Robinson Crusoe | Daniel Defoe

Robinson Crusoe | Analysis | Daniel Defoe

Robinson Crusoe was a blockbuster novel. The most famous and widely printed work of author Daniel Defoe. The timeless story of self-reliance and survival on a deserted island is older than America itself. And while the context of its time period remain dated and often problematic. Robinson Crusoe holds up as an innovative wildly popular critically acclaimed novel that remains influential and beloved today. Author Daniel Defoe was born in London on September 13th 1660. He studied to become a Presbyterian minister but abandoned the clergy to be a merchant. He declared bankruptcy in 1692 and became a political writer, journalist and pamphleteer to foes interests in religion politics and trade all came together seamlessly in Robinson Crusoe and Defoe is considered the father of the English novel.

Robinson Crusoe was the first novel written in English to use the prose narrative form. The original Desert Island narrative Robinson Crusoe saw many film adaptations and itself influenced many other films and television series including lost castaway, the Martian and Gilligan's Island. Now the story is based on the real-life adventures of Scottish sailor Alexander Selkirk, a rebellious adventurer who willingly stranded himself on an island off the coast of Chile in the early 18th century shortly before the publication of Robinson Crusoe. The novel has a lasting literary legacy blending a unique prose style with survival narrative engaging easy to read language. A story of personal growth and Christian values. But it's also a troubling representation of colonialism and racism. And many of Robinson Crusoe's beliefs and actions are influenced by things like cultural domination. While he grows to care about others in relatable human ways he also has no calms with things taking slaves or killing natives when he sees they're holding a white man hostage as opposed to his originally thinking they were just brutalizing each other. Moments like these are glimpses into the contexts of the world Robinson Crusoe was written. At the onset of the novel narrator and titular protagonist Robinson Crusoe introduces himself and makes it clear he loves adventure at sea. Robinson Crusoe leaves home against his parents advice and Moroccan pirates take Crusoe into slavery. Crusoe escapes and travels to Brazil. a shipwreck strands Crusoe on an island and route to Africa and everyone else aboard is killed Crusoe lives alone on the island for 23 years. Crusoe rescues a native captive whom he names Friday and they battle against cannibals who inhabit the nearby and mainland.

During the action-packed climax. Crusoe helps an English captain whose crew has mutiny and returns to England. Crusoe learns he has made a fortune from his plantation he started back in Brazil. And he embarks on another voyage with Friday and a small crew. This time fighting wild animals in the mountains of France and even visiting his former beloved Island home seeing a community has sprouted up there.

Robinson Crusoe ends with the promise of further adventures. Setting up the two sequels that would follow. The novel's key symbols gun, tools, boats and crusoe island calendar post all speak to greater themes. self-reliance, civilization, progress, Christianity and nature.  It is the combination of innovative literary narrative and evocative symbolic lessons and virtues and contexts that have seen Robinson Crusoe withstand the test of time for far longer than the decades Crusoe himself spent on the island. The centuries of success can be attributed to a simple tale of adventure that combines many genres with excellent storytelling and the nearly countless translations and printings of the book as well as screen adaptations and other stories influenced by Robinson Crusoe make this the original English prose novel a true great of literature.

Robinson Crusoe | Plot Summary | Daniel Defoe

In the introduction we meet our title protagonist Robinson Crusoe himself. He's a man with a thirst for adventure close to his heart and he leaves home against his parents advice going on a number of sea adventures. At one point he begs for repentance hoping to make it home. but pretty quickly he's back to sea going on more adventures. During the rising action Moroccan pirates take Crusoe into slavery. with a little help from some other slaves Crusoe escapes and travels to Brazil where he becomes a plantation owner and is pretty successful. A shipwreck strands Crusoe on an island killing all the other crew. Crusoe lives alone on this island for 23 years. during that time he raises livestock, he grows crops he builds fortifications and he documents his experiences embracing Christianity. Crusoe rescues a captive whom he names Friday after the day of the week he saved him from his cannibal tribe. During the climax Crusoe and Friday help an English captain who's been the victim of a mutiny. They fight off the mutineers take the ships back and strand some of the prisoners on the island. Crusoe finally is ready to return to England and he does. and during the falling action Crusoe learns he has made a fortune from his plantation in Brazil. We see how his Christian values have grown and changed him during his time on the island and he gives away a great deal of his fortune. However, a thirst for adventure still remains close to his soul and he embarks on new adventures. During the resolution Crusoe embarks with a small crew on a new adventure in the mountains between Spain and France where he fights wolves and bears and we learned that he's married has children and that his wife sadly passes away. Crusoe is even able to return to his beloved Island to see that a new colony has sprouted up there. Robinson Crusoe ends on a Cliff hanger promising more adventures.

Robinson Crusoe | Themes | Daniel Defoe

Robinson Crusoe is a story of adventure and the hero must rely upon his own wits and courage to survive. he demonstrates self-reliance and travelling building his plantation in Brazil and most of all surviving on the island. Robinson Crusoe's castle is built for both comfort and defense and he has few materials. But he manages to use what he does have ineffective creative ways. Civilization is another important theme. Rules and order govern Crusoe life even on the island. His concept is based on his experience with European culture and civilization. and he does not recognize that natives have civilizations of their own. He insists that Friday give up his cannibal ways wear clothing and learn to speak English. Crusoe never adopts any cultural habits of anyone else. The Spaniards do learn to speak the language of the natives. Crusoe does acknowledge that cannibalism is their culture. They do not see it as a sin.

Progress is another important theme Crusoe goes from survival in the wild to hunting and farming. He makes his own tools and furniture, domesticates animals, plants crops and establishes a small colony.

Christianity is another important theme. Robinson Crusoe relies on god to take care of him but he fears punishment for his past occasions. He finds his quality of life improves as his faith in God becomes stronger. This is his motivation and he begins to believe that God has placed him on earth for a reason. Initially he thinks that was because he survived multiple shipwrecks. God must therefore have some kind of purpose. Crusoe teaches his faith to Friday and soon he seems like a devoted Christian. Friday asks questions that Crusoe finds difficult to answer. In teaching Friday he becomes a more understanding Christian himself.

Nature is another important theme in Robinson Crusoe and one of the chief actors have been guiding the plot. Nature blows Crusoe’s ship onto the shores of the island but also provides calm seas so Crusoe can salvage from the wrecked ship. Nature provides all that Crusoe joys and fears on the island. Cnd Crusoe learns during the novel that nature can provide bounty of cultivated or destruction and not treated with caution. Crusoe discovers that even his most diligent work cannot overcome some of the forces of nature which he believes strongly is God's hand at work.

Robinson Crusoe | Symbols | Daniel Defoe

Gun-A gun represents Crusoe's power over the island and other people. He spends his first night on the island sleeping in a tree for fear of the ravenous beasts he supposed might roam the island. Later he discovers a footprint in the sand. He begins to live in fear, worrying that the natives will find him. After he learns beyond any doubt that the natives are cannibals he imagines exacting justice on them by killing them with a gun. In each of these circumstances the gun provides Crusoe with the power to survive and to control his environment. The gun is among the first items that he rescues from the ship on his first day on the island. Crusoe enjoys shocking and surprising people who have never seen a gun with its violence in its power. He even uses a gun to threaten and essentially indoctrinate Friday when he initially saves his life and he also used a gun to do that.

Tools- Tools are also imp symbols in Robinson Crusoe. Tools represent progress and Crusoe’s       ability to shape his world on the island. After clothing himself Crusoe his first objective was to find tools to survive he found the carpenter's chest which was more valuable than a ship load of gold would have been. Whether they work effectively or not the tools he makes become a badge of his self-sufficiency on the island.

Boats- Boats are important symbols in Robinson Crusoe. Ships and smaller boats are vehicles for progress. Crusoe uses them to escape to better places and from peril. They also represent freedom for Crusoe. From the onset of the story Crusoe loved sea travel and sailing adventures. Boats symbolize freedom also from his family and from confinement and slavery and even when he ultimately ends up on the island.

Another important symbol is the calendar post. Crusoe marks his days on the island with a post that he sets up on the beach. It represents his connection to time and civilization. And this is a practice that keeps him sane and grounded as he marks off the days and years he spends on the island. From the beginning of his time there it represents the flame of civilization itself Crusoe refuses to let go out.

Robinson Crusoe | Author Biography | Daniel Defoe

Daniel Defoe the author of Robinson Crusoe was born in London on September 13th 1660. As a young man he studied to become a Presbyterian minister. But he abandoned the clergy in favour of making his fortune as a merchant. Defoe travelled widely and enjoyed some success until declaring bankruptcy in 1692. His interest in politics led him to become a political writer but then he became a journalist and a pamphleteer. His first political pamphlet was published in 1683. Politics and religion were closely connected and he tackled these subjects fearlessly. on more than one occasion his writing landed him in jail. His political writings appeared in his journal the review published from 1704 to 1713. The reviews started as a weekly but eventually published three times a week. Defoe’s interests in religion, politics and trade come together seamlessly in Robinson Crusoe.

Themes appear in implicit and explicit ways. Defoe is considered the father of the English novel and Robinson Crusoe was the first novel written in English to use the prose narrative form. The boundaries between nonfiction and fiction were blurry here and Defoe draws on the conventions of travel literature memoirs and conversion narratives. Throughout Robinson Crusoe Defoe's character moves back and forth between narration and his own journal entries. The novel earned Defoe immediate and international fame and two sequels were published. But neither achieved the popularity of his first novel. Other works he published include Moll Flanders and a Journal of the Plague year both were published in 1722. Defoe married Mary toughly in 1684 and the couple had eight children two of whom died before adulthood. Defoe himself passed away in London on April 24th 1731. Film adaptations have been made of Robinson Crusoe and it also inspired many different film in television series including lost castaway the Martian and Gilligan's Island. Though it was published three centuries ago Robinson Crusoe remains a popular and beloved novel to this day.