Quotes from Cole Matthews

“The mauling didn’t make sense. In the past, everything had always been afraid of him. Why wasn’t the bear scared?”

This quote by the third-person omniscient narrator gives us insight into Cole's own thought process in the aftermath of the Spirit Bear attack. The fearlessness of the bear is the final factor that makes Cole understand just how weak and vulnerable he is. The bear literally crushes his body but it also figuratively crushes his pride and his sense of anger and power over others. These vices certainly continue to trouble Cole in the second half of the book, but this quote gives an insight into his process of learning and growth through Circle Justice.