Robinson Crusoe, Daniel Defoe

Where Did Robinson Crusoe Go With Friday on Saturday Night? - Clinton Ford
Tr. Spa-Eng. from a Shvoong Review

 James Joyce saw in Robinson the prototype of British colonialism (Robinson considered the island his property from the outset, even enslaving indigenous girls to give them to his Spanish prisoners), as well as a symbol of Puritanism: the self-made man, the perseverance even under the most difficult conditions, sexual apathy, self-control, etc... One can also see in the work an allegory of Defoe's life itself, who had gone bankrupt economically, and had to overcome it with hardness and work. 

 On the other hand, although perhaps it was never sanctioned by the author, it is also possible for the reader to face the novel philosophically, as a demonstration of the hypothetical human nudity before the overwhelming forces of nature. As commissioning evidence of the hard struggle against these forces to create a habitable world, such as "culture" and "technique" have done in human history. 

 Robinson Crusoe is the classic adventure novel par excellence, as well as an important fictional autobiography. On the basis of two real shipwrecked men named Alexander Serkirk and Pedro Serrano, Defoe built, with a simple and authentic plot, a symbol of colonialism, the perfect man and the supreme morality. Actually, the full title of the book is "The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York...". Robinson Crusoe is a sailor who, on an expedition along Africa by boat, is captured by pirates and becomes a slave. He manages to escape and is aided by a Portuguese Navy Captain that leads to Brazil. The ship sinks and he is the sole survivor, getting to an island where, a priori, he seems to be the only inhabitant. As a means to survive, he takes all those weapons and supplies from the ship that he needs, waiting to be rescued. When he finally begins to adapt to loneliness (thanks, among other things, to his conversion to Christianity) and settle on the island, he discovers that he is not alone in it, as a cannibal tribe resides there. Crusoe immediately considered the natives as enemies, and helps escape one of their prisoners who was about to be executed. As they met on Friday, Crusoe called him "Friday" and they forge a sincere friendship, though they do not match either in the language or in the culture. Together they decide to help other prisoners captured by the natives, one of whom is a Spanish who is also a castaway that awaits the arrival of a ship. 

 This plot, reviewed a thousand times, is the most palpable way of translating the phrase "intelligence is the ability to adapt to new situations". In this sense, the character created by Defoe, to the extent that represents the perfect British colonialist, is admirable according to the subsequent studies by the novelist James Joyce.

 Crusoe believes in the Supreme Justice, has stable and consistent religious beliefs, does not feel sexual temptations and acts according to maximum efficiency. The fact that Crusoe teaches Friday everything he knows has signs of the Imperalism of cultural colonialism, since he also converts him to Christianity and presents him the riches of the Western world. At no time Crusoe gives up, and maintains an optimistic perspective on his future, featuring on many occasions his appreciation and affection for Friday, referring to him as his friend. 

 Despite being written in the first person, the fact of relating distant events in time, makes the style simple and little given to subjectivity, giving more importance to the events than to the feelings of the protagonist himself. It gives the impression that Crusoe hardly thought: he acted. This decreases the likelihood of the text, featuring a character beatified and enhanced by the story. However, it is striking when Crusoe proclaims himself king of the island, entering some political nuances mentioned above. And it is also curious that, while the marine takes money from the ship, it is completely useless in the island, while tools and supplies are extremely valuable and essential for his survival in the place. 

 Influence in works and subsequent reflections has been immeasurable, as in the case of the earlier named James Joyce, Karl Marx or the Nobel awarded J. M. Coetzee. Due to the argument and the form it is told, in a schematic way, the reading of Robinson Crusoe is the most pleasant that can be found today, elevating its status to immortal novel, since, though almost four hundred years have passed, it still raises passions and a high interest in the reader, who, no doubt, will take it into account as one of the best novels of adventures ever written. Even we miss a further extension of the text, which would have deepened more in the psychological profile of the character and his human evolution during his stay on the island. An undisputed universal literature masterpiece, ideal for young people by its magnificent visual aspect and its ability to transport them directly to the island. And after all, this is a vital function of literature: transporting the reader into the universe created by the author.