Elizabeth Speare’s The Sign of the Beaver is a worthy holder of a Newbery Honor. Even if it didn’t win the award itself, this piece of historical fiction still proves to be stunning. Set in the 1760s in Maine, a white boy named Matt has to take care of himself in the forest when his father leaves to retrieve their family. During this time, Matt meets an Indian tribe and makes friends with them. He meets a boy named Attean and his grandparents. At first, the two do not get along well. But gradually, Attean and Matt learn to respect each other's cultures and beliefs. Matt tries to teach Attean English writing and reading, while Attean teaches Matt Indian ways of survival and secrets of the forest. This book is not only interesting, but reaches deep into historical roots. It talks about the White settlers and the Native Indians, the conflicts between them and how to end these conflicts, represented by Matt and Attean becoming friends. In this book review, we will discuss this history, how the plot ties into it, and other themes.
Conflicts between English and Native Indians are all caused by controversy over land ownership. Originally, there were only the Native Indians in North America, and it had been their home for a long time. However, white men from England needed new land to house their population, so is the cause of expeditions to North America. Native Indian tribes each had their own lands and territories, but white settlers needed their own. Using guns and machines, they built their own homes, uncaringly taking over Indian territory, killing them, their food supply, and making unfair treaties with the advantage of their language being strange to Indians. This began conflict, and this conflict is a key pillar holding up the story. When Attean first met Matt, he disliked him, as Matt was white. Later on after they were friends, Attean explained that white settlers had killed his mother and possibly his father as well. This was why Attean and his grandmother hated white men. As shown here, the original conflict between Matt and Attean has its source code from the general conflict between Indians and whites. It truly shows the clear upsetness from Indians and the carelessness from white settlers at that time. This story demonstrates the conflicts between the English and Indians using a smaller example, portraying the unhappiness of Indians when the English came for land ownership.
This conflict is solvable though, if respect and friendship are shown on both sides towards each other. To achieve peace, both Indians and the English need to be able to respect and tolerate each other. This means accepting and embracing the differences between the two and living in harmony. This can mean respecting cultures, ways of living, and languages. If we are able to understand and tolerate differences, we will gradually come to respect each other and prosper without conflict. We should share items and land, and learn to live together. In the story, Matt and Attean disliked each other at first. However, they then began to gradually warm to their differences and work together. They did activities together, such as hunting or fishing. They helped each other with problems, such as Matt helping to free Attean’s dog, and Attean helping Matt survive in the forest. During this process, they learned from each other, Matt learning Indian ways of survival without machines, and Attean attempting to learn English. They accepted their differences and linked their similarities, such as their separate traditional tales. By doing so, they removed the barrier of differences and learned to embrace each other’s cultures, traditions, ways of living and beliefs. They used teamwork and cooperation, becoming better friends the more they helped each other. Ultimately, they respected each other, with Attean even calling Matt a “white brother”, acknowledging each other. This story portrays the key to peace, respecting each other and our differences.
Maturity can be shown in many ways, such as learning to respect differences, being able to survive and thrive by oneself, and taking responsibility. As we grow, we learn to respect others and how they are different from us. We are able to accept and acknowledge other people’s choices, religion, and ways of living. We become more independent, learning more, increasing our capability to survive on our own, a crucial skill to use after reaching adulthood. We also learn to take more responsibility, care for others, our family, and take up right decisions, plans, and actions. All of this is to prepare us for the time when we will have to live on our own. In the story, Matt learned to respect Indians and their ways of living and cultures, embracing them with open arms rather than repelling them. As the book progresses, Matt is more and more educated on how to survive on his own, understanding the secrets of the forest and utilizing them for survival. He also takes responsibility, caring for his home while his father is away, and loyally waiting for them, even when he didn’t know if they would return. These experiences helped Matt thrive and mature. We see Matt growing throughout the story, using responsibility, respect for others, and increased knowledge for survival skills. Growing up means being able to respect others and being able to be counted on, as well as learning to survive independently.
In conclusion, The Sign of the Beaver genuinely deserves its Newbery Honor, using a significant historical background and fusing it with the plot, a crucial connection that creates numerous themes and uses smaller examples to reveal a bigger picture. The story uses the Indian-white settler conflict to build its main problem in the story. Before white settlers came, Indians were the only ones in North America, and they were content. But white settlers came and took over the land to house their population, carelessly taking over Indian land, killing them, slaughtering their food supply, and making unfair treaties. They also used machines that Indians were not used to. This caused unhappiness among Indians and thus began the conflict. However, the story suggests a solution to this feud using Matt and Attean’s behavior. Matt was white and Attean was Indian. The two disliked each other at first, but through doing activities together, helping and cooperating with each other, and respecting each other’s cultures and ways of living, Attean and Matt gradually became friends. The same can be for white settlers and Indians. If both sides share, cooperate and respect each other, peace would be achieved. Throughout the story, Matt shows maturity and growth in the sense of taking more responsibility, respecting others, and gaining more knowledge and independence on how to survive on his own. This story is truly stunning, blending fiction with history while developing themes from this mix, and I highly recommend this book.
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