Robinson Crusoe And Friday Essay, Research Paper
The "primitive" Friday demonstrates exceedingly good values superior
to those of the "civilized" Crusoe. Friday’s honesty, loyalty, and
natural innocence are unequaled by Crusoe’s deceptiveness, lack of trust in
Friday, and pessimistic ideas. Early life in "civilization" gives
Crusoe preconceptions that don’t allow for simple, natural thinking. Yet,
Friday, raised as a "savage", is given to simple childlike behavior.
When compared with Crusoe, Friday triumphs with his good-natured morals.
Friday’s honesty is apparent, not only to the reader, but also to Crusoe.
Crusoe’s own description of Friday is evidence of this, "I had a singular
satisfaction in the fellow himself: his simple, unfeigned honesty appeared to me
more and more every day"(148). Crusoe specifies Friday’s honesty as
"simple" and "unfeigned". It seems Crusoe would have
expected a "savage" to be misleading, also a sign of his
preconceptions. Again, when Crusoe is jealous of Friday at his expression of joy
at the thought of his own country, Crusoe "found everything he said was so
honest and so innocent, that I could find nothing to nourish my
suspicion"(152). Crusoe’s jealousy stems from his "civilized"
thinking, and Friday’s pure expression of truth comes from his
"primitive" ways. Yet, when Friday surprises Crusoe with a simple and
innocent question Crusoe "pretended not to hear him"(150). Crusoe is
surprised and attempts to deceive Friday to forget the question. It seems
Crusoe’s natural reaction in that situation is to lie. Friday has an honesty
that Crusoe cannot compete with. In everything that Friday says and does, he
relates only the truth because Friday does not know differently. Furthermore,
part of this honesty comes from Friday’s deep loyalty to Crusoe. Friday’s
servitude to Crusoe is demonstrated immediately after his rescue when Friday put
his head on the ground and put Crusoe’s foot on his head. From that point on,
Friday is completely loyal to Crusoe. After a good while, Crusoe is even aware
of this fact, "I daresay he would have sacrificed his life to save mine
upon any occasion whatsoever"(147). Yet, Crusoe doesn’t trust Friday,
"While my jealousy of him lasted, you may be sure I was every day pumping
him, to see if he would discover any of the new thoughts which I suspected were
in him"(152), he thinks Friday would leave and become a cannibal and
Crusoe. Crusoe later realizes his mistake, "the honest, grateful
creature?to my full satisfaction"(153). Next, Crusoe doesn’t trust Friday
in the beginning and places him outside to sleep, "I had placed a kind of
trap door?every night"(145). Crusoe again is blinded by his
"civilized" thoughts and thinks Friday may attempt to kill and eat
him. Eventually Crusoe knows better, "For never man had a more faithful,
loving, sincere, servant than Friday was to me: without passions, sullenness, or
designs, perfectly obliged and engaged; his very affections were tied to me,
like those of a child to a father"(145). Crusoe describes Friday as the
perfect servant, almost like a father to a son. Friday would give his life for
Crusoe, yet Crusoe distrusts him. Only Crusoe’s "civilized" and
therefore evil thoughts on humanity could cause him to distrust such an honest
servant. Crusoe spent time in "civilization" and thinks about things
in an experienced, and rather pessimistic way. Friday, on the other hand, is
innocent of society and hasn’t been taught anyway to think. Crusoe believes that
man has a tendency to do evil, "the devil?cause us to run upon our
destruction by our own choice"(150). He thinks anyone, especially a
"savage" would be tempted by the devil. Yet when he tries to explain
to Friday about the devil, Crusoe exposes Friday’s pure and natural innocence,
"but there appeared nothing of this kind in the notion of an evil spirit,
of his origin, his being, his nature, and above all, of his inclination to do
evil, and to draw us in to do so too"(150). Friday is very pure and simple
person. He boldly asks questions about God, "if God much stronger, much
might as the wicked devil, why God no kill the devil, so make him no more do
wicked"(150). Friday had "listened with great seriousness" and
now had thought with his pure and simple mind, and baffled Crusoe "I scarce
knew what to say to him"(150). All of Friday’s questions and thoughts on
God are natural and simple, owing to his "primitive" upbringing.
Friday surmounts and even shocks Crusoe in his honesty, loyalty, and innocence.
Friday manifests all of his qualities to a point beyond Crusoe, because Friday
embraces these values with a "primitive" sense, not tainted by
"civilization". It seems that "civilization" is not what it
should be, and a "savage" has more of the qualities that a
"civilized" man should have. It brings up a question to society to
look at itself, and see what it is producing in people: values or
misconceptions?