What are Cole's similar characteristics in the beginning of the story to the end.

Cole experiences severe bouts of anger throughout the novel. He is initially portrayed as a very angry person and takes much time to finally realize how to fix that problem. In Cole's own case, the anger comes from many different sources. He comes to discover that much of his anger comes from being beaten by his father, and that his father's own anger is because his own father had beaten him.

Cole, however, declares that he wants to be rid of anger, a notion that Edwin dismisses, saying that anger always will remain. The permanence of anger and one's need to cope with it and channel it into more beneficial emotions is again a central lesson that one learns from the book and a central point of analyzing the growth of each character.

As Cole grows less angry, he is able to devote himself more fully to serving others in need, such as Peter. He also witnesses how easy it is for the anger to well up inside of him again, such as when Peter begins to harass him on the island. By understanding the way in which Cole controlled his own anger, the author gives readers insight into this universal human emotion and both its negative consequences and positive possibilities.