What was the conflict in the book Touching Spirit Bear?

The main conflict is an internal conflict Cole has with himself.

Cole is a very angry kid.  It is because Cole is so angry that he gets into trouble.  Cole is at war with himself.  He is trying to find a way to handle his father’s abuse and his mother’s distance.  He lashes out at pretty much everyone.

The biggest conflict in the book centers around Cole’s attack of a classmate named Peter.  Peter told on Cole when he broke into a hardware store, and Cole beat Peter up so badly that there was brain damage.  Cole’s attack on Peter was self-loathing turned outward.  Cole was not really a bad person, but he was out of control.

The kid, Peter Driscal, was a ninth grader Cole had picked on many times before just for the fun of it. Still, no one ratted on Cole Matthews without paying the price. (Ch. 1)

Cole blames everyone for his problems.  He thinks that those who try to help him are stupid.  He plays along with the Circle Justice hoping that he will get a lighter sentence, but he does not really want to reform.  He just wants to play everyone else, deceiving them into getting what he wants.

When Cole is sentenced to a period of self-inspection on an island, he accepts it but makes no effort to actually change.  The conflict he faces with himself comes to a boiling point when he attacks the bear.  Again, in attacking the bear he is attacking himself.  The external conflict is a proxy for the internal one.

The mauling didn’t make sense. In the past, everything had always been afraid of him. Why wasn’t the bear scared? A bear with half a brain would have turned tail and run. Instead, this dumb animal had attacked. (Ch. 8)

The bear’s attack makes Cole realize how small he is in the scheme of things.  As he is suffering, incapacitated and close to death, Cole evaluates his life.  For the first time, he can see the bigger picture and his place in the world.

Cole’s injuries are serious.  For the first time, he begins to change.  It is a difficult journey for him.  He has to struggle with his feelings of low self-worth and anger.  In healing himself, he has to face the conflict with Peter and with people like Garvey.

The character versus nature conflict is symbolic in this book.  The struggle against the elements mirrors Cole’s inner struggle.  This is why he gets nowhere when he tries to swim off of the island.  Cole is not really ready to face his inner demons.  By the time he does, he has forgiven Peter, the bear, and himself.