To write a novel with good historical values, it is essential for an author to do the necessary research on the topic. Before writing Black Robe it is obvious that Brian Moore's readings of the "Jesuit Relations", letters sent by the Jesuits back to their superiors in France, gave him the required knowledge to write an insightful novel pertaining to the beliefs of the French Jesuits and the Amerindians. Moore illustrates the effects of the Jesuit influence on the Amerindians and also the effects that the Amerindians had on some of the Jesuits. He attempts to portray the Amerindians, not as the "red Indians" of folklore but rather as an individual race of bravery, beauty, and cruelness with their own unique beliefs and customs. The novel explores the idea of "the voice of conscience" and morality in a way that Moore feels is lost from today's societies.
             One of the central themes in Black Robe is the difference between the Algonkian's belief in the afterworld in comparison to that of the Jesuits and the Catholic Church. The Algonkian believe that the spirit of the dead live within the woods during the night. Their spirits are taken away by the She Manitou and taken to the woods where they will live amongst the other dead Amerindians, dead animals, and dead trees. To the Algonkian, the day is the light in which the living is allowed to bask in. This is evident in their lifestyle. As Father Paul Laforgue states early on in the novel, "Gluttony is their highest form of happiness". They work hard for survival but enjoy all that they have. Food is not saved for a time when there is none and children are never punished, instead, they are allowed to run around freely. In comparison, the Jesuits and the Catholic Church believe in an afterworld that if accepted into by god, is a paradise. Once again this has a large influence on their lifestyle. Instead of enjoying everything that they have to their fullest, the Jesuits appreciate what they b...