Eden in Oroonoko

Classic European portrayal, and especially accounts sent to Europe from the "New World," tends to present less-than-flattering images of native people. Terms like "savage," "primitive," and "barbarian" were often used, and natives were rarely treated as anything more than an animal. As the influence of a mercantile economy rose, countries--and thus their colonists--became increasingly gold-thirsty, often at the expense of the native population. Thus, in comparison to excerpts from explorer's journals, I was surprised by Behn's description of the natives in Oroonoko.
Behn's fascination with the apparent innocence of the Surinam people is apparent. Her description of the interaction between men and women, particularly the tone of modesty and respect held for each other, contradicts the barbaric tales of rape often told by the Conquistadors. Further, I was surprised to see biblical comparisons of what many people considered in actuality to be "heathens." Some who ventured to the West Indies went in the name of mission and conversion; Behn would hold that these efforts in fact blemished the culture of those who lived "as Adam and Eve did." Behn's statement that the native people live in "the first state of innocence, before man knew how to sin" serves as an ultimate commentary on the actions of the explorers of her time. It is not the natives who are evil, but rather the explorers that exploit their sacred land.