Professor, Defining Christopher Columbus as a hero or villain is not as cut and dry as most would have you believe. I would describe him more of an anti-hero. Columbus knew the world was round and intended to find faster ways of reaching India, China, Japan, and Spice Islands by circumventing the route around Africa to benefit the people by bringing back goods such as silk and spices. His goals, however, were tainted by his greed and temper. His initial interactions with the indigenous people in the Americas would be test his resolve by adding challenges such as language barriers that he would use to his advantage to cheat the locals out of their resources.