The Sign of the Beaver

“His father had really gone. He was alone, with miles of wilderness stretching on every side.”

For the first time, protagonist Matt Hallowell is left alone in the world without his family. They are to arrive soon, but meanwhile, he must fend for himself in a land filled with promise and danger.

“[…] the long, quavering cry of the loon from the distant pond. The first time he had heard that loon call he had thought it was a wolf. Now he liked to hear it. Mournful as it was, it was the cry of another living creature. Matt would worm his shoulder into a comfortable spot in the hemlock boughs that made his mattress, pull the blanket over his head to shut out the mosquitoes, and fall asleep well satisfied with his world.”

Life alone in the wilderness keeps Matt busy, but he’s rewarded with the food he catches and the sounds of nature. Having the natural world for company provides him with a sense of belonging. Elizabeth George Speare’s use of sensory imagery provides sights and sounds for the reader.

“Ben was gone, and so was the rifle. He should have kept it in his hands, as his hunch had warned him. He could see now that the man had had his mind set on that gun from the moment he laid eyes on it. But even if Matt had had it in his hands, could he have held out against those burly arms? And to keep his gun, could he actually have shot a man—even a criminal?”

Matt faces the first crisis of his solitary duty. A burly vagrant, Ben, has made off with his only protection and means of hunting for food. The crisis is also a moral one: Should he have been so generous a host, or would refusing a guest have been condemned by his father? It’s a difficult dilemma, and Matt pays for it with the loss of his only weapon.

“Gradually his spirits rose again. The July weather was perfect. The flies and mosquitoes were less bothersome. He began to count the days ahead instead of the ones he had notched. Two or three more sticks and his family would be here. The corn was growing taller. The little hard green pumpkins were rounding out. He could wait a little longer.”

The loss of his rifle is hard to take, but the warm summer days and nearby creek full of fish revive Matt’s spirits. Matt is resilient: With time and work, his mood tends to return to its normal state. It’s a trait he’ll need in the coming weeks.

“Though his eyelids were swollen almost shut, he could see two figures bending over him—unreal, half-naked figures with dark faces. Then, as his wits began to return to him, he saw that they were Indians, an old man and a boy. The man’s hands were reaching for his throat, and in panic Matt tried to jerk away. ‘Not move,’ a deep voice ordered. ‘Bee needles have poison. Must get out.’”

A Penobscot man and boy, Saknis and Attean, rescue Matt from a bee swarm. It is Matt’s first encounter with local residents, who have been keeping an eye on him. So far, a fellow colonist (Ben) has robbed him, and two Penobscot people have saved his life. It is a score that says much about whom Matt should trust.

“‘Attean learn,’ he said. ‘White man come more and more to Indian land. White man not make treaty with pipe. White man make signs on paper, signs Indian not know. Indian put mark on paper to show him friend of white man. Then white man take land. Tell Indian cannot hunt on land. Attean learn to read white man’s signs. Attean not give away hunting grounds.’”

Saknis explains that Matt can help his neighbors by teaching one of them, his grandson Attean, to read English. Already, the local Indigenous people chafe at the bad deals they’ve made with ambitious colonists, who see the world as divisible property they can buy and sell. Matt’s English lessons will help the Beaver clan understand what colonists want should they show up to arrange peace treaties. Matt now understands why the local Indigenous groups have gone to war against colonists so often. This recognition of another people’s wants and needs marks the beginning of his respect for them.

“‘How long Attean learn signs in book?’ ‘It will take some time,’ Matt said. ‘There are a lot of long words in this book.’ ‘One moon?’ ‘One month? Of course not. It might take a year.’ With one swift jerk of his arm, Attean knocked the book from the table. Before Matt could speak, he was out of the cabin and gone.”

Attean hates being with Matt, as he is a colonist (and colonists killed his parents and continue to take advantage of his people). He doesn’t yet understand his grandfather’s wisdom in having him learn to read English, the language of a people who have many technical advantages and threaten to overwhelm their own. Being forced to learn from Matt, the enemy, to protect his people hurts Attean’s pride—but will be the first step toward an unusual friendship.

“‘Robinson Crusoe looks out and sees that part of the ship hasn’t sunk yet. He swims out and manages to save some things and carry them to shore.’ […] Attean spoke at once. ‘White man not smart like Indian,’ he said scornfully. ‘Indian not need thing from ship. Indian make all thing he need.’”

The gulf between Matt and Attean isn’t merely one of language. What Matt recognizes as valuable resources for a European shipwreck survivor mean nothing to Attean; Attean feels contempt for colonists, who clearly don’t know what they’re doing in the woods. To him, they are foolish, incompetent, and wasteful.

“‘Him never do that!’ ‘Never do what?’ ‘Never kneel down to white man!’ ‘But Crusoe had saved his life.’ ‘Not kneel down,’ Attean repeated fiercely. ‘Not be slave. Better die.’”

Attean resents the passage in Robinson Crusoe where Friday, grateful for being saved from cannibals, offers himself as a slave to Crusoe. For the first time, Matt sees the story from the perspective of an Indigenous reader. Unlike the character of Friday, most Indigenous people don’t see themselves as inferior to Europeans. Matt begins to consider the idea that his disrespect for Indigenous people may be wrong.

“Matt realized that he never again need worry about losing a hook. He could make a new one […] Attean had proved to him once again that he didn’t always have to depend on white man’s tools.”

Though Attean may be teaching woodcraft to prove the superiority of his people’s ways, Matt can’t help but appreciate the lessons. The local residents know how to make use of the forest’s resources, giving Matt the tools he needs to survive the upcoming weeks.

“For some reason he could not explain to himself, he trusted Attean. He didn’t really like him. When the Indian got that disdainful look in his eyes, Matt hated him. But somehow, as they had sat side by side, day after day, doing the lessons that neither of them wanted to do, something had changed. Perhaps it had been Robinson Crusoe, or the tramping through the woods together. They didn’t like each other, but they were no longer enemies.”

Without knowing it, Matt and Attean begin to bond—if not in friendship, at least as allies in the forest. Attean is proud of his people and lifestyle, and Matt, still new to the area, is grateful to learn his secrets. In turn, Matt can only offer what he knows of English writing and his own people’s culture and stories.

“He was envious of the bow Attean often carried behind his shoulder, and of the blunt arrows he tucked into his belt. Only the day before, Matt had watched him swing it suddenly into position and bring down a flying duck. Attean had picked up the dead bird carefully and carried it away with him. No doubt the Indians would find some use for every scrap of bone and feather. Matt knew by now that Attean never shot anything just for the fun of it.”

Matt still thinks of forest life as an adventurous romp, but Attean takes his world seriously. Attean’s is a more adult attitude, and Matt begins to appreciate it. There is more satisfaction to be had from doing things that matter and doing them well.

“Matt liked to try out Indian words. They were not hard to understand but impossible to get his tongue around. He didn’t think he could ever quite get them right, but he could see that though it amused Attean when he tried, it also pleased him.”

Matt pays Attean a compliment in trying to imitate his language. It doesn’t matter that the words come out mangled, as the attempt itself is a sign of respect for Penobscot culture. The attempt is a bridge to friendship.

“The ancient Bible stories were filled with adventure. And they were told straight out in simple language that didn’t need skipping.”

Having finished Robinson Crusoe, Matt and Attean want to continue reading more adventure stories. Matt remembers that he possesses the family Bible, which contains stories that remind Attean of some of his own people’s myths. The use of Bible stories to teach is an example of Matt’s growing ability to utilize everything he has at hand, in the manner of the Beaver clan.

“Matt looked with distaste at the rabbit, almost covered by the bear’s heavy paw, the fur matted and bloody. He would rather not have touched it, but obediently he pulled it out. It was his dinner, after all. And he knew that in Attean’s world everything that was killed must be used. The Indians did not kill for sport.”

Unlike many colonists, the Penobscot people don’t act frivolously. They’re careful to respect the animals they hunt, as the forest is their livelihood; it’s not to be abused (through overhunting) or wasted (by only using select parts of animals).

“The Indians were enjoying themselves, refilling their bowls, shouting at each other, laughing and slapping their legs at what seemed to be uproarious jokes. This was noisier than any celebration Matt had ever seen in Quincy, even on Muster Day. Why had he ever had the idea that the Indians were a dull lot?”

A day that begins with a terrifying bear encounter ends with Matt visiting Attean’s community, where everyone dances, feasts, and tells stories. Matt is delighted to find that a people he’d thought dour and stern are in fact warm, friendly, and even boisterous.

“Matt thought of the village they had just left, how very poor it seemed, how few possessions the Indians could boast. For the first time Matt glimpsed how it might be for them, watching their old hunting grounds taken over by white colonists and by white traders demanding more skins than the woods could provide.”

The plight of Indigenous people like Attean’s Beaver clan becomes clear to Matt. Caught between their old, fruitful life and a new, poorer one that forces them to adopt European ways, Attean’s people struggle with frustration, lost pride, and being pushed aside as colonists flood the region.

“Attean stood watching as the dog came limping toward him. ‘Dog very stupid,’ he said. ‘No good for hunt. No good for smell turtle smell. What for I take back such foolish dog?’ His harsh words did not fool Matt for a moment. Nor did they fool the dog. The scruffy tail thumped joyfully against the earth. The brown eyes looked up at the Indian boy with adoration. Attean reached into his pouch and brought out a strip of dried meat. Then he bent and very gently took the broken paw into his hands.”

Despite traditional masculinity often dictating that boys and men school their emotions, Attean feels grateful to Matt for saving his dog, Aremus. By now, Matt interprets Attean’s mood fairly well, while Aremus reads his owner perfectly.

“He was very tired. The bump on his forehead was throbbing. He was sore from head to toe, and his eye was almost swollen shut. But to his surprise, deep inside he felt content. Was it because Attean’s dog had finally trusted him? No, more than that had changed. He had passed some sort of test. Not by any means with flying colors; he had plenty of bruises to remind him of that. But at least he had not disgraced Attean. He felt satisfied. And for the first time since his father had left him, he did not feel alone in the forest.”

Matt’s second visit to the Beaver clan is the direct result of a series of events—his readings to Attean, his help during the bear attack, his determination to save Attean’s dog Aremus, his courtesy toward Grandmother despite her suspicions, and his genuine effort at the Penobscot boys’ games—all of which show that he is courageous, tough, and polite. The village clearly approves of the outsider, and even his toughest critic, Aremus, wags his tail for him.

“Every Indian boy must have a manitou, he said, before he could take his place as one of the men of his family. He had to find it for himself. No one could help him. His grandfather had been training him for many days. He had had to learn many things. Now he must make the test.”

Rites of passage are common across cultures, and the Penobscot people have a demanding one that tests the mettle of boys who would be men. Finding one’s manitou (spirit guide) comprises spending days alone in the woods without food, along with the risk of failure and shame. Matt knows that, when Attean passes his test, he may no longer want to go on adventures with him.

“[Matt] remembered hearing that many white men—and white women too—who had been captured by the Indians and had lived many years in the wilderness, did not want to return to the white world when they had a chance, but had chosen instead to live with the Indians. He had never understood that, but now he could see very well how it might happen. He no longer distrusted them. He knew that Attean and his grandfather would be kind, that even the grandmother would make him welcome, and that they would share with him whatever they had, no matter how little.”

Having been rescued early on, Matt appreciates the kindness of Saknis’s clan. Their culture, though tough and sometimes cruel, is warmer and more connected to the forest than the colonists’ aggressive approach to natural resources. In other words, Matt feels the temptation to join the clan in their way of life.

“‘How one man own ground?’ Attean questioned. ‘Well, my father owns it now. He bought it.’ ‘I not understand.’ Attean scowled. ‘How can man own land? Land same as air. Land for all people to live on. For beaver and deer. Does deer own land?’”

Attean doesn’t see land in terms of ownership; to him, it’s simply a common resource shared by all. Building a single cabin upon this land isn’t a problem, but thousands of cabins, and miles of cleared forest, become an intrusion. As a semi-nomadic people, Attean’s clan solves these problems by moving to another region in the forest that seems to go on forever. Though good stewards of their resources, the Beaver clan can’t imagine, any more than the colonists can, that the forest may someday be transformed beyond recognition by deforestation and overhunting. All Matt knows for certain is that more colonists will arrive, and the wilderness will keep receding toward the West.

“He was surprised at how much he looked forward to Sarah’s coming. Back at home she had been nothing but a pesky child, always following him about and pestering him to be taken along wherever he was going. Now he remembered the way she had run to meet him when he came home from school, pigtails flying, eyes shining, demanding to know everything that had happened there. Sarah hated fiercely being a girl and having no school to go to. She would be full of curiosity in the forest. She wasn’t afraid like most girls. She was spunky enough to try almost anything. She was like that Indian girl, Attean’s sister. What a pity they couldn’t have known each other!”

As winter closes in at the cabin, Matt’s loneliness deepens. He misses his sister Sarah, whom he once considered a pest, and he wishes she could meet Attean’s sister Marie. Already, Matt’s sense of family includes both his blood relations and Saknis’s clan. That Matt, a teenager, can withstand the stress of months of solitude in a vast forest is a testament to his determination and toughness. He has learned Attean’s lessons well.

“Suddenly he realized that he was happy, as he had never been in the weeks since Attean had gone away. He was no longer afraid of the winter ahead. The snowshoes had set him free. The cabin was warm and welcoming. He melted snow in his kettle and made a tea of tips of hemlock. He shelled and crushed a handful of acorns and boiled them with a strip of pumpkin. Afterwards, for the first time in weeks, he took down Robinson Crusoe. Reading by the firelight, he felt drowsy and contented. Life on a warm island in the Pacific might be easier, but tonight Matt thought that he wouldn’t for a moment have given up his snug cabin buried in the snow.”

Throughout the novel, the forest imposes on Matt a test of his ability to survive alone. With the Beaver clan’s help, Matt passes. In the process, he realizes he can live anywhere; he can now take care of himself with his newfound skills.