In what way does Cole become a better person in Touching Spirit Bear?

Cole becomes a better person because he stops being violent and blaming others for his problems.

When the story starts, Cole is a very angry young man.  He is facing a jail sentence for severely beating a classmate, Peter, for telling about a robbery Cole committed on a hardware store.  Cole’s father was abusive and his mother was an alcoholic, so Cole often acted out.  His behavior was really a cry for help.

Cole was offered Circle Justice as an option.  Circle Justice was different from the regular legal system.  The focus was on healing and forgiveness.  Cole had to agree to change and try to change.  At first, Cole participated only to avoid jail time.  He did not believe it would work.

He had no intention of ever honoring the contract he agreed to during the Circle Justice meetings. As soon as they left him alone, this silly game would end. Circle Justice was a bunch of bull. (Ch. 1) 

It is true that Cole does not react well to the island when he first arrives.  He tries to swim away.  He also burns down the cabin that was built for him.  In the ultimate fit of foolishness, he attacks the spirit bear.  This was his biggest mistake, because unlike the cabin the bear could fight back.  It did.  It shredded Cole and he almost died. 

The bear attack was the first time Cole really began to change.  He realized how small and insignificant he was in the scheme of things.  He went from feeling that the bear should fear and respect him to accepting that death would come.  When he was finally rescued, no one believed Cole had seen the spirit bear, let alone been attacked by one.  In the first sign that Cole is changing, he doesn’t care if they believe him or not. 

When Cole returns to the island, it is with a different attitude.  He builds his own cabin, even healing from injuries. He agrees to soak in the stream and carry a rock up a hill as a symbolic exercise.  This new attitude takes time though.  At one point, Garvey and Edwin threaten to take him back.

The most significant even is the arrival of Peter.  Cole was shocked to find out that Peter tried to kill himself.  Believing that the island would do him good, Cole tried to get Peter to forgive him.  It took a long time, but eventually Peter came around.  What Cole says to Peter shows how much he has matured. 

“This morning, when we forgave each other, we also forgave ourselves,” he said. “We allowed ourselves to become a part of the big circle.  That’s why we saw the Spirit Bear.” (Ch. 28) 

Although Peter would never become best friends with Cole, he did learn to live with what had happened to him and realize that Cole was not terrible.  Cole had definitely changed.  He learned to stop being angry at the world and blaming everyone else for his problems.  He also learned how to help others.  Helping Peter was the last step in helping himself.