This dissertation examines the use of environmental imagery in three novels by contemporary French author Jean-Christophe Rufin: Rouge Brsil (2001), Globalia (2004), and Le Parfum dAdam (2007). Using literary techniques similar to those used in the Bildungsroman genre, in each of the novels Rufin isolates one character that, thanks to their separation from mainstream society, is able to objectively consider Western (and more specifically American) attitudes toward both the natural world. Two themes therefore emerge as dominant in all three of the novels: the opposition between nature and culture, and the myth of the Ecologically Noble Savage. This work deconstructs the use of these two themes within the selected texts. I propose that Rufin demonstrates that nature and culture, while accepted as opposite concepts, have in fact been closely related for thousands of years, and that the opposition between the two contributes to the problematic relationship that exists between contemporary humans and their environment. Furthermore, the myth of the Ecologically Noble Savage, a modern evolution of the myth of the Noble Savage, perpetuates the image of indigenous societies and specifically Native American societies as more respectful of the natural world and should therefore serve as the model of an environmentally friendly lifestyle. This image, while certainly accurate for some indigenous societies, perpetuates stereotypes that are remnants of European colonization and denies the complexities that characterize indigenous relationships with the land. By highlighting the fallacies inherent in such stereotypes, Rufin creates an environmental ethic that emphasizes emplacement, effectively demonstrating that living responsibly in a specific locale is the first step toward a renewed and more mutually beneficial relationship between humans and the natural world.