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?