Critical appreciation of ‘Robinson Crusoe’ by Daniel Defoe

  Critical appreciation of ‘Robinson Crusoe’ by Daniel Defoe.

Name : Radha B. Ghevariya 

Std. : M.A. SEM-1

Sub : The Ne0-Classical literature

Roll no : 22 

Topic :  Critical appreciation of ‘Robinson Crusoe’ by Daniel Defoe.

Submitted to : Smt. S. B. Gardi Department of English 

Introduction

                           

            Daniel Defoe was born in  1659 . Daniel Defoe was an English trader, writer, journalist, pamphleteer, and spy. then the famous his novel  ‘Robinson Crusoe’ . Daniel Defoe born toward of the summer of 1660 died on  April 24 , 1731 . his original surname  foe , Defoe altered it in 1703 . Defoe  was an author of famous novel ‘ Robinson Crusoe’ a simply the story of a man shipwrecked alone on an island . whenever , Samuel Richardson  Defoe is considered the founder of the English novel . Daniel Defoe before his time stories  were usually written as long as long poem or dramas .

“ One day , about noon , going towards my

Bout , I was exceedingly surprised with the

Print of a man’s naked  foot on the shore

Which was very plain to be seen on the sand”

       

                                         by Robinson Crusoe

                 Daniel  Defoe was one of the first to write stories about believable character in realistic situation using simple prose . he achieved literary immorality when in  April 1719 he published  ‘ Robinson Crusoe’ , a travelogue . which was based partly on the memoirs of voyagers and castaway . as a journalist  Defoe must have heard his story and possibly interviewed him .

· The theme of the novel

   

“ The themes are the fundamental  and often

Universal  ideas explored in a literary work”

             The novel becomes prototypical of colonial novel . it starts with trade .

· The   Ambivalence of mastery.

· The necessity  of repeatance.

· The importance of self awareness.

· The Ambivalence of mastery

                       Crusoe’s  success in muster of his situation then controlling his environment show all the  condition of  mastery in light  beginning of a novel . Crusoe state on the island and inhospitable environment but if makes it his home than  the master of  crusoe and another  the theme  of mastery is the more complex  and positive of Friday . in his ideas of  mastery comes  to apply for the unfair relationship between  Crusoe and Friday .  Crusoe  also trained by Friday . Crusoe the ‘master, then Friday ‘yes’ and he lets him ‘know that was to be  name’ . Daniel Defoe is also kind the link of the colonial mind of human being .

# The necessity of repentance

              

                            Robinson Crusoe is not only an adventure story but also a moral  tale .  Crusoe believes that his  rebellious behaviour toward his father , he refers to as his ‘origin sin to Adam and  eve’s first disobence of god . ironically view of necessity of repentance  of ends up sin Crusoe  may never have learned top repent if he had never sinfully disobeyed his father in the first place.

# The importance of self - awareness

                                    His island existence actually depends his self - awareness as he withdraws  from the external   social world and turns inward . after arriving at island , he  remains aware of his own self . Crusoe feels the   importance of staying aware  of his situation at all times .

# Full title of the  novel

   

                         Robinson Crusoe is a novel written by  Daniel Defoe . this novel first  published on 25 , April , 1719 .  the first edition credited the work’s fictional protagonist  Robinson Crusoe as it’s author and the many readers to believe . he was a real person and the book a travelogue of the true incidents the original title is;

“ The life and strange surprising adventures of Robinson Crusoe , of York , mariner :  who liyed eight and twenty

Years all alone in an uninhabited island an the coast of

America , near the mouth of the great river of orooneque:

Having been  cast on shore by shipwreck wherein   all the

Men perished but himself with an account how he has at

Last as strangely delivered by pyrites…….”

                 The novel is it’s simple narrative style and then Robinson Crusoe was well known as the literary  world  and then credited as  marking . the beginning of realistic way of fiction as a literary genre and before the end of novel 1719 the book had alredy ran through four edition .

# Historical Background

                  

                                  By the time of Robinson Crusoe European nations had acquird empires in south America , Asia  and Africa  . Daniel Defoe was display interested in the voyages . so , he wrote about voyages. Daniel Defoe tells  tale of a marooned individual in order in critize society . by using the island location , similar to that of tempt , Defoe also depict Crusoe’s island as a microcosm of European society . Crusoe’s European values  and education are evident : he colonizes the island by building houses . his successful development on the island parallels that of the British empire  around the 18^th century .

# Plot - overview of the novel

                             Crusoe sets sail from the in Hull on a sea voyage in August , 1651 . Crusoe against the wishes of his parents . crusoe wants him to pursue a career if possibly in law . after a tumultuous journey where his shipwrecked in a storm . his lust for the sea out to sea gain . later that two years he escapes in a bout with a boy named Xury . xury a captain of a Portuguese  ship off the west coast of Africa  rescues him  Crusoe is a  shipwrecked in a about  forty miles out to sea on an island near the mouth of the Orinoco river on 30 , September ,1659 .

                  Crusoe sees penguins  and  seals  on his island only he and three animals the captain’s dog and two cats the survive shipwreck . Crusoe making mark in A wooden cross he creates a calendar by using tools  salvaged from the  ship . Crusoe also adopt a small parrot .   Crusoe believes in Christianity  and he reads the bible and becomes religious  thinking god for his fate in which nothing is missing but human society .

                   Crusoe meets a new companion ‘ Friday’ . after the day of the week he appeared  Crusoe teaches him English and Friday converts him to Christianity . Crusoe and Friday kill most of the natives  and save two  prisoners . if their Friday’s  father and bring back the other , build a ship , and a sail to a Spanish port .

                 Crusoe leaves the island 19 , December , 1686. And arrives in England on 11 , June , 1687 . if the learns that his family believed in dead . as a result but he  was left nothing in his father’s will . Crusoe transports his wealth overland to England to avoid travelling by sea .

# Theme of moral tale and religion

                  Daniel  Defoe in his novel Robinson Crusoe . Defoe creates a moral tale  of rewards and punishment the repentance is a theme that runs through the novel . Crusoe believe in Christianity  and console himself regularly through the    shipwreck , and Crusoe teaches the Christianity  Crusoe means is that to is that to Christianized is to make them civilized .

                     Robinson Crusoe religions theme are concerned the idea of  providence plays a prominent role  . his indication towards  religion is perhaps the most prominent aspect that has been emphasized throughout the novel . he discovers god with the exclusive aid of the bible he had with him then his nature of Protestantism is shown when he remains unable to preach man Friday  about the aspect of Christianity . even though he manages to  Christianizes him if he creates  entire catholic   church and its systems .

              However , the theme of religion is Robinson Crusoe  is the most important one and is prominent throughout the novel . according to  J. p . Hunter , Robinson Crusoe is not a hero but an everyman he begins aimless on a see he does not  understand and ends as a pilgrim , crossing a final mountain to enter  the promised land , however  the novel is how Robinson becomes  closer to god not through listening to sermons in church but through spending time alone amongst nature with only a bible to read .  if also Robinson Crusoe is filled with religion aspects .the novelist Daniel Defoe was a puritan moralist and normally worked in the guide tradition writing books on how to be good puritan Christian . the new family instructor ( 1727 ) and religion courtship ( 1722 ) . if also then  Robinson Crusoe is far more than a guide it  share many of the themes and theological  and moral point of view.

#  Character: Robinson  Crusoe  

                             Robinson  Crusoe as a narrator of the story . Crusoe sets sail at nineteen year of age  Robinson Crusoe the protagonist of Defoe’s novel  Crusoe headstrong young man when we meet him in 1651 in his home town of Hull, England . Crusoe parents are German and his father’s  original last name was kreatzaner  and before he come to  England from the German town of Bremen  . after  Crusoe against the parents ,  and begins a life of  ‘sea adventure’ . his father wants him him to be a lawyer but he wants to be  sea voyager . Robinson Crusoe is an Englishman from the town of  York in the 17^th century . he become from apper middle class  family . Crusoe  believe  in Christianity and Crusoe as an  economic man . the existence of other is for his economic advantages . as a also becomes mythmaker .

·      Robinson Crusoe becomes a merchant and is captured .

·      Robinson Crusoe is shipwrecked.

·      Robinson Crusoe lands on his island .

                     Robinson Crusoe is no flashly hero or grand epic adventure . he is a display character traits that won him the  approval of  generation of readers.

                     The  swiss  philosopher of readers . the swiss philosopher Jean -JACQUES Rousseaq says that,

“ Robinson Crusoe it youeself independence  ,

And in his book on education , emile he reco-

Mmeds that children be taught  to imitate ,

Crusoe’s hands on approach to life”

                 Moreover , Robinson Crusoe is never interest in portraying himself as a  hero of his own narration he also feels that the unheroic feelings of fear or panic and if he finds the footprint on the beach than the ordinary sensible man , and if he never exception hero . Crusoe seems to incapable of deep feelings and shown by his cold account of leaving his family . he only worry about the disobeying his father decision but  if Crusoe never displaying any emotion about leaving . Crusoe as a very generous people . Crusoe tells us that he has gotten married and that his wife has died all within the same sentence . his difference to her seems almost cruel . if there is the individual personality . crusoe is rather dull if after then meeting with Friday.

#  Friday

                 Friday is drawn by the narrator as an nonwhite man . Friday represent all the native place of America , Asia and Africa in the age of European imperialism . thy oppressed by other . Crusoe also love Friday the remarkable revelation if cruaoe  expresses his love for him not for sister , wife and brother or then the parents . if also  suggest the appeal of Friday’s personality .