. “Animals feel the same way. Don’t forget that.” [...] “You aren’t the only creature here. You’re part of a much bigger circle. Learn your place or you’ll have a rough time.”

Related Characters: Cole Matthews (speaker), Edwin (speaker)
Related Symbols: Circles, Spirit Bear
Page Number: 17
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 8 Quotes

Cole’s gaze wandered in a big circle around him. All of the landscape, the air, the trees, the animals, the water, the rain, all seemed to be part of something bigger. They moved in harmony, bending and flowing, twisting and breathing, as if connected. But Cole felt alone and apart. His soaked clothes chilled his bones. The hard ground pushed at his wounded body like a big hand shoving him away.

Related Characters: Cole Matthews, Edwin
Related Symbols: Circles, Spirit Bear
Page Number: 70
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 12 Quotes

Frantic, Cole struggled to fly, but he couldn’t escape the nest. All he could do was open his beak wide and raise it upward toward the sky, the action a simple admission that he was powerless. There were no conditions, no vices, no lies, no deceit, no manipulation. Only submission and a simple desire to live. He wanted to live, but for that he needed help; otherwise his life would end in the nest.

Related Characters: Cole Matthews, Edwin, Garvey
Related Symbols: Spirit Bear
Page Number: 94
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.”

Related Characters: Cole Matthews (speaker), Edwin (speaker), Garvey, Cole’s Dad, Cole’s Mom
Page Number: 132
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 17 Quotes

So, unless I go somewhere and freeze every morning, I’ll keep getting mad, huh?”

Edwin smiled but shook his head. “You only look at the left end of the stick and at the cloudy sky now because your experiences in life have made that a habit. Happiness, like anger, is also a habit. You learn to be happy one day at a time. But habits change hard. This pond will help you.”

Related Characters: Cole Matthews (speaker), Edwin (speaker)
Page Number: 146
Explanation and Analysis:
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.”

Related Characters: Cole Matthews (speaker), Peter Driscal, Edwin, Garvey, Cole’s Dad
Page Number: 168
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 24 Quotes

“There’s still something missing. It isn’t enough to be sorry and forgive. Somehow I have to figure out a way to help Peter. Until then, I’ll never be able to carve anything in the blank space. That’s what I had to discover before I could heal, wasn’t it?”

Edwin smiled slightly and nodded. “How to help Peter heal is something that will haunt you and stay in your thoughts like a sliver under your skin. The harm you did to him will fester and pain you all your life unless you’re able to make up for it.”

Related Characters: Cole Matthews (speaker), Edwin (speaker), Peter Driscal
Page Number: 196
Explanation and Analysis:

“How is Garvey?” Cole asked excitedly.

“He said that last week Peter tried to commit suicide.”

“Suicide!” Cole caught his breath. “Why?”

“If someone is treated as if his life is worthless, he begins to believe it.”

“But his life isn’t worthless,” Cole protested.

Edwin stood, and with one motion opened the door and flung the last of his hot chocolate outside.

“I never told him he was worthless,” Cole argued.

“Smashing his head on a sidewalk is a funny way of telling Peter he’s valuable.”

Related Characters: Cole Matthews (speaker), Edwin (speaker), Peter Driscal
Page Number: 201
Explanation and Analysis: