Daniel Defoe - Robinson Crusoe

Daniel Defoe

Structure of the novels

Defoe's kind of writing is the realistic novel, which consists in a series of episodes and adventures, narrated as if they were diaries or autobiographies, written by the protagonist, who, in this way, provides details and memories about the story. Regarding this, it's important to say that the author's point of view coincides with the main character's one. The lack of a coherent plot is due to the fact that Defoe doesn't his works or revise them, because they're not intended to be criticised by an audience.

For this reason is considered as the father of the English novel, the representative of a new social class that wanted to see its life portrayed in literature: the ambitious middle class.

Robinson Crusoe

The plot

Robinson Crusoe borns in 1632, from German father and English mother. At nineteen years old decides to leave his home, with his family and with the comforts of the middle-class life, to travel around the world with the purpose to make his own fortune. He moves to Guinea, then, in his second voyage, he's captured by Moorish pirates, but he tries to escape and he's finally rescued by a Portuguese ship and brought to Brazil. Here he becomes the owner of a tation, so he decides to go in Africa to find more slaves for his property. During this travel he's shipwreck on a desert island, where he remains for twenty-eight years. Here he starts writing a diary, where he records his experiences and exposes his thinks and ideas. This part of the novels, in fact, tells how he gradually rebuilds the same society of his country by becoming master of the island. This happens when he finds human footprints on the shore, and, later on, human bones and flesh left by the cannibals. Worried about this discovery, he attacks the cannibals, freeing their captive, who Robinson calls Friday, because of the day he meets him. Starting by now, he teaches Friday speaking English and reading the Bible. Some time later, he sets free other two prisoners from the cannibals, which one is Friday's father. Finally he returns to England and discovers that his tation in Brazil has prospered and makes him rich.

Defoe's concepts of individual and society:

The novel is full of spiritual references, also due to the Puritan influence of his period: to God, sin, Providence and salvation. The hero, in fact, reads the Bible to find comfort and guidance, and writes his experiences in order, seeing in them God's will. This brings him to see the island as the ideal place to prove his qualities to God and himself; in fact, he prays for the salvation from sin rather than the rescue from the island. Crusoe's thinking denotes pragmatism and individualism, differently from the Catholic spirituality. In fact, Crusoe observes every situation, determining its pros and cons and finally chooses the best alternative. In Defoe's point of view God is the prime cause of everything; but the individual can shape his destiny, overcome doubt and modify reality through his work and assigning his achievements to God and to the light of the Bible.

Crusoe is the perfect prototype of the colonialist; in fact he doesn't create an alternative society, but a society similar to the great colonial state that is England, exploiting nature and trying to overpower it with the intent to mould it to his liking; and so, an exaltation of the 18^th century.

Crusoe: a new-middle class hero

The hero belongs to the middle-class, which here is presented as the best class because it's not exposed to miseries and hardships of the lower classes and, at the same time, it isn't affected by the vices typical of the aristocracy, like pride and luxury. Robinson has in common with the classical hero of travel literature the restlessness and the search for his own identity, for this reason he refuses the lifestyle provided by his father. This want, in the end, will culminate with his isolation on the island after the shipwreck.

The style

Defoe concentrates his description on the primary quality of objects, especially solidity, extension and number, rather on the secondary ones, like colour, texture and flavour. The language is simple, matter-of-fact, concrete to reinforce the impression of reality already conveyed by the first-person narration.

The interpretation:

The novel could be considered as a religious allegory, for the Puritan and Calvinist's view the man, to redeem his sinful origins must work hard and rely only on himself, all attitudes taken by the protagonist.

In the novel there are also some traits typical of the capitalism, characteristic for which is known as an economic allegory; in fact, he conceives everything as his own property. He builds himself a house with fence around it and, after he meets Friday, he immediately employs him as his servant. In the main, Crusoe embodies the self-made man; in fact, from the status of shipwreck he switches to the role of master of the island.

Finally, The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, could be read as an imperialist allegory; in fact, several concepts are taken by the British imperialism. As British people thought that native people had had no culture and need to be civilized, Robinson Crusoe demonstrates that he's largely superior to Friday, for example, when he converts him to Christianity. The character of Friday describes all natives as docile, supplicant and ignorant, with no idea on how to survive, how suggests his servitude and submission towards Crusoe. Finally, he moves far from the common idea of "negro", in fact, his descriptions of him makes clear that he's different from the typical black, starting from his look: he's handsome, tall and well-shaped, his nose is small, his skin is tawny, his eyes look sweet and intelligent. In the main, he emphasizes his European qualities to make him more comprehensible and likable in the Occidental eyes of the readers. However, although Crusoe estimates Friday, the patronising attitude towards him is surely the thing that prevails.