“Robinson Crusoe” By Daniel Defoe

About The Author:

Daniel Defoe was born in the city of London in the country of England in the year 1660 and into the family of James Foe. Defoe began his career as a political activist writing pamphlets.He wrote over five hundred different books and novels. Some of the topics Defoe wrote about were crime, politics, marriage, religion, and psychology. Robinson Crusoe is now his most famous novel. Defoe turned to fiction after being jailed and it was then that he turned his efforts to fiction writing and produced Robinson Crusoe.

“Robinson Crusoe”

Setting: The majority of the novel takes place on the island of Despair. The novel begins in England. Then Crusoe is enslaved at Sallee, North Africa; then escapes to Brazil;then a deserted island off Trinidad; then returns home to England; then Lisbon; then overland from Spain towards England; then England; and finally the island again.

Character List:- 

1)    Robinson Crusoe (novel’s protagonist and narrator)

2)    Friday (a twenty – six years old Caribbean cannibal native)

3)    The Portuguese captain (the sea captain who picks up Crusoe)

4)    The Spaniard (one of the man from the Spanish ship)

5)    Xuri(a nonwhite slave boy)

Point of view: The point of view of this novel is first person because the entire book is about Robinson Crusoe and his journal which is his day-to-day activities on the island.

Theme:

Isolation: Crusoe is isolated from people on “The island of despair” for 28 years, and in that time he learns how to become self – reliant and ends up enjoying the solitude of the island more than anticipated.

Religion: Crusoe was never a religious man until he is faced with a bout of sickness that threatens his life. He turns to the saving grace of god and Christianity and becomes devoutly religious and tries to convert everyone he meets.

Repentance: In the beginning of the novel Crusoe’s story is said to have been made to tell others of god’s wisdom, and the importance of repenting one’s sins. Crusoe prays to god and asks for his help in several occasions. Crusoe needs repentance most, as he learns from the mysterious figure that comes to him during a hallucination

Two main conflicts:

1)    Man vs. Nature

2)    Robinson’s intentions vs. His father’s intentions

Robinson Crusoe’s father wanted him to study law, but Robinson wished to experience life on the sea. He set sail from home, but was soon shipwrecked on his way to London. He joined another voyage, but was captured by pirates and sold into slavery in Africa. While enslaved, Robinson met a boy named Xury. Along with Xury, he escaped on a small boat and took refuge on an island. He later joined the voyage of a Portuguese ship and traveled to Brazil. Where he worked on plantation. Robinson then set sail for Africa, but a storm wrecked his ship. He was now sanded on an island off the coast of South America, he improvised And was able to build a shelter and survive, Robinson met a Native American who he named Friday. Together, the duo killed many cannibals and accompanied a ship that was headed for England. After returning home, Robinson learned that he was not given anything in his father’s will. In the end, Robinson Acquires revenue and had three children. He says that he will write a second account about his other adventures.