The Sign of the Beaver Theme of Friendship

"You've got a friend in me," croons Randy Newman in the Toy Story theme song. In that movie, Buzz and Woody prove that being friends isn't always about being the same, and sometimes best friends show up where we least expect them. Just ask Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Opal Buloni, Reuven Malter, or Leo Borlock—they'll all agree. Real friends not only hang out and eat pizza, but they also learn from each other.

And Attean and Matt in The Sign of the Beaver are no exception. They each learn far more from each other than words and hunting skills, and though they're still very different from each other in the end, they love each other anyway. Aw.

Questions About Friendship

  1. What happens to change Matt and Attean's relationship into friendship? 
  2. Would Matt and Attean have become friends if Matt's family were with him? 
  3. In what ways does Attean show Matt that he's his friend? How does Matt show his friendship to Attean? 
  4. Could Ben have become a friend if he hadn't stolen the rifle?

Chew on This

Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.

Matt and Attean express their friendship through their actions, rather than their words.

Matt and Attean would have become better friends if they'd been more willing to communicate with each other.