An Interpretation of “ The Noble Savage” in Robison Crusoe and The Last of the Mohicans.docVIP

An Interpretation of “ The Noble Savage” in Robison Crusoe and The Last of the Mohicans 　　Introduction： The myth of the noble savage is a significant concept to understand colonial literature. This essay focuses on the loyal Indian friends from “the Last of the Mohicans” and the famous Friday from “Robison Crusoe” as noble savages to argue these characters are the slaves of the colonists， not independent individuals. 　　The image of the “noble savage” is a combination of the traditional colonial ideology with material exploitation in the period of colonial expansion. It is another expression of racism； the purpose is still to serve for the colonial expansion of the Empire of Britain. 　　The concept of “colonialist” and “the other” are in the central positions of post-colonial theories. “The other” is always in a subordinate status， “colonialist” is dominant position， ruling and controlling everything. Actually， “the noble savage” is another form of “the other”， which is created by the native， regarded as a noble slave as oppose to other slaves. In the British novel Robinson Crusoe， for Robinson， who has already occupied the island， Friday is an undoubted “the other” because he is different from the Europeans. Defoe shapes an indigenous servant?Friday. He is very close to Christianity， tending to be Robinsons best assistant and servant with heart and soul. In The Last of the Mohicans， other typical images of “noble savage” are also established. 　　James Cooper describes the tribe of the Mohicans?Uncas and Chingachgook are the last two members of Mohicans. As “the other”， the father and the son have been helping the whites reach safety. In the novel， Uncas and Chingachgook are brave and loyal friends to the whites. They are created as “noble savages” because they fight for the whites， however， their nearly naked bodies present a terrific emblem of barbarity. Hawkeye makes his judgment about race which shows clearly that Indians are seen as inferior to whites； whe