Evil. Good

"I am cast upon a horrible, But I am alive; and not drowned, as

desolate island, void of all hope all my ship's company were.

of recovery.

I am singled out and sepa- But I am singled out, too, from all the

rated, as it were, from all the ship's crew, to be spared from death; and He

World, to be miserable. that miraculously saved me from death can

deliver me from this condition.

I am divided from mankind - But I am not starved and perishing on

a solitaire;* one banished from a barren place, affording no sustenance.*

human society.

I have not clothes to cover me. But I am in a hot climate, where if I

had clothes, I could hardly wear them.

I am without any defence, or But I am cast on an island, where I

means to resist any violence of see no wild beasts to hurt me, as I saw on

man or beast. the cost of Africa; and what if I had been

shipwrecked there?

I have no soul to speak to, or But God wonderfully sent the ship in

relieve me. near enough to the shore, that I have gotten

out so many necessary things as will either

supply my wants, or enable me to supply

myself, even as long as I live."

· a solitaire - one without companions

· sustenance - food

Robinson Crusoe's most characteristic trait is his optimism. His guiding principle in life became "never say die" and "in trouble to be troubled is to have your troubles doubled". Sometimes of course, especially during earthquakes or when he was ill, panic and anxiety overtook him, but never for long. He has confidence in himself and in man, and believes it is within the power of man to overcome all difficulties and hardships. Another of Crusoe's good qualities which saves him from despair, is his ability to put his whole heart into everything he does. He is an enthusiastic worker and always hopes for the best.

He began to keep a journal of his life as soon as he got a pen and ink to write with. This too is a sign of Crusoe's courageous optimism.

THE JOURNAL

"September 30, 1659. - I, poor miserable Robinson Crusoe, being shipwrecked during a dreadful storm in the offing,* came on shore on this dismal, unfortunate island, which I called 'The Island of Despair'; all the rest of the ship's company being drowned, and myself almost dead.

All the rest of the day I spent in afflicting myself* at the dismal circumstances I was brought to, viz.,* I had neither food, house, clothes, weapon, nor place to fly to; and in despair of any relief, saw nothing but death before me; either that I should be devoured by wild beasts, murdered by savages, or starved to death for want of food. At the approach of night I slept in a tree, for fear of wild creatures; but slept soundly, though it rained all night. […]

January 3. - I began my fence, or wall; which, being still jealous of my being attacked by somebody, I resolved to make very thick and strong. […]

All this time I worked very hard, the rains hindering me many days, nay, sometimes weeks together; but I thought I should never be perfectly secure till this wall was finished; and it is scarce credible what inexpressible labour everything was done with, especially the bringing piles out of the woods, and driving them into the ground; for I made them much bigger than I needed to have done. […]"

· in the offing - not far from the land.

· in afflicting myself - in bringing mental suffering on myself.

· viz. - namely, in other words.

Defoe's Crusoe, like Defoe himself, is typically bourgeois. He is very practical. The beauty of the island has no appeal to him. He does not care for scenery. He regards the island as his personal property. He takes pride in being master of it, and is pleased at the thought that everything he sees around belongs to him. This is also proved by the fact that he decided to keep the money he found in the ship, although he knew that it would be of no use to him on the island.

"I smiled to myself at the sight of this money. 'Oh, drug!' said I aloud, 'what art thou good for? Thou art not worth to me - no, not the taking off the ground; one of those knives is worth all this heap; I have no manner of use for thee; even remain where thou art, and go to the bottom, as a creature whose life is not worth saving.' However, upon second thoughts, I took it away; and wrapping all in a piece of canvas, I began to think of making another raft […]."

Negro slavery seems natural to Defoe, as it was to his age. Crusoe considers his race to be superior to all other races. As soon as a man appears on the island Crusoe makes him his slave. "Master" is the first word he teaches Friday to say. When Crusoe was alone on the island he did everything with his own hands. Then Friday appears, and he immediately makes a servant of him, and when the island becomes inhabited by other people, he organizes a colony and introduces class relations: the masters, who rule the community, and the slaves, who do the work. Crusoe was fond of Xury, the boy who helped him to escape from slavery, but when in need of money he did not hesitate to sell him.

Crusoe is full of religious superstitions. At the thought that a terrible dream he has had might come true, he is terrified. He believes in God and in the hand of Providence. In desperate moments he turns to God for help.

"[…] Prayed to God again, but was light-headed; and when I was not, I was so ignorant that I knew not what to say; only I lay and cried, 'Lord, look upon me! Lord, pity me! Lord, have mercy upon me!"

Friday. The other central character of the book is the man Friday. Defoe makes the reader sympathize with Friday. Friday is intelligent, brave, generous, and skilful. He performs all his tasks well. Crusoe teaches him to speak English and is astonished how quickly the man begins to understand the language. It is to Defoe's credit that he portrays the savage as an able, kind-hearted human being at a time when coloured people were treated very badly and were regarded only as a "ready mercantile commodity" (that is to say, a profitable article for trade).

Defoe's Individualism

The novel "Robinson Crusoe" is a glorification of practicalness and energy, yet, when concentrated in an individual man, these qualities are exaggerated. According to Defoe, it follows that man can live by himself comfortably and make all the things he needs with no other humans, no other hands to assist him. This individualism is characteristic of Defoe, who fails to see that Crusoe succeeds in making most of the things he possessed only thanks to some tools he found on the ship, tools made by many other people. Besides, he possessed certain experience that he could only have had as a representative of the 18^th century, that is to say, he had inherited the experience of the many generations who had lived on the earth before him.

Defoe's Contribution to Literature

The novel "Robinson Crusoe" has become a tale of universal appeal, for the writer was fortunate enough to hit upon a theme that stirs the imagination of people of all ages and all times. The work is a glorification of human labour, a triumph of man over nature. It is not only a work of fiction, an account of adventures, a biography; it is a study of man, a great work showing man in relation to nature and civilization as well as in relation to labour and private property.

Defoe was a true writer of the Enlightenment. Breaking through the outworn convention he introduced the common man as the key-character of his novel. Defoe uses the manner of speech of the common people to whom he addresses himself.

The purpose of the author was to make his stories so lifelike that the reader's attention would be fixed only on the events. This is achieved by telling the story in the first person and by paying careful attention to concrete details. This produces the impression that the author himself had lived through all the adventures described by him.

There was no writer of the age who appealed to so wide a circle of readers as Defoe, - he appealed to all, in fact, who were able to read.