"Robinson Crusoe"

 

Analysis of the novel "Robinson Crusoe" (Daniel Defoe)

It is difficult to overestimate the importance of the contribution of English writers to the literary heritage of all mankind. A great number of such literary heroes as Robin Hood, Ivanhoe, Hamlet, Sherlock Holmes, Dracula or John Silver, who are familiar to everyone who has touched a book at least once in their life, were born by the work of English masters of the pen. This world-famous galaxy includes the hero of the writer Daniel Defoe - Robinson Crusoe, whose name has long become familiar  name. Defoe's novel not only entered the golden fund of European literature, but also spawned a whole subgenre.

Historical Background

Daniel Defoe lived in amazing times at the turn of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. At this time, European civilization finally left behind the dark Middle Ages. The general growth of prosperity, breakthroughs in science and art, numerous European ships plying the sea and discovering new, hitherto unknown lands, the birth of the Enlightenment - all these are characteristics of that period of history. Mankind confidently walked forward along the path of progress, finally asserting its power over the world and its superiority over nature. It is these ideas that are reflected in the novel "Robinson Crusoe", which shows how even one person with the help of reason, faith and hard work can change the world for himself.

• The history of writing the novel "Robinson Crusoe" includes interesting facts:The material for the novel is the story of the Scottish sailor-buccaneer Alexander Selkirk, who in 1704 was landed on the uninhabited island of Mas-a-Tierra in the Pacific Ocean, where he lived completely alone for about five years. This story became widespread among Europeans. 

• It is not known exactly when Defoe began work, but the novel was first published in 1719. The influence of this novel on the mass consciousness is evidenced at least by the fact that the islet of Mas-a-Tierra itself in 1966 was renamed the island of "Robinson Crusoe".

• The story of Robinson Crusoe received a wide response among the readership: the editorial office of the magazine, where it was published, received hundreds of letters addressed to Robinson. The author did not lose his luck and answered on behalf of the hero, continuing to describe his adventures on paper. As a result, the public believed that Crusoe really exists.

• The novel brought the author material success. But he was forced to death to share the glory with his hero, who was known and appreciated much more than the writer.

Genre and direction

"Robinson Crusoe" was created at the time of the formation of classicism in European literature. From him he received, first of all, an educational message aimed at glorifying the reason and freedom of the individual, the superiority of the rational principle over the emotional. Also, the era of the Enlightenment determined the linguistic features of the book: in some places it was written very pompously and seriously. Also, the didactic meaning of the work relied on the hero's religiosity: it was faith in God that helped him pull himself together and start working.

The genre of Defoe's work can be defined as an adventure educational novel. However, many of the characteristics of the classic novel are missing. The narrative covers a long period of time, but the number of characters is minimal. Instead of large-scale and significant events in the background, the writer concentrates on the adventure of one person. The work unambiguously sets the protagonist as an example to follow, conveys the author's ideals to the reader.

Summary

The book is an autobiography of the protagonist, written much later than the events in the novel. A young man named Robinson Crusoe goes against his father's wishes and escapes from the family to join the ship's service. The young man travels the world, experiencing many adventures and doing a variety of things. But one day the ship on which the protagonist undertook an illegal flight for slaves to Africa gets caught in a storm and dies. Of all the passengers, only Crusoe himself survives, having sailed to an uninhabited island.

Further, the hero tells in all details how he survived in the first days in an unfamiliar environment, and how he gradually adapted to his new life on the island, building himself a dwelling, taming wild goats, plowing and sowing a field, sewing new clothes for himself, and so on. Further.

Once, bypassing his possessions, Crusoe discovers that savage cannibals sometimes come to the island to arrange cannibalistic feasts. After waiting for the next such visit, the hero rescues the unfortunate savage from the captivity of the cannibals, after which he makes him his servant and gives him a name - Friday.

During the next encounter with the cannibals, Robinson rescues Friday's father and a certain Spaniard from a ship that also wrecked nearby. The Spaniard and the old savage sail away in a boat to find other survivors and bring them to Robinson, while another ship arrives at the island, whose crew revolted. Robinson and Friday help the captain defeat the rioters, after which the victims of the shipwreck leave the island forever.

After staying away from civilization for twenty-eight years, two months and nineteen days, the protagonist, who fabulously became rich at the expense of his plantation in Brazil, returns home to England, to his family, which considered him long dead.

The main characters and their characteristics

Robinson Crusoe- young Englishman. At the time of the beginning of the novel, he is an ambitious young man, thirsty for adventure, wealth and fame. With the help of composure, practicality, thriftiness and hard work, I was able not only to survive on the island, but also to equip it for a comfortable stay. In any situation, he retains dignity and pride, thanks to which he did not run wild for twenty-eight years, and then he was able to live a full life among people. Robinson sincerely believes in God, honors reasonable ideals and comes to the conclusion that he lived wrongly in his youth. He regrets running away from home, but not in his quest, which gave him so many discoveries.

Friday-an aboriginal from the island of Trinidad, rescued by Robinson and became his servant. A rustic savage who is sincerely devoted to his savior and master.

Themes

The theme of the novel "Robinson Crusoe" can be described in many ways. If you are missing something, write about it to the comments we surely happy to answer.

1. Friendship - Robinson and Friday show an example of true friendship that is born between people who have gone through the hardest trials together. Robinson became for the savage, in fact, the second father who treated him with respect, and Friday became for Crusoe not just a servant, but also a real comrade, without whom the hero could no longer survive on the island, keeping his sanity.
2. Faith in God - Defoe tells us that with the help of reason and hard work, man is able to conquer nature. But at the same time, the writer lived at a time when no one could imagine a person's life without God. Therefore, Robinson on the island continues to turn to the Creator when he feels lonely and abandoned, but he does it without intermediaries and rituals, and the hero never trusts in His mercy, achieving everything on his own. Thus, the writer demonstrates to the reader the foundations of deism, which argued that real faith lives in the soul of a person, and not in church rituals.
3. The meaning of life - throughout his life, Crusoe strove for new heights. He was not satisfied with the life of a simple English bourgeois, and therefore he risked everything and left his father's house in search of new impressions, wealth and fame. According to the writer, this is what it means to be a real person - to constantly strive for something new, strive to conquer ever higher peaks, work hard, never give up and change the world for the better for yourself and others.
4. Labor - Defoe was one of the first writers of his time who spoke about the importance of physical labor in the process of human becoming. Constantly working, Robinson gains useful experience, builds character and eventually, overcoming all difficulties, comes to success.
5. Personal development - Robinson's entire life path is a constant development through overcoming difficulties. Starting out as a simple boy, hungry for adventure, by the end of the novel, Crusoe becomes an experienced and wealthy man.
6. Strength of mind - the hero Defoe shows us all an example of real strength, which lies in the ability of a person to resist despair, not give up and continue to fight against unfavorable circumstances.

Problematic

The subject matter of the novel "Robinson Crusoe" can also be expanded if you have something to add write about it in  the comments.

1. Loneliness - One of the hardest tests for Robinson is the test of loneliness. On an uninhabited island, far from civilization and people, the hero began to slowly but surely forget human speech, but with the help of constant exercise and his savage servant, Crusoe managed to preserve his mind and remain a full-fledged person.
2. Frivolity - In the beginning, Robinson seems to us a frivolous nutcase, constantly playing with danger. In the end, the ambitiousness of the young Crusoe leads him to a desert island, where the formation of a hero takes place.
3. The morals of wild tribes - Defoe largely formed in the mass consciousness the image of a classic aboriginal from the island - a narrow-minded savage, relying on brute force, who is defeated by an enlightened European who uses his mind.
4. Stoicism - Robinson embodies many of the ideals of the philosophical doctrine of Stoicism. The main character faces difficulties, but, keeping calm and dignity, overcomes them. It is also characteristic that Crusoe respects the savage Friday, not dividing people by skin color, as was customary in the days of Defoe.

Main idea

In his adventure novel, Defoe showed the reader the formation of a personality that could be set as an example for everyone else. The meaning of the book "Robinson Crusoe" is the teaching that was popular in Defoe's time. This concept was introduced by the philosopher John Locke and denotes the belief that people are born "like a blank slate" - that is, without innate vices or virtues. All their formation takes place under the influence of the external world and personal experience. This hypothesis was proved by the author, describing the formation of the personality of Robinson Crusoe. This idea made it possible to make European society more humane and tolerant towards Friday towards colored people in general.

In parallel, the novel broadcasts to the reader the ideals that Defoe defended and which became dominant among all enlighteners: deism, belief in the equality of all people, belief in progress and man as a rational higher being. This is the main idea of ​​the novel "Robinson Crusoe".

What does it teach?

The novel "Robinson Crusoe" gives us an example of how to behave when faced with dangers and difficulties: do not despair, think with your head and work hard. This work makes you think about the importance of life experience, the value of knowledge that a person acquires by trying something new and believe in your Creator ,surely you will find the way out !!!

The author also says that every person can achieve success; This is the moral of "Robinson Crusoe".

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