About Robinson Crusoe

Robinson Crusoe is an adventure story also is a novel of isolation. It tells a story of the life and strange surprising adventures of Robinson Crusoe, who lived 28 years all alone in an uninhabited Island on the Coast of America. Having been cast on shore by shipwreck, wherein all the men perished but himself. With an account how he was at last as strangely delivered by Pirates.

In this story, there are lots of questions that are worthy to be discussed. First is: Do you accept this fantastic story as being true? Why?

My answer is “Yes”. The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe is based on the experiences of Alexander Selkirk, a Scottish sailor, who had been marooned off the coast of Chile on the island of Juan Fernandez, where he had lived for five years. The charm of Robinson Crusoe lies in its intense reality, in the succession of thoughts, feelings, incidents, which every reader recognizes to be

absolutely true to life. At first glance of it would seen that one man on an uninhabited island could not possibly furnish the material for a long time; but as we read we

realize with amazement that every slightest thought and action is a record of what the reader himself would do and feel if he were alone in such a place. He puts himself so perfectly in his hero’s place that he repeats his blunders as well as his triumphs. It is an interesting picaresque novel about 18th century English adventurer hero who is a true empire-builder, a colonizer as well as a foreign trader. When he is left alone on the uninhabited island, he is realistically depicted as a man struggling against nature and a man who finally creates some civilization in a seemingly primitive environment through his incessant efforts and toil. He resembles the rising bourgeoisie at the

earliest stage of its development. It is also a study of human will, of patience, fortitude, and the indomitable spirit overcoming all obstacles.

In this novel, both physical and mental labor is glorified. The detailed

descriptions of the steps taken by the hero to provide for himself a shelter, food, clothing and the other simple comforts of life, are managed with great skill by the author in a simple straightforward style. This adds to the realistic effects to the story.

The story tells how Robinson Crusoe manages to sow and plant crops, how he strives for days and nights to make clumsy earth ware pots and how he spends many months of hard toil in shaping a stone-mortar for grinding grain. That enables the reader to share vividly the frustration and success which he experienced. It is easy to identify with another human being who is learning a new skill by the usual trial-and-error process. Through the description, Robinson’s will-power and perseverance are highly praised. So the story is convincing.

The second question is what do you find admirable and disadmirable in Robinson Crusoe?

Crusoe begins the novel as a young middle-class man in York in search of a career. His father recommends the law, but Crusoe yearns for a life at sea, and his subsequent rebellion and decision to become a merchant is the starting point for the whole adventure that follows.

Although he is no flashy hero or grand epic adventurer, Robinson Crusoe displays character traits that won him the approval of generations of readers. His perseverance in spending months making a canoe, and in practicing pottery making until he gets it right, is praiseworthy. Additionally, his resourcefulness in building a home, dairy, grape arbor, county house, and goat stable from practically nothing is clearly remarkable. Crusoe’s business instincts are just as considerable as his survival instincts: he manages to make a fortune in Brazil despite a twenty-eight-year absence and even leaves his island with a nice collection of gold. Moreover, Crusoe is never interested in portraying himself as a hero in his own narration. He does not boast of his courage in quelling the mutiny, and he is always ready to admit unheroic feelings of fear or panic, as when he finds the footprint on the beach. Crusoe prefers to depict himself as an ordinary sensible man, never as an exceptional hero.

And Crusoe’s arrival n the island does not make him revert to a brute existence controlled by animal instincts, and unlike animals, he remains conscious of himself at all times. Indeed, his island existence actually deepens his self-awareness as his

with-draws from the external social world and turns inward. We see that in his normal day-to-day activities, Crusoe keeps accounts of himself enthusiastically and in various ways. For example, it is significant that Crusoe’s makeshift calendar does not simply mark the days he has spent on the island: it is about him, a sort of self-conscious or autobiographical calendar with him at its center.

But Crusoe's admirable qualities must be weighted against the flaws in his character. Crusoe seem incapable of deep feelings, as shown by his cold account of leaving his family-----he worries about the religious consequences of disobeying his father, but never displays any emotion about leaving. Though he is generous people，as when he gives gifts to his sisters and the caption, Crusoe reveals very little tender or sincere affection in his dealings with them. When Crusoe tells us that he has gotten married and that his wife has died all within the same sentence his indifference to her seems almost cruel. Moreover, as an individual personality, Crusoe is rather dull. His precise and deadpan style of narration works well for recounting the process of canoe building, but it tends to drain the excitement from events that should be thrilling.

Finally, while not boasting of heroism, Crusoe is nonetheless very interested in possessions, power, and prestige, when he first calls himself king of the island it seems jocund, but when he described the Spaniard as his subject , we must take his royal delusion seriously, since it seems he really does consider himself king. His

teaching Friday to call him “Master”, even before teaching him the words for “yes” or “no”, seems obnoxious even under the racist standards of the day, as if Crusoe needs to hear the ego-boosting word spoken as soon as possible. Overall, Crusoe’s virtues tend to be private: his industry, resourcefulness, and solitary courage make him an exemplary individual. But his voices are social, and his urge to subjugate others is highly objectionable. In bringing both sides together into one complex character,

Defoe gives us a fascinating glimpse into the successes, failures, and contradictions of modern.