Because of James' death, Samuel changes from pushing himself away from people to making an effort towards a relationship. His new attitude towards friendship opened up his mind to new things, which also engaged him to accept Captain Smith's teachings.
As the story proceeds, Samuel becomes eager to learn new knowledge even though he thought he could never be teachable before. When Samuel first discovers that he is going to be the page of Captain Smith, he is not sure of his feelings. He looks calm on the outside, but "inside [he] scoff[s] at the idea.[He thinks he's] never been teachable in [his] life (Carbone 9). Samuel refuses to learn from anyone because of the shadow from his father's impatient beatings in his childhood times. Yet on the contrary, Captain Smith does not beat or chide, but is even-tempered when Samuel makes a mistake. This leads to Samuel being eager to learn whenever Captain Smith teaches him. When Captain Smith announces that he will be teaching Samuel his first lesson with a musket, "[Samuel] nod[s] calmly, but inside [he is] excited " (Carbone 85). Smith makes studying enjoyable and motivates Samuel's learning capabilities. Even if Samuel doesn't realize it yet, he's starting to accept Captain Smith's lessons, and he is now passionate about learning. As time passes, Samuel absorbs many useful lessons from Captain Smith, and he has grown to respect the man who taught him so forgivingly. Just before Captain Smith is about to leave Jamestown, "[Samuel] remembers] how [he] hated the idea of serving [Captain Smith] and learning from him. Then [he] think[s] of how much [he has] learned from [Captain Smith]" (Carbone 201). Samuel finally realizes how much he has changed because of Captain Smith, and how much he appreciates Smith for teaching him knowledge. Samuel's personality is refined through the lessons from Captain Smith, and his acceptance of knowledge acts like a base to Samuel building his affection towards others.