The Sign of the Beaver, by Elizabeth George Speare

Review by Joel Gould
Genre: Survival Tale / Action Adventure / Historical Fiction

The Sign of the Beaver, by Elizabeth George Speare, is set in the summer and fall of 1769, in the bountiful forests of what is now the state of Maine. Matt, age 12, has been left alone for a few months, while his father returns to Massachusetts to retrieve his infant sister and mother. In their absence, he is to finish winterizing a log cabin, maintain a physical presence, and if necessary, defend his family's homestead. Within days, Ben, a transient con-man, steals his gun and Molasses. Matt, desperately hungry, ties to harvest honey from a nearby hive. A swarm of bees brutally attacks him and he submerges himself in a creek. An adult Indian and a boy, about his age, pull Matt, in shock, from the water, remove the toxic bee stingers, medicate his wounds, and nurture him back to health.  Saknis, the tribal leader, Attean, his son, and Matt come to a mutually beneficial arrangement: The tribe will keep an eye on Matt, ensuring his safety and Matt, in turn, will teach Attean to read English, so that he would be able to read and translate signed treaties. Speare writes short, direct, and powerful sentences. The book unfolds gracefully, if perhaps a bit predictably.  Matt and Attean begin the summer with a mutual distrust and resentment, and part, before the first snowfall with respect, trust, and friendship. This is a coming-of-age story of two male adolescents, who through intelligence, bravery, skill, strength, and cooperation become recognized as adults by their respective communities.

The 2011 edition includes a critical and helpful introduction by Joseph Bruchac. It places the book within a broader narrative tradition, “white hero adopted by Indians”, praises the author’s efforts to demonstrate how our cultural differences coexist with values we share, and recognizes the book's shortcomings: Bruchac points out that the Wabanaki characters speak in stereotypical broken English, typical of midcentury Western films.  “‘Him my dog. Him come.’ Attean shrugged. ‘No name. Aremus - dog.’” (p. 53) (Question - how often do English language learners really swap object pronouns for subject pronouns? Or is this a device perpetuated to convey “backwardness”?) Words in the Wabanaki language appear to come from word-for-word dictionary translations and lack the subtlety of context. Beyond the generic “dog”, Aremus, more meaningfully translates to “walks with us”, (p. 53) an honorific bestowed on the first domestic dogs. Contrary to the portrayal in this book, dogs in Wabanaki culture were given carefully chosen names, and considered part of the family. Bruchac also notes that many native people from this period spoke several languages well. Indeed, Attean’s words distract from otherwise well-crafted text, and might reasonably repel some readers. They also raise a red-flag that if these details don’t quite ring true, the deeper cultural understandings are likely also out of tune. And then, what does the book mean?

Cultural lenses (shaped by historical context) focus, yet narrow our understandings. This is true of the characters in this story, the author, and for us, the readers. Students might better appreciate the complexity of the interactions central to The Sign of the Beaver by pairing it with another modern, intercultural survival story like The Absolutely True Story of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. Additionally, Matt reads Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe (1719), an earlier realistic-fiction adventure story, to Attean to improve his English. Reading aloud passages of this book, would give a third perspective on the same subject, let students relive the experience of Speare’s characters, and further clarify the author’s intentions. Robinson Crusoe, well into the public domain, is freely available online.

The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare received a Newbery Honor award for 1983-1984. As with her other Newbery Award winning novels, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, and The Bronze Arrow, this book is a widely read classic for middle grade readers.