Robinson Crusoe written by Daniel Defoe, is an adventure novel depicting a man’s sea voyage and survival in solitude on a deserted island, experiencing disasters, cannibal attacks, and other difficulties. Disobeying his father, Robinson Crusoe goes abroad yearning for sea travel away from Britain, but later fails due to ship sinking. Despite the failure, Robinson, accompanied by his friend, soon embarked on his second voyage toward North Africa, where he’s captured to be an innocent slave. Luckily, a Portuguese captain rescues Robinson and brings him a ride to Brazil, where Robinson becomes a tobacco planter. The captain offers him expenses for Robinson to set off for Guinea in buying slaves. Facing a turbulent storm, he fails again, but he decides to explore the island near the Caribbean sea. Stranded on the island, Robinson begins his life of self-survival: building a shelter/fortress, taming pigeons/sheep, discovering edible plants, learning to grow barley and make oatmeal/bread… Of course, natural catastrophes such as thunderstorms, hurricanes, and strong sea currents disturb Robinson’s daily plans, routines, and even threaten his life. After months and years of outdoor wandering, Robinson feels guilty and remorseful for not listening to his father, once suffering from the cruelty of nature. On the island, there are groups of barbarous cannibals who attempt to kill Robinson. One day, Robinson rescues a native whom he named Friday with his weapons and starts living with him while teaching him survival skills. Finally, after 28 years on the island, Robinson decides to return home.
Religion acts as a prominent theme of Robinson Crusoe throughout the whole book. Occasionally, religion provides people with guidance, support, and impacts their mental health considerably. In the novel, Robinson Crusoe has a faithful belief in Christianity and the divine nature that God provides humans. He believes in God’s unconditional love and his redemption toward the disasters he faced during his survival on the island. In the beginning, Robinson Crusoe is a symbol of many Christians who only call upon God in times of distress, such as in the quote “Wait on the Lord, and be of good Cheer, and he shall strengthen thy Heart”. After a series of praying, Bible reading, and experiencing the common struggles, Robinson places his own desires before God. There are numerous scenes of Robinson’s interaction with the Holy Bible such as when Robinson prayed to God during natural calamities and when he tried to teach Friday the Bible. When finding out the medical benefit of tobacco, Robinson’s first reaction was this bible verse: “Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.” (Psalm 50:15).”, showing his devotion toward the Bible. During Robinson’s survival, he suffered from loneliness. However, when he starts to be a believer in God, he feels that he could communicate with God whenever he feels lonely, making God a permanent companion that could enhance his own spirits. In the end, Robinson considers his survival from the sea wreck as a blessing from God, who forgives Robinson’s previous sin. From the story, we learn that coincidences and things unexplainable can be regarded as part of God’s plan. Everyone’s life is unpredictable, full of uncertainty. Therefore, we have to believe there is a plan behind it - the plan from God.
Individualism and socialization contradict each other. When people grow older, there will probably be a period where they want to be independent and go on solitary in their own life, regardless of parent’s warnings. On the other hand, some people value society because they enjoy a sense of belonging in a tolerant community. The tense between being an individual and living within a society is the feeling obtained out of the living. Previously, when Robinson’s alone, he feels unrestrained from his father’s arrangement, self-satisfied because he could do whatever he wants, and finds his creativity unrealized before. Although Robinson escaped from one’s control and produced what he needed, extreme individualism can induce indifference in relationships and disrespect toward peers, like Robinson disrespecting Xury when both of them were slaves. Moreover, according to the quote “Fear of danger is ten thousand times more terrifying than danger itself. Thus fear of danger is ten thousand times more terrifying than danger itself.”, living alone permanently brings fear, not only loneliness. Socialism, having a feeling of being unwilling to separate from community, opposes solitude. Like in the book Frankenstein, the monster always wants to be counted as a citizen in Victor’s community and yearns for a partner to accompany him. He dislikes being left out from society and the feeling of loneliness and despair. He desires to be accepted but he doesn’t accept the society’s prejudice against his awful appearance. Individualism of Robinson leads to his change in personality. After separating from society for 28 years, he understood the importance of companionship and how fear, isolation, and selfishness can lead to negative consequences, which he refers to as his “previous sin”.
Our ambition of accomplishment is what causes a sudden motive for our actions. Being unsatisfied with our current state is common, since not everyone is born within the peak of the social hierarchy. Robinson Crusoe was born as a comfortable middle-class British citizen, but he desires something more out of himself. Preferring individuality above family, he sails abroad, ending his settlement in Brazil, where he becomes a wealthy tobacco planter, owning a large plantation. While some people are content with their achievements, others are never satisfied with their current status,and that brings certain consequences, both negative and beneficial. During Robinson’s adventure, his unrestrained ambition leads to his continuous adventure in seeking for more plantation. He suffered from hardships, privation, and cannibal attacks, but also attained survival skills and knowledge of how to develop his plantation. Extended metaphor of the dislike of British colonialism is used in the theme of ambition. During colonialism in Britain, racism, cultural invasion, and African colonization lead to slavery. For example, the character “Friday”, symbolizes generating oriental “othering”, displaying the conflict of civilization and savagery. The aim for expanding territory also resembles Robinson’s desire to expand his own plantation.
Robinson Crusoe is an adventure novel that teaches many aspects of life and acts as a survival book. In real life, we observe a lot of “Robinsons” (people who are ambitious and want to achieve their greatest potential in order for satisfaction) that abandons their own family and travels to different places for their own solitary lives. These people often are the ones who persevere and thrive the most in life, but they are often the ones who suffer from never being satisfied, or risk taking challenges. Robinson Crusoe incorporates the theme of religion, individualism and socialism, self-resilience and ambition. The message that Defoe’s trying to convey to us readers in Robinson Crusoe is that a person only succeeds with the right amount of diligence, independence, and religious faith.
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