FREE ESSAY ON FRIDAY'S MORAL TRIUMPH

FRIDAY'S MORAL TRIUMPH

Rex Grey
Mr. Volding
English III
2 May 1999
Friday's Moral Triumph
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?
Bibliography
Cited in Paper by page. No outside sources, Argumentative essay.