Heroic archetypes in Avatar

[Isard]

Originally Posted by neytirifanboy

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.

Actually, for the first few seconds, we see her as 'merciless' rather. (I mean, I could easily call the relationship was going to develop, but still) We see her about to murder a perfect stranger. I have no idea about the political or social stance the RDA and Na'vi currently have at that point, and she's about to go "stabby stabby" and end the movie right there.

Now, she shows her merciful side a few seconds after. But there are no time limits on the label. They're defined as simple savages initially and we observe that they are not.