Sign of the Beaver: Character Sketch

            In The Sign of the Beaver written by Elizabeth Speare, a young boy named Matt was left alone in the wilderness to fend for himself while his father made an important journey. Although his character was prideful at the beginning of the book - a trait that always made his falls in self-confidence harder - it soon changed to one of humbleness and contentedness. At the start of the story, Matt took pride in his survival abilities and the cabin he helped to build. But when he met a nearby tribe of Indians, he soon discovered he was not as capable as he thought. When his family finally returned, Matt had already developed humility and a willingness to learn.

            During the first weeks by himself, Matt took pride in his ability to survive on his own. Although he realized that "time was going to move slowly" (p. 5), he soon discovered it was "mighty pleasant living alone" (p. 7). For several weeks, his aplomb buoyed him through hard work and survival. Hunting and fishing became a regular task and Matt was confident he could take care of himself and the cabin. But his confidence quickly turned to humility.

            The first thing that created insecurity was the theft of his father's firearm. Without the gun,  he was unable to hunt. This left a sense of shame and humility in his head and a moaning emptiness in his stomach. During an attempted honey collection, Matt's pride was broken along with his ankle when he fell out of the tree. Matt was forced to humble himself and accept help from a friendly Indian and his son, Attean. At the start of Attean's first "school" day, Matt was prideful of and confident in his teaching skills, but Attean proved to be more than a match to teach. During the two boys adventures, Attean repeatedly proved to Matt that he was not nearly as skilled as the Indian boy. On one occasion, Matt tried to show off his fishing skills, but his catch escaped with Matt's hook, and ego. Attean then smugly showed the embarrassed white boy how to fish like an Indian. During his awkward friendship with Attean, Matt's self-confidence slowly morphed into meekness.

            Towards the end of the tale, Matt began to rely on others. He chose to learn from Attean, even though the older boy looked down on him. When Attean's decrepit dog was   caught in a trap, Matt overcame his desire to prove to Attean that he was better than him and helped the poor mutt. Before his family returned, Matt's character had matured and his prideful nature had been replaced with respect for what others had to teach.  

            Although Matt's natural tendencies toward pride and arrogance where prominent at the start of The Sign of the Beaver, he learned to respect others' advice and wisdom. He was forced to listen to  Attean in order to survive, even though the Indian often embarrassed him. When the Indian tribe invited Matt to go with them and he declined, his character had been changed and molded into something much more beautiful. He was able to accept wisdom from others and give respect where it was due.  The change in his heart from arrogance to humility brought change in his life from constant embarrassment to genuine contentedness in his life.