To what extent has Hundert’s character changed over the course of the text?

Mr. Hundert in Ethan Canin's The Palace Thief actually changes significantly for the worse before he changes for the better at the end of the story.

When we first meet Mr. Hundert, he is a young history teacher at St. Benedict's, still intent upon introducing his students to the “lofty ideals” of the ancients, hoping to inspire the boys as well as “temper their ambition with humility.” However, the high ideals Mr. Hundert holds for himself are shattered when he encounters the stubborn corruption of Sedgewick Bell.

Sedgewick is rude and arrogant, and for a while, Mr. Hundert tries to find a balance between correcting him and encouraging him. Then the annual Mr. Julius Caesar competition approaches, and Mr. Hundert makes his first big mistake. He submits Sedgewick for the competition rather than a better-qualified boy. His motive seems honorable, for he wants to further encourage Sedgewick, but his actions are not fair. Mr. Hundert is beginning to descend from his high ideals.

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