Heroic archetypes in Avatar

[neytirifanboy]

Originally Posted by Human No More

The difference is, as soon as we see Neytiri, she's seen acting as a person would and not portrayed as simple, unintelligent or uncivilised as in this 'noble savage' group.

Again, you make a good point. The first time we see Neytiri she is merciful and compassionate. Our initial view of the Na'vi is actually very positive. It is only when we meet Tsu-tey that the Na'vi look in any way violent. Even then, Neytiri protects Jake.

If anything, out inital feeling is that the RDA are the violent ones. Quaritch talks about hitting them hard, grace talks about how machine guns aainst them in a way that suggests that the Na'vi were probably not at fault for the incidenent and Selfride talks about getting them to move. With that background information, even the hostile way that Tsu-tey and Etukahn refer to Jake and the Skypeople in general is understandable from the viewers point of view. We don't really see a barbarous people. We see a people concerned about a hostile enemy, and with good reason.

I also read the Wiki on the "Noble Savage" and it doesn't really say anything to convince me that any of the Na'vi correspond to the noble savage. This is partly because the Wiki is flawed in that is does not seem to look at the noble savage at all in modern or contemporary literature of film.

so the more I think about it, the more that Neytiri and the Na'vi really don't fit in with the noble savage idea.