Throughout the first section, Xavier is portrayed as a calm and reserved person. Xavier seems to be a skillful, excellent observer of the things around him. He has an ability to understand people’s insight, despite not knowing very much English. When the soldiers around him are speaking English, he prefers to stay quiet and instead listen, which shows that he is passive and attentive, him saying “I opt to stay quiet most of the time, listening carefully to decipher the words, always listening for the joke or insult made against me” proves so. Xavier is slower at adapting to the wemistikoshiw culture. The the beginning of the novel, Xavier is forced to kill the marten with Elijah. He did not want to kill, however, he convinced himself that they
