After sharing a bond with Joel and Malthace,Daniel begins to long for their friendship. As the novel progresses, Daniel becomes increasingly jaded about Rosh's objectives and feels comfortable living in the village. Daniel's anger towards Rome does not subside, but his tolerance for his sister and Thacia fluctuates. Gradually Daniel begins witnessing Jesus preach and develops a loving relationship with his sister. After Samson and Nathan die attempting to free Joel, Daniel becomes very depressed which negatively affects his sister. Daniel is not able to rid himself of the hate and malice he feels towards Rome. It takes a visit from Jesus to heal Leah and Thacia's compassion, before Daniel's life begins to change for the better. By the end of the novel, Daniel is able to let go of his bitterness towards Rome and those around him. Daniel accepts Thacia's gift of love and invites Marcus, the Roman soldier, into his home. Instead of being filled with spite, Daniel learns to love, and his future looks positive.

Daniel is a young man consumed by vengeance. His father and uncle are crucified by the Romans. His mother dies shortly afterward, leaving both Daniel and his sister, Leah, orphaned. Their grandmother sells Daniel to the town blacksmith out of dire poverty. These circumstances turn Daniel into a bitter and angry person and push him into joining a group of rebels. His time with the rebels only stokes his rage.

Daniel slowly changes over the course of the story, becoming a more merciful person. His encounters with Jesus of Nazareth aid in this progression. Jesus's message emphasizes compassion and mercy, even towards one's enemies. It takes a long time for Daniel to accept these ideas because he does not see how they will help liberate the Jewish people from imperial domination. He continues to cling to violent acts and aggression, believing these will push the Romans out, but these hostile tactics never work and only perpetuate Daniel's hatred.

Eventually, it takes his beloved sister, Leah, being on the point of death for Daniel to reach out to Jesus, who heals her. This final encounter opens Daniel's heart and inspires him to invite the Roman soldier Marcus into his home, an act symbolic of his forgiving his enemies.

Some of Daniel’s most important characteristics are his passion, loyalty, resourcefulness, and determination. The passion and loyalty go hand in hand as he mourns the death of his father, mother, and uncle. Daniel feels so loyal to his family’s memory that he is moved to seek vengeance. That passion drives him to make a vow to God and to pursue the Romans whom he feels are responsible.

In addition, passion is a strong motivating force in keeping him going even when things are at their most difficult, such as when his grandmother also passes away. It also undergirds his desire to free his native land. Loyalty is evident after he joins with Rosh, convinced that he is the leader they need, and in his difficulty in breaking with him.

Daniel showed determination when he struggled through his own imprisonment and afterward, as he seeks his sister, Leah. He is resourceful in making his way through dangerous territory and in forming alliances that will help him succeed. Slowly, however, compassion takes hold in Daniel as he observes the actions of Jesus and then embraces his message and way of life. Loyalty gains sway once more—but now to a positive cause rather than for the sake of revenge.

In the beginning of the novel we meet Daniel.  He was a slave for a Blacksmith, and because he was treated so badly he ran away.  Daniel was an angry teen when the story begins.  He hates the Romans for destroying his family and makes a vow to kill them to avenge the death of his parents.  He is angry and he is brave in many ways.  He shows that he is unafraid of the challenges he has set before him.  Daniel is also loyal to those people he calls his friends.  He even shows a great deal of loyalty to Rosh and supports Rosh as a leader of  a group of men who claim to be rebelling against the Romans.  As it turns out Rosh is simply a thief and eventually Daniel shows courage to break his ties with Rosh in order to save Joel when he is captured by the Romans. 

In someways Daniel is also very niave.  He believes everything Rosh tells him even though it is obvious, to the, that Rosh is not a leader for good.  Daniel is also talented.  He works as a blacksmith, but when he designs and creates the pin of the bronze bow Leah tells him he should not be a "blacksmith, but a silversmith," working with fine metals.

Daniel eventually rids himself of the chip on his shoulder by learning from Jesus that only love can conquer evil.  Daniel is an independent man who thorough, courage, bravery, cunning, discipline, and loyalty succeeds in becoming a good man.

Daniel is the protagonist of the novel; he is a former slave and committed to overthrowing the Roman government. Because his family has been torn apart and his father and uncle killed by the Romans, Daniel is driven by rage and a desire for vengeance; he hates the Romans more than his feelings for anything else. As the novel progresses, Daniel's character is changed, first by his friendship with Joel and Thacia, and then by the influence of Jesus.

"Think, Daniel, can you repay such love with hate?"

"It's too late to love Samson. He is probably dead." Then, as Jesus waited, "Should I love the Romans who killed him?" he asked with bitterness.

[...]

"Can't you see, Daniel, it is hate that is the enemy? Not men. Hate does not die with killing."
(Speare, The Bronze Bow, Google Books)

The above scene occurs after Samson dies saving Daniel's life; Daniel is traumatized, angry at the Romans and confused by Samson's act, since he believes Samson to be incapable of understanding their cause. Because of the influences of his friends, and the realization that his actions matter more to them -- and affect them directly -- Daniel is able to move past his hate and embrace love as his cause. In the end, instead of seeking vengeance against the Romans, Daniel will now seek to change the hearts and minds of his fellow men.

There are many characters who influence Daniel in The Bronze Bow, from the soldiers who killed his father to his grandmother and Leah to Joel and Malthace, but the ones who influence him the most are Rosh and Jesus. Daniel undergoes a fundamental change of character from the beginning to the end of the book; the influence of Rosh shapes his beginning character as a young man full of hatred who wants to use violence to change his circumstances. It was the Romans who planted the seeds of this hate, but it is Rosh who leads Daniel into violence and helps to shape the man that Daniel is becoming. Although both Joel and Malthace help to bring about the change in Daniel, it is Jesus who really makes Daniel rethink his commitment to violence. Daniel is drawn to his lessons and to his example. Jesus heals, while Rosh kills. Jesus shows compassion, while Rosh shows none. The key chapter where you can see that the balance of influence falls in Jesus's favor is chapter 18, when Daniel leads the boys to rescue Joel despite Rosh's dismissal. Daniel's realization that the hate Rosh is sowing is only going to bring ruin is reinforced by the death of Samson. Samson gives his life rescuing them. Daniel can see that the legacy of hate is death, but the legacy of love that Jesus is showing is life, as evidenced in the resurrection of Jarius's daughter in chapter 15. So, while Rosh is the young Daniel's strongest influence, Jesus is the one who turns the tide of his heart.