The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare
"The Sign of the Beaver" by Elizabeth George Speare is a historical fiction novel set in the wilderness of colonial America. It tells the story of two adolescent boys, Matt Hallowell, a white settler, and Attean, a Native American, who are thrust together by circumstance and must navigate their cultural differences while striving for mutual respect and acceptance. Matt is left to manage his family's homestead alone, lacking essential survival skills, while Attean, already initiated into his tribe, initially resents the imposition of teaching Matt to read in exchange for food. Throughout the story, the boys face numerous challenges, including theft, wildlife encounters, and their own deep-seated prejudices, which complicate their interactions.
As their relationship evolves, they both serve as teachers and learners, discovering shared humanity despite their cultural differences. Key themes include the struggles for manhood, respect, and understanding across cultures. The novel emphasizes the importance of friendship and collaboration in overcoming adversity, ultimately suggesting that both cultures can coexist and grow through their encounters. Suitable for upper elementary students, "The Sign of the Beaver" offers rich opportunities for discussion about character development, historical context, and cross-cultural relationships.
The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare
First published: 1983
Subjects: Coming-of-age and friendship
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Adventure tale
Time of work: The eighteenth century
Recommended Ages: 10-13
Locale: The Maine wilderness
Principal Characters:
Matt Hallowell , a white boy who must learn to survive in the wilderness and who becomes a friend of the Beaver clanAttean , an American Indian boy who harbors a deep hatred of white peopleSaknis , an American Indian chief who forces Matt and Attean to teach each other
Form and Content
In The Sign of the Beaver, Elizabeth George Speare creates a wilderness tale with two adolescent boys as principal characters. The adventure elements of the novel provide a setting for the struggles of a white boy and an American Indian boy to prove themselves to be men. Each boy struggles to gain the respect of his elders, and, as their lives become intertwined, a mutual respect becomes part of the goal.
Matt Hallowell, almost thirteen, and Attean, already fourteen, are forced together against their wills. Pa trusts Matt to care for the homestead while he is away, but Matt does not possess the necessary survival skills for the challenges awaiting him in the wilderness. His rifle is stolen, a bear eats much of his food supply, and he is attacked by bees. Attean and his grandfather, Saknis, save Matt’s life. Saknis makes a treaty with Matt: He will bring food to the boy in exchange for reading lessons for Attean. Attean proves to be a hostile pupil, while Matt is a reluctant teacher. The reading lessons proceed miserably for both boys until Matt reads aloud from Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe (1719). Attean shows interest in the story in spite of his obvious disdain for all white people.
Day after day, the boys read and take walks in the woods, where their roles are reversed as Attean becomes the teacher. Yet, most of Matt’s efforts fail to change the coldness in Attean’s eyes.
Readers follow Matt and Attean through twenty-five short chapters hoping for friendship to develop. In many chapters, a cultural conflict is revealed through an event in Robinson Crusoe or an opposition of perspectives. For example, Attean is offended by the term “slave” in Robinson Crusoe, and Matt cannot agree with leaving a wounded fox in a trap because it was not on the Beaver clan’s hunting ground.
Speare’s use of foreshadowing encourages readers to predict events. Early in the novel, Matt is visited by a man who notices Pa’s rifle hanging above the cabin door. Readers can sense Matt’s discomfort and are not surprised when the rifle is stolen as Matt sleeps. The mention of animal traps may cause readers to predict fearfully that Matt may be in danger. Neither Matt nor Attean is harmed, but Attean’s dog is caught, which becomes a significant event in the forging of the fragile relationship between the boys.
Speare offers the critical reader an opportunity to observe subtle changes in the boys and in their relationship, permitting readers to identify changes before the boys themselves become aware of them. Attean teaches Matt to make and use a snare, a fishhook, and a bow before the boys realize that they are no longer enemies. Attean’s speech becomes much improved by the end of Robinson Crusoe, as Matt eventually notices.
Many differences in the two cultures are illustrated as Matt and Attean struggle to understand each other. After Attean kills a bear, Matt is confused when the rest of the work is left for the women of the tribe. Attean is scornful when Matt tends crops, which he also views as “squaw work.” Each boy struggles with his own culture’s standards for becoming a man worthy of the respect of other men. Matt must face the oncoming of winter and the fact that his family is long overdue. Attean must prove himself worthy to go on a long hunt with the tribe’s warriors. Together, through being both teacher and pupil, Matt and Attean reach their goals.
Critical Context
Historical fiction provides an exciting reading experience from which to view historical information, and Elizabeth George Speare is a master of the genre. In 1989, she won the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award for her body of work, which has made a lasting contribution to children’s literature. Through her books, children in the United States often connect with the strongly developed characters and gain a sense of time and place as Americans. Readers are drawn past the differences in people and are challenged to look to the common bonds that bring people together. As two cultures collide in The Sign of the Beaver, readers learn that through respect, acceptance, and friendship, different cultures can survive and thrive; neither must be sacrificed for the other. Each culture is strengthened by the challenge to grow and to change as a result of this contact.
Both boys in this novel battle with achieving the status of manhood. Matt must prove himself able to accept a man’s responsibility. Attean must find his manitou, or spirit, before he is considered worthy to hunt with the braves. Each boy is tested in mind, body, and spirit, yet both desire the same goal of acceptance into an adult world. Their relationship with each other matures as each boy grows into manhood. Speare develops these characters so carefully that the reader is able to identify the changes and maturity in each boy through his actions, without the assistance of a narrator.
The Sign of the Beaver is a highly recommended novel for literature-based instruction in reading and language arts classes in the upper elementary grades. Teachers can challenge students to predict events, record character traits, and suggest ideas for a sequel: For example, will Matt and Attean meet again? Language arts methods books for teachers frequently illustrate instructional techniques from Speare’s books.