“Of anything they have, if you ask them for it, they never say no; rather they invite the person to share it, and show as much love as if they were giving their hearts, and whether the thing be of value or of small price, at once they are content with whatever little thing of whatever kind may be given to them.” (page 28)

This quote comes from a letter from Christopher Columbus to Ferdinand and Isabella, King and Queen of Spain addressing his discoveries and interpretation of the new world.

This sentence stuck out to me the most because it shows a direct interpretation of character. Here Columbus shares his point of view about how he sees the natives. He immediately notices that they have no weapons or ability to use any; that they are completely harmless. He mentions their appearance as well as this very timid and loving trait that they possess. He is quite surprised at how welcoming they were towards him. He was also surprised at how thankful and excited they got over useless items such as broken hoops of the wine casks. Because of this kindness he sees in the natives, he goes on to strategize how he believes that he can easily take advantage of them. He suggests giving them jewels and other valuables hoping for their fondness of him and their cooperation to give him abundances that he needs and that he can bring back to his country.