The Courage of Sarah Noble

“Sarah needed to keep up her courage, for she and her father were going all the way into the wilderness of Connecticut to build a house.”

Sarah’s inaccurate ideas about the “wilderness” she and her father will traverse and the Indigenous people they will invariably meet are the reasons she needs her courage. Although the land John Noble purchased has already been cleared and some people live close to it, Sarah has learned to fear from her mother, who insists that Sarah will need to be brave. This quote is a good example of how white colonists’ paranoia and xenophobia informed their treatment of Indigenous people, such as the Schaghticoke.

“An owl, Sarah. He is telling you goodnight.”

Sarah’s father anthropomorphizes the owl that Sarah hears making a strange sound in the forest nearby. In this way, giving the owl the ability to wish Sarah a pleasant sleep, he makes it seem familiar and kind rather than scary. This example helps to characterize the relationship between Sarah and her father by showing how loving he is and serves as a reminder that she is still a child, despite how mature she might seem.

“Sarah could see her worried little mother, bending over the cradle, clucking and fussing like a mother hen.”

This simile compares Sarah’s mother, Mary Noble, to a mother hen that busily and noisily cares for her chicks. Sarah thinks of her mother as gentle and loving, and this comparison conjures an image of a small woman bustling around a family home to make sure everyone is fed, warm, and safe. This simile stands in stark contrast with Mistress Robinson’s character.

“Sarah’s father sat there, wondering if he should have brought this child into the wilderness. When the first light of morning came through the trees, he was still awake.”

This description helps to characterize John Noble, a man who seems supremely confident in word and action but who obviously harbors doubts about his decision to bring Sarah with him. Though the Schaghticoke people do not actually present any danger to his family, he still clearly worries about the choice he has made. The third-person omniscient narrator, thus, helps to show some depth to John’s character, painting him as a typical parent despite his family’s atypical circumstances.

“She is not like my mother, Sarah thought. Her face is not like a mother’s face.”

This is Sarah’s initial impression of Mistress Robinson, one that does not improve or change upon spending time with the woman. In contrast to Sarah’s mother, Mistress Robinson is cold and speaks to her children severely. Sarah’s discernment and intuition are made clear in her assessment of Mistress Robinson, and it helps to establish Sarah as a wise and good judge of character despite her youth. This is important later when Sarah meets the Schaghticoke children and a few adults, as the feeling she gets from them is much different from the feeling Mistress Robinson engenders.

“Taking this dear child into the wilderness with those heathen savages…And she not more than seven…”

Mistress Robinson’s xenophobia is made obvious when she says this to John Noble, and her lack of sensitivity, even to Sarah as a mere child, is evident as well. When she refers to the Schaghticoke as “heathen savages,” she betrays her racism and unfounded prejudices against a people who, in Sarah’s and John’s experience, will prove to be far kinder and more giving than she is. Mistress Robinson reveals herself to be a hostile and judgmental individual, someone to be avoided, in contrast to the Schaghticoke individuals Sarah meets, who are much more open, honest, and loving.

“Before her were miles and miles of trees. Trees, dark and fearful, trees crowding against each other, trees on and on, more trees and more trees. Behind the trees there were men moving…were they Indians?”

As Sarah tries to fall asleep by Mistress Robinson’s fire, she fears the future for herself and her father because of the thoughtless statements made by Mistress Robinson about “heathen savages” and what a “pity” it is that John brought Sarah with him. Sarah imagines a lonely and howling wilderness ahead of them, which is not the reality, as well as the dangers associated with individuals the Robinson boys have described as violent and threatening; neither is true, but Sarah does not know that yet.

“You are too wise for your years.”

John Noble says this to Sarah when she explains that she doesn’t want a house like Mistress Robinson’s because there is no love in that home. Again, Sarah’s credibility and wisdom, despite her young age, are highlighted. Thus, when she later judges the Schaghticoke in a manner quite different from the way Mistress Robinson or her mother does, Sarah’s judgments are shown by Dalgliesh to be much more accurate and reliable. This is crucial to the idea that Experience Leads to Understanding.

“No, Father, no! Do not shoot it! […] Its eyes are so gentle, Father.”

When Sarah and John encounter a deer in the area where John will build their home, Sarah begs him not to shoot the animal, even though they could eat the meat. This moment also helps to characterize Sarah, highlighting her kind nature. Though her father’s gun could easily overpower the animal, she would rather allow it to live because of its beauty and gentleness. She does not approach the world seeking to rule or tame it, which suggests that she will similarly respond to the Schaghticoke, creating an opportunity for her to learn from them.

“The trees were the dark green of firs and the light green of birches in springtime. And now they were friendly. They were not like the angry dark trees that had seemed to stand in their path as they came.”

Just as her father anthropomorphized the owl whose cries scared Sarah in the forest, she now sees the trees in their new home as friendly rather than angry, cheerful rather than threatening. When she was at Mistress Robinson’s home, affected by the woman’s racism and prejudice, Sarah saw the trees as fearsome; now, with only her kind father near, she is able to see the reality of the place: its beauty rather than its danger. Mistress Robinson’s paranoia infects those around her who are vulnerable—like children—but, away from it and able to experience Connecticut for herself, Sarah sees a dramatically different reality.

“[T]here are people in this world who do not help others along the way, Sarah, while there are those who do. In our home all will be treated with kindness—always Sarah. The Indians, too, and they will not harm us.”

John Noble values kindness over whiteness, unlike Mistress Robinson, whom he characterizes as a person who does not like to help others, especially not those she sees as different from herself. He insists that the Noble home will not be like the Robinson home because the Nobles will treat everyone kindly and not just other people who share their culture and skin color. John’s description of the Schaghticoke does imply that it is this group’s peacefulness that allows the friendly relations between white colonists and themselves to continue, and this is problematic for a few reasons. However, the value he places on one’s moral character rather than one’s skin color differentiates him from most other white people in the text.

“Was she keeping up her courage or was she being afraid?”

Sleeping outside in the cave where her father will build a temporary home for them, Sarah hears strange night sounds again and begins to fear. This line shows that she believes that if she’s afraid, then she is not exhibiting courage. She does not yet understand that courage and fear coexist and that courage without fear is not really courage at all. It is her fear that allows her to demonstrate the courage she longs for.

“Sarah kept as still as a rabbit in danger. The children came in, creeping nearer, creeping nearer, like small brown field mice.”

These similes, in which Sarah is compared to a rabbit and the Schaghticoke children are compared to field mice, show that neither poses any danger to the other. Though the Schaghticoke children do not threaten Sarah, her comparison foregrounds her fear of danger, initiated by her mother and then strengthened by Mistress Robinson and her sons. However, comparing the Schaghticoke children to field mice shows how timidly and curiously they approach her. This comparison does foreground their brown skin, perhaps their most frightening aspect, to Sarah. Her simile references her emotional state, while the Schaghticoke simile refers to the children’s skin color, which is reductive and dehumanizing.

“She read and read, and the children listened, because the sound of her voice was strange and pleasant.”

Though the Schaghticoke and their language are frequently called “strange” in the text, either by the narrator or one of the characters, this line describes Sarah’s voice and language as “strange” to them, which shows how different groups think of each other. It is not simply the white colonists who see the Indigenous peoples as “strange” but, rather, the impression is similar for the Schaghticoke who interact with white English people.

“Like the deer when her father lifted the gun, the children were off and away.”

This simile compares the Schaghticoke children to the deer that John Noble refrained from shooting at Sarah’s request. It foregrounds how the white colonists can (and did) overpower the Indigenous groups who lived on the land in which the colonies were established. It also highlights how the colonists were a far greater threat to these groups than these groups were to the colonists. Though the simile is dehumanizing, it illuminates the imbalance of power between the Schaghticoke and the English, despite English fears of Indigenous violence.

“For shame, Sarah Noble, I fear you were not polite. Perhaps they will never come back.”

When Sarah speaks impatiently to the Schaghticoke children because they do not know English, her fear of them changes to a fear that they will never return to visit her. She realizes her mistake—speaking unkindly—and when she prioritizes kindness during subsequent interactions with the Schaghticoke, as her father does, Sarah quickly befriends the Schaghticoke children and learns about them, which, in turn, leads to her greater cultural awareness, understanding, and empathy.

“There is a tall Indian who has said he will help me. I cannot say his name, so I will call him Tall John. He speaks a few words of English.”

John Noble’s unwillingness to try to pronounce the name of the man who has learned English and offered to help build the Nobles’ home indicates John’s aversion to treating the Schaghticoke man as John, himself, expects to be treated. Though “Tall John” makes every effort to welcome and assist John Noble, John is reluctant to learn how to say the man’s real name, as though making a mistake in pronunciation would somehow lessen his authority. Rather than err, John calls the man by an English name, prioritizing his comfort rather than the other man’s. At the same time, his choice of nickname for this man—an identifying adjective plus his own first name—does draw attention to how similar the men are: Both are loving husbands and fathers and kind individuals. However, this interpretation does not excuse John Noble’s choice to literally rename a grown man because the man’s name is unfamiliar and hard for him to say. He never seems to consider how difficult it might have been for “Tall John” to learn English.

“Often and often he had wondered if he had done right. And what, after all, did he know about these strange people?”

John Noble continues to question whether he was right to bring his young daughter into this new place with him. When he considers allowing her to visit the homes of the children she’s befriended, he worries again that she might not be safe, though nothing has happened to suggest that the Schaghticoke pose any danger to her. One might argue that he knows a lot about the Schaghticoke, especially since he has been welcomed there and offered assistance. Whether his doubt is caused by his status as a parent or is the result of some unconscious racism is not clear and seems, perhaps, to be due to both.

“To be afraid and to be brave is the best courage of all.”

John tells Sarah what is, perhaps, the best-known line of the text, supporting the theme of the Coexistence of Fear and Courage. She doesn’t have to be free of fear in order to be brave; in fact, the most admirable bravery develops in the presence of fear.

“Was it right to pray for Indians? Did the Lord take care of Indians?”

In “Tall John’s” home, Sarah says her prayers each night, a practice that is familiar and comforting to her. Her desire to ask for God’s blessing for “Tall John’s” family shows how much she loves them and how grateful she is for their care. However, her uncertainty about whether her Christian God protects the Schaghticoke shows just how incredibly unfamiliar this situation is among the English and how she has never heard fellow colonists grapple with this question. Her desire to include “Tall John’s” family in her prayers suggests that she has moved beyond mere acceptance of the Schaghticoke to a desire to include them in her life in meaningful ways.

“So Sarah put on her clothes, piece by stiff piece. She now thought of buttons as tiresome, and as for petticoats…The moccasins she kept on, for her feet refused to go into those heavy leather shoes.”

While Sarah’s English clothes make her feel secure when she is first confronted by the Schaghticoke children, who have their own cultural identity and clothing, these same clothes now feel uncomfortable and rigid compared to the deerskin clothes made by “Tall John’s” wife. Sarah’s new perspective on her clothing mirrors her changed relationship with the Schaghticoke and her own English identity. She has changed a lot and no longer seeks to emulate her mother in every way; instead, she seeks to have her own opinions and experiences. While she may not be consciously aware of these changes, she certainly senses them, especially when she’s expected to realign herself with her English lifestyle and values, symbolized by her English clothing.

“How brown you are! […] What are those outlandish things you are wearing on your feet?”

Mary Noble still distrusts the Schaghticoke, despite her husband’s and daughter’s experiences, and responds with confusion and aversion to the changes in her daughter. She is surprised by Sarah’s tanned skin—the result of playing outside with the Schaghticoke children—and taken aback by the deerskin shoes Sarah wears. This reaction shows just how uninformed and culturally insensitive Mary is, having had no firsthand experience with the Schaghticoke, especially in comparison to Sarah, who seems dramatically more aware by comparison. Sarah predicted her mother would respond this way, and her mother’s words are so familiar that they confirm Sarah’s feeling of being “home.”

“Do not be afraid, Arabella […]. It is safe here. These Indians are our friends […]. Sleep well, my dear.”

Sarah seems to “parent” her “child,” the doll called Arabella, somewhat differently from how Mary parented Sarah before she left their home in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Sarah assures Arabella that they are “safe” because the Schaghticoke are their “friends,” encouraging her doll to sleep peacefully in the absence of any threats. Mary has clung fast to her xenophobic views of the Schaghticoke, despite her husband’s and daughter’s assurances that Schaghticoke women are loving mothers and diligent housekeepers. Culturally, Sarah cannot be disobedient and argue with her mother, but she seems to make her own opinions known in how she talks to her doll, apparently foreshadowing the views she will impart to her future children and pupils.