The Courage of Sarah Noble

This text is considered controversial due to the dehumanization and racist representations of the Schaghticoke, but it also offers important themes that could be useful to contemporary society. Do you think this text is appropriate for the elementary classroom? Explain why or why not.

Why are there so few references to the private thoughts and feelings of Schaghticoke characters? On what occasions does the narrator offer such descriptions? What is the effect of the narrator’s tendency to offer more information about English characters’ thoughts than Schaghticoke characters’ thoughts?

How would the text be different if Sarah Noble or John Noble narrated it? What might be gained? What would be lost?

In what ways is the text a product of the era in which it was published? In what ways might a 21st-century audience see the text as progressive for its time?

What is the role of Mistress Robinson’s character? For example, how might her attitudes help to provide context for John Noble’s? What does her chapter contribute to the text as a whole?

Analyze the relationship between Sarah and John Noble. Is it a typical father-daughter dynamic, or is it atypical? How does their relationship contribute to the text’s mood and meaning?

Considering how short the text is, there are a great many settings: the forest, Mistress Robinson’s house, the cave in Connecticut, “Tall John’s” house, and the Nobles’ cabin. How does all this movement from one setting to the next affect the narrative and the characters?

Near the text’s end, Sarah claims she has not outgrown her doll, but she also declares herself to be nearly a woman. How can you reconcile these two apparently contradictory statements?