Why are the characters Joel and Malthace important to the story?

Joel and Malthace act as foils to Daniel, and they each play an important role in the plot. First, the actions and words of Joel and Malthace present a contrast to Daniel's actions and words, making them foils for Daniel. Joel and Malthace are about Daniel's age, and they also want to see Judea liberated from Roman rule. However, they are not consumed by hatred for Rome as Daniel is. They show that one can...

Joel and Malthace act as foils to Daniel, and they each play an important role in the plot. First, the actions and words of Joel and Malthace present a contrast to Daniel's actions and words, making them foils for Daniel. Joel and Malthace are about Daniel's age, and they also want to see Judea liberated from Roman rule. However, they are not consumed by hatred for Rome as Daniel is. They show that one can fight "for God's victory" without holding on to hate.

Joel is important to the plot in several ways. It is because Daniel goes to see Joel to try to recruit him for Rosh's band that Daniel ends up getting wounded by the Roman soldier and seeking refuge at the home of Hezron. There he and his two new friends make the vow to fight for God's victory, and the twins are the ones who expose him to the scripture regarding the "bow of bronze." Later, Joel gets captured while performing a spying operation for Rosh, and Daniel feels responsible for him. This leads to Daniel's confrontation with Rosh, allowing Daniel to see the man he thought would be the deliverer as the selfish bandit that he is. Daniel tries to rescue Joel from the Romans. That effort is pivotal in Daniel's life because it shows him how difficult overcoming Rome actually is and it helps him realize the pain and destruction that his own search for revenge can bring upon others.

Malthace is important to Daniel's character development because she is the romantic interest for him and because she represents the normal life that Daniel could have if he would be willing to give up his hatred of the Romans. Malthace draws out Leah's personality, and Malthace is the one who summons Jesus at the end to come to heal Leah.

Joel and Malthace are important characters because of the way they influence Daniel's character development and because of the ways that they create forward movement of the plot.