Touching Spirit Bear

by

Ben Mikaelsen

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Touching Spirit Bear makes teaching easy.

Garvey Character Analysis

Garvey is Cole’s parole officer after Cole is arrested for assaulting Peter. Garvey is built like a bulldog and annoys Cole, since he’s unwaveringly friendly, visits all the time, and seems to see right through Cole’s tough façade. He’s the one to suggest that Cole participate in Circle Justice, though he also insists that he’s not going to help Cole unless Cole truly buys into the program. He also brings up the possibility of banishment for Cole—Garvey is Tlingit and knows that his community in Alaska still facilitates banishment for young people. Upon leaving Cole on the island, Garvey gifts Cole an at.óow (tribal blanket) as a symbol of trust and friendship, though he can tell that Cole doesn’t understand the significance of the gift. Cole hates Garvey for his role in getting him onto the island, but when Garvey rescues Cole after the Spirit Bear mauls him, Cole clings to Garvey more than anyone else. Garvey remains dedicated and loyal to Cole through Cole’s time in the hospital and, with Edwin’s help, facilitates Cole’s return to the island. During the few days that Garvey and Edwin are there with Cole—even though Cole and Garvey have a much better relationship by this point—Garvey refuses to give Cole any leeway to be selfish and rude. During their time together, Cole does begin to wonder how he ever could’ve hated Garvey when Garvey is so kind, caring, and funny. Garvey eventually shares that he went to jail for five years as a young person because Circle Justice wasn’t an option for him—and he helps Cole for this reason. When Circle Justice agrees to send Peter to the island to try to recover, Garvey takes his accrued vacation time to supervise the boys. He acts mostly as a quiet, friendly buffer as the boys cautiously begin to trust each other.

Garvey Quotes in Touching Spirit Bear

The Touching Spirit Bear quotes below are all either spoken by Garvey or refer to Garvey. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Fear, Power, and Cycles of Violence Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1  Quotes

Cole didn’t trust Garvey. He didn’t trust anyone who wasn’t afraid of him.

Related Characters: Cole Matthews, Garvey
Page Number: 3-4
Explanation and Analysis:

“Justice should heal, not punish. If you kill my cat, you need to become more sensitive to animals. You and I need to be friends, and I need to forgive you to get over my anger. That’s Circle Justice. Everybody is a part of the healing, including people from the community—anybody who cares. But healing is much harder than standard punishment. Healing requires taking responsibility for your actions.”

Related Characters: Garvey (speaker), Cole Matthews
Related Symbols: Circles
Page Number: 12
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 3 Quotes

“Will Peter be there?”

Garvey shrugged. “It’s up to him. He may not be ready to forgive you.”

“I don’t care if he forgives me.”

Garvey rubbed the back of his neck, then glanced up toward the ceiling. “How come everything is always about you? This forgiveness isn’t for you. Unless Peter forgives you, he won’t heal.”

Related Characters: Cole Matthews (speaker), Garvey (speaker), Peter Driscal
Related Symbols: Circles
Page Number: 33
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 4 Quotes

“If the Driscals realize that the Circle allows them to have a voice in decisions, and that forgiveness can help Peter to heal, they may also join the Circle.”

“You mean they might help decide my sentence?”

Garvey nodded. “Maybe.”

“They’ll hang me,” Cole said. “I’m dead.”

“I think you’ve already hung yourself,” Garvey answered.

Related Characters: Cole Matthews (speaker), Garvey (speaker), Peter Driscal, Mr. Driscal, Mrs. Driscal
Related Symbols: Circles
Page Number: 35
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 12 Quotes

Frantic, Cole struggled to fly, but he couldn’t escape the nest. All he could do was open his beak wide and raise it upward toward the sky, the action a simple admission that he was powerless. There were no conditions, no vices, no lies, no deceit, no manipulation. Only submission and a simple desire to live. He wanted to live, but for that he needed help; otherwise his life would end in the nest.

Related Characters: Cole Matthews, Edwin, Garvey
Related Symbols: Spirit Bear
Page Number: 94
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 13 Quotes

“I did care about you. But helping others is how I help myself.”

“You need help?” Cole asked, surprised.

Garvey nodded. “I see a lot of myself in you. When I was your age, I spent five long years in prison for things I’ll go to my grave regretting. I lived my early years here in Drake, but no one cared enough to take me through Circle Justice.” He shook his head with a sad smile. “Take my word for it, jail scars the soul. And I was never able to help those I hurt.”

Related Characters: Cole Matthews (speaker), Garvey (speaker), Peter Driscal, Cole’s Dad
Related Symbols: Circles
Page Number: 107
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 14 Quotes

“Ever wonder why your dad beats you?”

Cole looked up, surprised. “I’ve never done anything to him.”

“I didn’t say you did.”

“He just whips me ‘cause he’s mad.”

Garvey smiled. “Remind you of anybody we know?”

Related Characters: Cole Matthews (speaker), Garvey (speaker), Cole’s Dad
Page Number: 120
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 15 Quotes

“I just know that my dad’s not going to ever come back to say he’s sorry. Even if he did, he couldn’t change what he did. He couldn’t take away all the memories.”

“So you think this is all his fault, huh?” asked Edwin.

“No,” said Cole, his voice trembling. “Mom said his parents beat him up, too. I don’t know where the anger all started. All I know is I don’t ever want to have a kid and beat him up.”

Related Characters: Cole Matthews (speaker), Edwin (speaker), Garvey, Cole’s Dad, Cole’s Mom
Page Number: 132
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 20 Quotes

“I just realized that I’m not a bad person. Nobody is,” he said. “People are just scared and do bad things. Sometimes people hurt each other trying to figure things out.” Cole gazed into the flames. “I hate what Dad does to me, but he must be just as scared as I am. He doesn’t want to be mean; he just doesn’t know any better.”

Related Characters: Cole Matthews (speaker), Peter Driscal, Edwin, Garvey, Cole’s Dad
Page Number: 168
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 26 Quotes

“I think it’s a matter of pride. He thinks he can always get his way and doesn’t want anyone or anything to win out over him.”

Cole traced the eraser of his pencil across the table. “I used to be like that.”

“I know you did.”

“Do you think he’ll win?” asked Cole.

Garvey shook his head. “Over my dead body.”

Related Characters: Cole Matthews (speaker), Garvey (speaker), Cole’s Dad
Page Number: 219
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Touching Spirit Bear LitChart as a printable PDF.
Touching Spirit Bear PDF

Garvey Quotes in Touching Spirit Bear

The Touching Spirit Bear quotes below are all either spoken by Garvey or refer to Garvey. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Fear, Power, and Cycles of Violence Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1  Quotes

Cole didn’t trust Garvey. He didn’t trust anyone who wasn’t afraid of him.

Related Characters: Cole Matthews, Garvey
Page Number: 3-4
Explanation and Analysis:

“Justice should heal, not punish. If you kill my cat, you need to become more sensitive to animals. You and I need to be friends, and I need to forgive you to get over my anger. That’s Circle Justice. Everybody is a part of the healing, including people from the community—anybody who cares. But healing is much harder than standard punishment. Healing requires taking responsibility for your actions.”

Related Characters: Garvey (speaker), Cole Matthews
Related Symbols: Circles
Page Number: 12
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 3 Quotes

“Will Peter be there?”

Garvey shrugged. “It’s up to him. He may not be ready to forgive you.”

“I don’t care if he forgives me.”

Garvey rubbed the back of his neck, then glanced up toward the ceiling. “How come everything is always about you? This forgiveness isn’t for you. Unless Peter forgives you, he won’t heal.”

Related Characters: Cole Matthews (speaker), Garvey (speaker), Peter Driscal
Related Symbols: Circles
Page Number: 33
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 4 Quotes

“If the Driscals realize that the Circle allows them to have a voice in decisions, and that forgiveness can help Peter to heal, they may also join the Circle.”

“You mean they might help decide my sentence?”

Garvey nodded. “Maybe.”

“They’ll hang me,” Cole said. “I’m dead.”

“I think you’ve already hung yourself,” Garvey answered.

Related Characters: Cole Matthews (speaker), Garvey (speaker), Peter Driscal, Mr. Driscal, Mrs. Driscal
Related Symbols: Circles
Page Number: 35
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 12 Quotes

Frantic, Cole struggled to fly, but he couldn’t escape the nest. All he could do was open his beak wide and raise it upward toward the sky, the action a simple admission that he was powerless. There were no conditions, no vices, no lies, no deceit, no manipulation. Only submission and a simple desire to live. He wanted to live, but for that he needed help; otherwise his life would end in the nest.

Related Characters: Cole Matthews, Edwin, Garvey
Related Symbols: Spirit Bear
Page Number: 94
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 13 Quotes

“I did care about you. But helping others is how I help myself.”

“You need help?” Cole asked, surprised.

Garvey nodded. “I see a lot of myself in you. When I was your age, I spent five long years in prison for things I’ll go to my grave regretting. I lived my early years here in Drake, but no one cared enough to take me through Circle Justice.” He shook his head with a sad smile. “Take my word for it, jail scars the soul. And I was never able to help those I hurt.”

Related Characters: Cole Matthews (speaker), Garvey (speaker), Peter Driscal, Cole’s Dad
Related Symbols: Circles
Page Number: 107
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 14 Quotes

“Ever wonder why your dad beats you?”

Cole looked up, surprised. “I’ve never done anything to him.”

“I didn’t say you did.”

“He just whips me ‘cause he’s mad.”

Garvey smiled. “Remind you of anybody we know?”

Related Characters: Cole Matthews (speaker), Garvey (speaker), Cole’s Dad
Page Number: 120
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 15 Quotes

“I just know that my dad’s not going to ever come back to say he’s sorry. Even if he did, he couldn’t change what he did. He couldn’t take away all the memories.”

“So you think this is all his fault, huh?” asked Edwin.

“No,” said Cole, his voice trembling. “Mom said his parents beat him up, too. I don’t know where the anger all started. All I know is I don’t ever want to have a kid and beat him up.”

Related Characters: Cole Matthews (speaker), Edwin (speaker), Garvey, Cole’s Dad, Cole’s Mom
Page Number: 132
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 20 Quotes

“I just realized that I’m not a bad person. Nobody is,” he said. “People are just scared and do bad things. Sometimes people hurt each other trying to figure things out.” Cole gazed into the flames. “I hate what Dad does to me, but he must be just as scared as I am. He doesn’t want to be mean; he just doesn’t know any better.”

Related Characters: Cole Matthews (speaker), Peter Driscal, Edwin, Garvey, Cole’s Dad
Page Number: 168
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 26 Quotes

“I think it’s a matter of pride. He thinks he can always get his way and doesn’t want anyone or anything to win out over him.”

Cole traced the eraser of his pencil across the table. “I used to be like that.”

“I know you did.”

“Do you think he’ll win?” asked Cole.

Garvey shook his head. “Over my dead body.”

Related Characters: Cole Matthews (speaker), Garvey (speaker), Cole’s Dad
Page Number: 219
Explanation and Analysis: