Epigraphs are like little appetizers to the great entrée of a story. They illuminate important aspects of the story, and they get us headed in the right direction.
Fall seven times, stand up eight.
- Japanese Proverb
What's up with the epigraph?
The epigraph for Touching Spirit Bear is all about perseverance and strength of character, about digging deep to find the ability to carry on even in the face of great adversity.
In the beginning, Cole Matthews doesn't seem like the kind of guy who will ever really try to be a better person. He's mired in self-pity and considers himself a lost cause; he doesn't even want to make amends for beating a kid so badly that he might suffer permanent damage. Yikes.
But through his time on the island and his brush with death (when he's attacked by Spirit Bear), Cole learns that he's going to have to fight for a better life—even if circumstances keep knocking him down. He can't keep blaming everyone else for his problems. He has to confront his issues head-on and try hard to change and set himself on a better path.