Cruelty, finding the pain and suffering of another to be pleasurable, an aspect of human of nature few admit to having yet despite the negative effects, it is also what comes to define a person in crucial moments for its a source of motivation as well as a way to reveal a person’s true intent. As unfortunate as it is, cruelty is a crucial function of society itself and allows the characters of Caleb's Crossing to develop on a much deeper level. Throughout Caleb's crossing, Geraldine Brooks uses cruelty as a key motivator in Bethia's decisions on where she stands regarding both the settler and native conflict as well as her personal view on the various beliefs being presented. In the beginning -as most foreign people taking over another's land would- she viewed the natives as subhuman and in need of saving, believing that she and her people (mainly her father) could do it. During the settlers' betrayal of the pact with the Wamponag regarding beached whales, their butchering of the whale is described in gruesome detail showing how animalistic man in general really is. This both frightens and enlightens Bethia, it …show more content…
Due to his practices he was shunned by the settlers and although his strict methods may have brought order and stability he didn't understand that such acts do not affect only a single party, he would be facing consequences as well. The entire reason that Caleb’s Crossing took place on Martha’s Vineyard was due to the fact that Bethia’s father choose to separate from Winthrop whom was a man that would exercise his mass influence to punish those who’s ideals were not synonymous with his own. Although little is revealed about his character, he is the stereotypical autocrat whom places himself before that of the people and steps over them for his own gain, a human political disturbance that Bethia’s father strives to further himself