The Courage of Sarah Noble

Neither the narrator nor any character identifies the Schaghticoke by this name, instead referring to them as “Indians,” failing to recognize that there are hundreds of Indigenous groups in the region. Historical records allow us to identify the group with whom the Nobles interacted as Schaghticoke, and thus, this group is referred to as such here.

Sarah’s cloak continues to function as a symbol of comfort and home, which links to the theme of The Coexistence of Courage and Fear, and the rest of her clothing becomes symbolic of her cultural identity, in contrast to the Indigenous children’s. When John leaves her alone at their camp, Sarah is scared and thinks about how she is so alone that she does not even have her doll. Even though the “early June air was mild, […] Sarah felt suddenly that she needed her cloak” (24) because of the security and reassurance it provides; the garment warms her physically and, perhaps more significantly, emotionally. Later, she wears it “wrapped tightly around her” (37) as she watches her father leave to collect the rest of their family. When the Schaghticoke children first approach her, she is shocked by the “one small piece of cloth” each child wears and feels “secure in [her own] dress and cloak and petticoats” (26). Sarah’s layers of clothes make her feel “well dressed” in comparison to the children, and the sense of security they provide heightens her courage, even as strangers surround her.

Sarah’s thoughts and behavior during this same interaction also provide evidence of her ethnocentrism, the result of having had no exposure to people who seem so different from her. Her fear is conveyed by the simile the narrator uses, saying that she sits “as still as a rabbit in danger” (25) while the Indigenous children move closer, “like small brown field mice” (26). Though Sarah and the group of children are both compared to small animals, Sarah’s comparison emphasizes her fear, while the Schaghticoke children’s comparison emphasizes their skin color, which contrasts Sarah’s white skin. She does not recognize her whiteness or how the children might find her appearance disarming or unsettling. Her “polite[ness]” contrasts with how the children “stare” at her with their “dark eyes.” She speaks to them in English, and they respond in their language, prompting Sarah’s impatience with their “strange talk,” and she says to them, “How foolish, […] why can’t you speak English?” (28). Sarah expects to be understood by them, and rather than reflect on her inability to understand them, she sees only their inability to understand her. Never having had her English cultural identity or supremacy named or challenged by the existence of another, Sarah responds negatively to the experience. Early on, the theme of Experience Leads to Understanding is countered by its corollary: Inexperience leads to misunderstanding. Sarah’s limited experiences shaped her initial response to and judgment of the Indigenous children.

As Sarah’s comfort level with the Indigenous children grow, her perception of their differences shifts, representing the first positive steps toward understanding, although, at this point, she still operates from the view they are deficient. She tries to read to them, but the children don’t listen, so she tries to teach them English. Notably, she does not try to learn their language, but now it is her language the narrator characterizes as full of “strange sounds” that make the children laugh. The wild strawberries to which the children lead her are “like red jewels in the grass” (30), and Sarah is excited to share them with her father. This simile suggests that Sarah values and appreciates the knowledge they share.

Despite the relationships she and John develop with the Schaghticoke, their refusal to learn to say the real names of the people they meet belies their continued belief in their cultural superiority over the Schaghticoke. They “rename” individuals as variants of Mr. and Mrs. Noble’s English names. John calls the Schaghticoke man who helps him “Tall John,” prompting Sarah to dub the man’s son and daughter “Small John” and Mrs. Noble’s name, “Mary,” respectively. Even though Sarah and John do not attempt to call their Indigenous “friends” by their names or even refer to the name of the tribe, the children do learn to say Sarah’s name. The progression in chapter titles from “Indians!” to “Friends” indicates the Nobles’ attempts to foster relationships rather than to focus on differences, but the juxtaposition of the word “friend” with the Nobles’ unwillingness to pronounce their new “friends’” names creates ironic tension. Further, when Sarah’s father considers her request to visit the children’s homes, he wonders again if he did the right thing in bringing her to “this wild place” for “what, after all, did he know about these strange people?” (32). The idea that the place is “wild” is contrasted by the fact that the land has been cleared, and the Nobles are surrounded by people who offer to help them. The adjective “strange” also suggests that John remains more focused on their cultural differences than Sarah. When he leaves her with “Tall John’s” family, John Noble’s advice to Sarah, that “to be afraid and to be brave is the best courage of all” (36), suggests one of the text’s major themes, the Coexistence of Courage and Fear.