Take a story's temperature by studying its tone. Is it hopeful? Cynical? Snarky? Playful?
Pessimistically Yours
Because Touching Spirit Bear focuses on Cole's experience, a lot of it is told through his rather less-than-rosy perspective. Especially at the beginning, Cole thinks the world is just a terrible place and everyone is out to get him:
Cole thought back to all the people at home who had tried to help him over the years. He hated their fake concern. They didn't really care what happened to him. They were gutless—he could see it in their eyes. They were afraid, glad to be rid of him. They pretended to help only because they didn't know what else to do. (1.14)
Even after Cole undergoes a change in character, the tone of the book remains cautious and realistic. After all, he's been through a lot of tough stuff in his life, so it's no wonder that he would have a difficult time being overly optimistic about life…even when things get better.