Today’s Agenda
Presentations
A Randall: Henry the VIII
B Dow: Dante’s Life and Times
Group work: What do you remember, and what kinds of themes are you starting to see emerge in this text?
Class Discussion:
Student Comments:
Here are some comments you made last time that I think will be particularly relevant today:
“He does not rely on another character to get him through, like Dante requiring Virgil to guide him through Hell or like Arcite needing the beauty of Emily to drive him to fight for her love. Crusoe’s only driving force is his survival, or perhaps his own distraction from his “desolate prison”. –Stewart
The passage is during the dream that he has when he is ill, “I saw a man descend from a great black cloud, in a bright flame, so I could but just bear to look towards him …. He moved forward towards me, with a long spear or weapon in his hand, to kill me” (Defoe 75). It could have just been God since there is a passage where he spoke to Moses through a burning bush. However, me it sounded like a description of the god of war in Greek and Roman mythology, he is on fire and carrying a spear I mean I have only seen images of Mars in pop culture but the description sounds like the depictions I have seen. – Dow
In Robinson Crusoe, however, Defoe gives us a journalistic account of Crusoe’s adventure (much like Columbus) and also narrates a story (like Chaucer). With this, we see an accurate account of the events that took place and can also observe Crusoe’s thinking patterns. — Thibodeau
Not only is this the first actual novel we have touched base with but this is also the first encounter with the realm of a artificial person in a piece of literature. — Porter
Mini-lecture:
Last time, one of the things I said about Robinson Crusoe is that, unlike the stories of Chaucer, which use the experience of individuals to suggest life lessons, Crusoe’s life appears to have no lesson, other than the lessons that are particular to the unique experience of his life.” I also said that, “This is a speaker who tells us things in order to define his own world, and not so that we might better understand our own.”
Well, as you probably saw in the reading for today, this is no longer true. Crusoe has become a font of advice on a number of matters and issues. There are two particular issues that he gives advice on today that I think we need to consider seriously.
One of the most famous passages in this book is the passage in which Crusoe finds the human footprint and becomes terrified. If we look at how he considers the footprint, what we see is that he first considers it to be the work of the devil, then he considers it to be the footprint of another man, and then he considers it to be a fantasy he has. We’ll take up these thoughts in a moment, but the first thing to consider is the great fear Crusoe feels when he sees the foot. Why do we think he is scared?
Well, one thing we might think about is that, in this novel, while Crusoe is able to survive in a number of environments (the sea, as a slave, on a plantation, and on a deserted island) , he is also always extremely terrified of the unknown or the abstract. Remember the animals on the coast of Africa, which he mostly does not name? Consider his on-going to desire to build a series of forts, even on a deserted island. And consider also the dream that prompts him into his religious conversation, which is a nightmare that frightens him to the point of accepting God. There is a subtext of fear and desperation in Crusoe’s life, that manifests itself in his actions, both before and after he gets to the island.One question we might ask is, “Why is he so scared all the time?”
One of the things that happens after he sees the footprint, is that he starts to give advice to people, and this advice may strike you as shocking. For example, after he becomes convinced that there are cannibals visiting the island, he begins to fantasize about killing them, even in his dreams. However, and surprisingly, he ultimately stops having these fantasies once he comes to what conclusion?
However, later, after he has another dream in which he “saves” one of the savages who is about to be eaten, he decides that it is okay to kill the cannibals, and sets out to do so, and does so, to rescue Friday. Well, why is it okay to kill people under one set of circumstances, but not on under another? Crusoe never provides a good answer to that. How might this be related to the fear and desperation I was just talking about?
We should also consider what perhaps struck you as one of the most significant passages in the book, which is Crusoe’s call that people be happy with the stations they are born into in life. He uses this advice as a way to justify his father’s suggestion that he aspire to the kind of life he was born into. But there are definite political and religious implications to this as well. The idea here is that revolution is not a good idea, as it will only lead to misery – yet we know that Crusoe, who did this very thing, is not altogether miserable, and he tells us that, except for lack of human contact, he is perfectly happy on the island.
Well, okay – even if we want to take this advice, he appears to, himself, contradict it when he assists Friday (it appears Friday would have gotten away by himself, it should be noted). Friday was born into a culture that was going to eat him. If we take the logic of Crusoe’s advice to heart, then we would have to say that Friday should simply be happy with his fate.
So one of the things we might begin to notice here is that, while Crusoe is apparently a master of the physical world, his personal philosophies and judgments are extremely questionable, and, as a matter of fact, make him look more foolish than the hide and fur garments he makes for himself.
Read the next 50 for Friday (ha ha, get the pun?)
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Jason Stewart
Adam Crowley, Eh 241
12 February 2009
When one is left to his own devices in modern America he generally has many things to distract himself with, like reading, searching the Internet for ridiculous YouTube videos or playing video games, I would be so bold as to say that there is not much great intellectual thoughts being formulated in the average American’s mind. However, Robinson Crusoe is stranded on an island for more than two decades and while he toils each day with making pots or cultivating his corn, he is able to ponder upon very important issues that most “every day men” probably did not consider in England. Crusoe considers his point of view on religion, imperialism and the spread of his own beliefs. Daniel Defoe injects cultural references into his tale of the stranded Crusoe, and creates themes for the story based on those references, making Crusoe, the “every day man”, into Defoe’s own mouthpiece to present worldly issues.
It is not until half way through the novel that we find a more central theme to the story, which is religion. After creating several habitations for himself, Crusoe begins to think about his condition and certain events that have happened to him. This is when he has a faithful awakening and believes strongly in God and His word. With his new faith, Crusoe believes that God chose him to live through the shipwreck, and that God chose that specific island for Crusoe to wash up on. For the bulk of the middle section of the novel Crusoe bases many decisions on his religious beliefs, and also uses passages from scripture to invigorate himself to carry on. Defoe, being alive in a time of great religious differences (Protestants and Catholics fighting), has Crusoe believe in a less strict religious sect, mainly because England was of the Anglican Church, which was far less strict than the Catholic Church.
It is Crusoe’s religious beliefs that also lead to the next theme, or motif: hypocrisy. Crusoe constantly contradicts himself throughout the novel, making the reader look at him as a hypocrite and unreliable. In great storm near Yarmouth Crusoe proclaims to God that he would leave the ship if he were to survive the storm, yet he does not keep his word and eventually finds himself stranded on an island because he did not keep his word to God (this may also stem back to the religion theme that because of his sin in not keeping his word to God, Crusoe is punished by God by being stranded on the island). We also find Crusoe recanting his belief in God and His word after finding a footprint of a savage, then swiftly recanting again and swearing his faith in God. It is a wonder that Crusoe did not invent the flip-flops with the way he constantly changes his mind on what he will do.
The situation with Xury and Friday are also apart of the hypocrisy motif, but are very much in tune with a different theme, that of the imperialistic views that grew in 17th century Europe. Defoe lived in a time when the expansion of nations via colonies was more popular than codpieces, and he injected this cultural reference into the story because he was appealing to the common people and also to the monarchy. The English monarchy wanted there to be popularity with the expansion of their empire, and Defoe took that idea and ran with it, writing the story of a man who is looking to not only to fully inhabit all of his land, but to also spread his religious beliefs to others. After freeing himself from slavery with Xury, Crusoe turns around and agrees to give away Xury to a Portuguese sailor who agrees to free the young man after ten years, as long as the boy converts to Christianity. After meeting and “saving” Friday, Crusoe strips the man of his old beliefs and force-feeds him Christianity.
Crusoe may be seen like a hero to the every-man, but he is also the personification many cultural references from Defoe’s time. Robinson Crusoe is what the English monarchy wants of each and every citizen: a self-sufficient Christian that is willing and ready to spread their beliefs, but probably not so indecisive.
Caleb Ashey
2-12-09
EH241 Professor Adam Crowley
Major Themes
There are quite a few themes in Robinson Crusoe. It is a book that doesn’t really send you a message until you get through the book. As daunting as that may be sometimes, for in sections the book can be very dry. It is also the same with the themes in the book. You have to get about half way through in order to see the major theme in the book. Which I believe to be religion.
Crusoe is kind of a non believer towards the beginning of the book. He rarely mentions god, or any other reference towards the bible. Until he gets stranded on his island, where there is little for him to do to occupy himself. In today’s modern world a person stranded would probably hop on their cell phone and tell someone that there has been a shipwreck. Also left to ourselves over periods of time in everyday life there are many things for us to do. Robinson does the best he can; he begins to read the bible. This awakens his sense of religiousness. And he starts to believe in divine assistance, something that would have been very strange for him before.
Also I think another theme in the book is “mastering” certain things that you attempt. Almost like “if I’m going to do something, I’m going to be the best at it.” I know a lot of people like this in real life and obviously Crusoe is one of them. Like when he building his house, at first he builds on and it caves in on him. But he learned from that and then built another one the same way yet added a support system for the roof and walls.
Also another theme or motif seems to be cannibalism. This is rather strange because it is something that isn’t found a lot in everyday life, unless you happen to live in an area where it is common practice. Although like we discussed in class it could be a metaphor for different views on religion, since I think religion is the biggest theme in the book. Before the book was written it wasn’t that long ago that England had separated itself from the Catholic Church. Where during some of their ceremony’s involving bread and wine, the bread and wine would represent Christ’s “body” and “blood.”
Contradiction seems to be another motif in the book. There are times where Crusoe would say something and do the exact opposite of what he would say he was going to do. It kind of makes him untrustworthy but also adds a very mild sense of humor to his personality. Making him seem like a person driven by instinct instead of thinking things through.
Stefanie Foutch
EH 241
Major British Writers
02/12/09
Themes in Robinson Crusoe
There are quite a lot of themes in the book of Robinson Crusoe. The story is quite adventurous and there is a lot of information to cover. However, I did pick out a few major themes to the story. Some of the more important themes and motifs would be; religion, to be content, and contradictions.
Religion is a theme and subject that we have come across quite often since the semester has started. In almost every reading, that I have read religion was a major role in the piece of writing. In addition, the eras that I have been learning about in class are very influenced by religion, which would influence the writing even more. The reason that I mention it now is, because in the story of Robinson Crusoe, religion is also once again a factor. In the beginning of the story, Crusoe is not a very religious man. This changes quickly as the story pushes forward. In the beginning, God is mention a few times. For example, on one of Crusoe’s first voyages, there is a bad storm, and the boat looks as if it may sink. Crusoe mentions God, and prays he will get off the boat. He swears to God that if he survives this storm he will never sail again. Later on in the story, when Crusoe is already on the island, he has an epiphany. Then religion comes into play. Crusoe starts to believe that God is acting directly upon his life. Crusoe believes that God made the shipwreck happen; God “sent” Crusoe to the island that he is on. When he becomes more and more religious, he starts to read the bible. He also starts to question his actions and thoughts, because of his religiousness. He starts to make decisions on religion and he almost in a way lives by the word of God. This theme comes up often in the story, therefore I believe that it is one of the major themes, if no the biggest theme.
Another theme that I have discovered, that other readers may not have, in this story is; to be content. Robinson Crusoe seems to be so content with his living situation. Never once have I read a complaint from this man. He never becomes bored or homesick. He never has the urge to leave the island. Actually, in one event Crusoe wanted to sail around the island to get to other side of it, he figured it would be faster than walking. However, he did not know how strong the currents were and his boat went off cruse and pulled him further out into the water. When this happened Crusoe freaked out, he thought he would never see his island again. This shows that he is happy with where he is. As I mentioned earlier, he also believes that God “sent” him to this island, and he is supposed to be there. He never becomes bored, because he is always making new things. He learns how to make baskets, tobacco pipe, fences for his goats, cheese, milk, traps, pits, etc. He seems to be this incredible building machine, always keeping him busy. He has his “pets” a for company. Other than the fact that Crusoe is paranoid, he is content and happy with his living situation.
The last theme I would like to mention is contradictions. Crusoe has a tendency to say one thing and then do the exact opposite. As I mentioned earlier, when Crusoe is on one of his first sails, the boat looks as if it is about to sink. He swears if he gets out of the quagmire he will never sail again, yet after he makes it out of the bad situation, he continues to sail. He seems to contradict himself frequently, making contradictions a theme of the story.
In the Story of Robinson Crusoe, there are many themes and motifs. The ones I found most important are; religion, to be content, and contradictions.
Sarah Rackliffe
EH 241
Adam Crowley
February 13, 2009
Major Themes
While I think Robinson Crusoe doesn’t have as much of a major theme as some of the material that we have been reading in this class it does carry a couple of themes with it. The first major theme in this book would have to be religion. While at the beginning of this book Crusoe didn’t pay much attention to God or religion at all but after being stuck on this island e has had plenty of this to think about the subject. He reflects again and again on the fact that he has survived a lot in his life, including the shipwreck that killed his whole crew and left him on this island. He thinks about this almost everything he is upset about being on this island.
I believe that this recurring theme shows that Crusoe only turned to god when he was in disaster. Before he never really looked to God so much but now that he is stranded on this island and is alone with his thoughts it’s all he can really think about. It’s almost Defoe was saying that maybe this is how some people view religion or this is what can happen to you if you find God too late.
Another motif in this story would be his constant changing of his house. He always seems to be either changing it in some way or he is worried about what could happen to it or what could happen to it. This motif seems normal because this dwelling is all he has, without it he would have almost nothing. The other huge motif would be his constant fear of cannibalism. Personally if I was alone on an island I would be just worried about someone being there and killing me, not eating me. It seems random and strange to be to skip past being afraid of just being murdered to being afraid of being eaten.
The last motif I could think of in this story would be him constantly reminded of his father. He always remembers his father’s last wishes for him to not go to to see and just become a “man of the law.” I believe that the theme of this constant repeated thought is regret. If he just listened to his father then he would be in this mess and he would be in civilization.
I think that this book has 2 major themes so far. When the book starts out the whole theme seems to be about regret. He is regretting this whole decision whenever he is in danger. But as the book move further this theme of regret turns into more of a religious theme. But this regret theme seems to mesh with his religious theme at the same time, he believes by dishonoring his father’s wishes he went against god which put him in this situation, thus taking the regret theme and bringing it together with the religious theme. So far the theme really seems to be sticking with religion which could easily change as the story goes on.
William Dow II
2/12/2009
Eh241.001
Themes in Crusoe
The story of Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe is a very busy story concerning themes. This story is rich in themes that span religion, self-discovery, and survival. However, not all of them are a major part of the story but everyone helps shape and molds this story. The theme I will focus on first is religion. In the story are hero finds religion toward the middle of the story. Religion as a theme in the story is a minor gets are hero on a path that guides his existents on the island itself. However, it also gives use a kind of window into the emotions and feelings of the character during certain portions of the story. The major theme for the story is how he survives upon the island itself. He builds everything he can think of to make his life better he has two tents encased by large fences he builds pens for his goats, he builds a boat so that he can travel and survey the island. On top of that, he is always discussing where he is find food and how he is making sure that he can preserve this food so that he can use it later on. Another theme and a pretty big one at that is building or crafting because he does not stop he makes everything like I said he makes pots, baskets, and clothes just to name a few. The question of where he learned this is a big one but not anything relevant to this discussion. Nevertheless, building is a major theme as that is what he does with any spare time he has he never stops and just sits he always is building things in his cave like shelves and cubbyholes to store things in. This topic ties in with the last theme I brought out at the beginning and that is personal discovery he discovers that he is good under high-pressure situations that he finds himself in. In addition, he is very regretful and though he does all these things, where he has created all these creature comforts and he is well off on this island. However, he never stops and says maybe that going against my fathers wishes did something good for me. No, he keeps blaming himself that he end up on this island because he did what he did. Though his thoughts are true he did curse himself to a lifetime misery, would he have become the man that he is a jack-of-all-trades that can build things that boggle my mind.
Therefore, in conclusion, Robinson Crusoe has many themes and I doubt I scratched the surface of them. However, I believe that they are all under this category of self-discovery that really is just for the reader, as he seems not to reflect upon himself unless it is a negative reflection.
Gavin Kennedy
02/13/09
Themes in Robinson Crusoe
There are many themes that have been newly revealed in Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe. The first half of the book or so, I found, to be slow going but not enjoyable. The first half just was a build up, to me it was at least. Now I would have expected a man who had more than twenty years to just sit there and think about things would have came up with many ideas or mused over the meaning of life far more than Crusoe had. What else was there to do except create a mass amount of objects and think, he did the former far more than the latter, I would have thought it would have been reversed.
One of the largest things that seems to drive Crusoe is the want, or need, to be happy with himself and his life. I would imagine this “pursuit of happiness” is a major part of everyones life, yours and mine and any person living today. He keeps his mind busy with building and construing, feeling good about what he is doing, that he is being productive. Being productive and having a purpose in life are both very good ways to feel good about where you are. I would imagine that anything that Crusoe can do to feel better about his dire situation he would do, even if it would seem pointless to someone not in his place. He does not become bitter, I mean he says is he perfectly happy except for the lack of human contact, but it is really remarkable that he lives there for more than twenty years and never once becomes terribly discouraged or downtrodden.
When you reach the mid point one of the major themes actually rears it head: religion. It is not surprising that religion popped up seeing as Defoe lived during a very turbulent time for religion, religion was more prevalent and influential in those days, if you could imagine that. So religion coming up in this book was not much of a surprise, it was actually surprising me that it didn’t show up sooner, given all that things Crusoe could have placed blame on “God.” He doesn’t really blame god for what happened, he gives credit to him but not in a detrimental way. He says that God placed him on this island and that he brought on the storm that caused the shipwreck. One way this is different in the way of religion is that he believes god is acting directly in his life, that he has some sort of personal relationship with god. Now that might not sound very progressive in the world today, given all the athletes and stars and politicians thanking god for everything they own and obtain, but that was not exactly the way of things. There was no real “personal relationship with God” in Defoe’s days, it was not a wide known or practiced way of looking at God. He also, when “meeting” up with Xury and Friday, tries to project his belief on others. Which is a huge jump from not really even mentioning religion to actually going as far as trying to convert others that are not even of the same religion. E tries in a very Christopher Columbus way, viewing it as the “right” thing to do, that he is saving them in some fashion.
Now those are only two of the many different themes in Defoe’s “ Robinson Crusoe.” Those are the themes that I believe drive the plot the hardest, the two major forces in Crusoe’s life by the time the book reaches its fulcrum and starts to descend into the second half. It could be said that most the the literature we have been exposed to has these two themes somewhere in there, they are two fairly generic themes: religion and the pursuit of happiness.
There are many themes and motifs in Daniel Defoe’s novel, Robinson Crusoe. One of the motif’s in the novel is the regret Crusoe experiences regret for leaving his father’s house. Whenever something is not going his way, he says he should have listened to his father, and how he was not expecting what is happening to him. Another motif in the novel is Crusoe’s mentioning of God. He relates God with almost everything he sees, everything he has and things that have happened to him while on his journey. The motif of Robinson Crusoe mentioning God, and praying to God becomes a theme throughout the novel. For example, the author writes, “I began now serously to reflect upon what I had done… for my wicked leavings of my father’s house..and the breach of my duty to God and my father,”(pg. 5). Crusoe was terrified at this point because he had never been out to sea before. Along with regret, fear plays a huge part in the novel. Everytime Crusoe encounters something bigger than him, he gets scared and reflects back on his choices he has made that gothim where he is now. Throughout the novel when Crusoe gets scared, he looks back on his decision to leave his father. An example of Crusoe mentioning God as a motif would be when Crusoe begins to cry because he notices pieces of corn and other crops starting to grow, and says Also during the voyage, Crusoe prays for God to not take his life from him. Another motif in Robsinson Crusoe is how he decides to make things. Like how he dug his “cave” and made baskets and boats and things out of trees. Most of the beginning of the book, it talks about everything he made, where he got material to make it, how he made it, and what he will use it for. I also think that Crusoe’s use for his goats is a motif. He finds many uses for them throughout the story. weather it is to make an umberella, jacket, get milk or food, it is brought up a lot. A major theme is religion in Daniel Defoe’s Robinsion Crusoe, is Crusoe involving God in everything he does, or finds. Like the other literary works we have read so far this semester, religion is a major theme and somehow included in the piece. Although different characters talk about different Gods with different meanings, they are almost always mentioned. All of the themes and motifs are tied together somehow. One thing leads to another and that is how he got to where he is in his journey.
Kristen Porter
Feb 13th 2009
EH 241
Daniel Defoe’s novel Robinson Crusoe does not have one major theme throughout the book, the novel displays various themes that symbolize and help the audience understand why Crusoe acts and thinks the way he does. Although each theme is not a dominant part of the story, they are complex in a manner that each theme represents a part of the character that is not totally obvious to the reader.
The first theme that became obvious was how Crusoe has this major issue with controlling his surroundings. When he first arrives in this new environment he immediately tries to create a home like atmosphere with what he has around him. Crusoe then tames wild goats and parrots, controlling these new animals; as he is king, and they are his subjects. Another strange incident of his controlling ways is how he tries to control nature. His controlling ways over nature make it seem like he is trying to conquer and master his own fate. The beginning of the story he repeatedly blames himself for disobeying his father’s knowledge and advice. Later in the story we learn that Crusoe stops viewing himself of a victim of his stupidity, and takes on a new self-determination. Building a home on the island, he learns that he is the master of his own life, and begins to take control and finds prosperity of being in solitude.
The second theme that was apparent was how the story becomes a tale of right and wrong. The moral and religious dimensions of the story begin with Crusoe starting to find religion as a way to overcome and control his obstacles. While Crusoe does believe it is important to embrace God’s work and miracles, he prays with few results. The reason I think Crusoe keeps coming back to religion, is to attack that same redundant theme of controlling what is around him. After his feverish hallucinations he then reaches an epiphany, he complains much less about his doom of being on the island and embraces that this is what God had in store for him, for not obeying his father. Then with this theme in mind, the reader reaches the irony. If Crusoe never disobeyed his father’s wishes in the first place, he would have never learned to repent.
Finally, Crusoe keeps a journal to become more self-aware. Although at the beginning the journal is detailed accounts of the environment, it eventually just turns into meaningless facts about the day or descriptions of his creations. Since he is living alone on this island, he has no social contact. Crusoe turns his life inward towards himself, feeling the importance of staying aware of his surroundings and situation at all times. The way Crusoe teaches the parrot to talk and say words that express concern or importance to Crusoe, justify that he is trying to create a self aware environment for nature.
Leah Gomes
13 February 2009
Adam Crowley
Robinson Crusoe Themes
In Robinson Crusoe, I noticed that there seemed to be a theme throughout the book that Crusoe had to master everything. At first, his mastery of such skills as: basket-making, pottery, and cooking, are positive. They show that even though he was coming out of an industrialized time, he had the self-determination to try all kinds of new things, even if reading everything he did was a little boring. He even is able to understand his surroundings, and become very knowledgeable on the animals. I think that all of this leads to his realization that he needs to take control over his own life. Even though he left his family, in what he felt was the correct decision, he has continued to question himself as he thinks about his father’s advice.
Somewhere along the line, that mastery of self may have gone to his head, when he met Friday. He has been on the island for such a long time, and has become used to mastering everything he comes in contact with. It has also been such a long time since he has had contact with another human being that he has lost his ability to relate. So, he sees Friday as just another product of nature that he must find a way to master. The fact that Crusoe teaches Friday the word “master” before anything else is quite disturbing. It seems to me, that Crusoe would value the human race more now than he did before, so his reference to himself as “king” is confusing.
This theme of mastery took a negative turn as the book progressed. It goes with the feeling that, the more you conquer, the more you think you have the right to conquer. Crusoe has accomplished so much that he may have just forgotten how not to take control of something. I guess you really can’t blame him, since he was all by himself for two decades. But I don’t really think that there is any excuse for forgetting the value of a human being. You should feel the need to be respected (and since he had not had that feeling, since being shipwrecked, it may have been pushed aside) and therefore remember that other feel the same way.
Adam Crowley
EH 241
13 February 2009
Thematic Relevance in “Robinson Crusoe”
In Defoe’s story, many thematic issues come up throughout the story, such as man vs. wild/nature, Man vs. God/religion, relevance of worth and its relativity to its founder as well as what makes man a servant and a master. While there are many other themes in this story, these stand out to me the most. The one I believe to be the major theme however, is master versus servant. I believe this is the most relevant theme, because Crusoe often talks about God as his master. He also talks about Friday and others he has rescued as servants, because he has “earned” them to be so. This can be observed through Friday’s salvation and the saving of the ship’s captain and his crew.
There is an issue here, however. Defoe writes in a way which exemplifies what a healthy “IOU” relationship is versus slavery. In contrast, Friday is treated much differently than the English “Christian” people. This is so, because for a while Crusoe saw Friday as a savage without religion. Then he learned that indeed Friday had a religion not too much different from his own, which caused Crusoe to teach Friday about “the truth” as he saw it. When Friday questioned him in ways which caused him to question his own religion, Crusoe seemed to begin to see Friday in a whole new light. In one portion of the reading, Crusoe identifies Friday as a protestant (because he taught him the ways of his beliefs). Crusoe also acknowledges the ship inhabitants to be Christians, but an obvious biased comes up when he discusses Catholicism. In discussion of Friday’s ways, Crusoe compares his servant’s religion to paganism and Catholicism because they both have priests and “savage” ways of pursuing things. As was brought up in class, I believe Crusoe see’s the Catholic Church in the same way he sees Friday’s old lifestyle as being barbaric and evil, because both are cannibalistic. I say this because Catholics believe in eating the body and blood of Christ which can be argued as being the same as what Friday’s people and captors do. However, if one were to actually understand the ways of the Catholic Church, they would understand that it is done in accordance to the way Jesus did this at the last supper when he broke bread and drank wine with his apostles before he was betrayed. He did this in order for people to remember him and his teachings. The Catholic Church performs these rituals in order to obtain a cleansing of their soul and salvation from their sinful ways. In comparison, this is just like being “saved” in the protestant beliefs. This important to understand because another common motif in this story is fearing things not understood, and that is certainly apparent in Crusoe’s understanding of the savage’s and Catholic rituals.
Benjamin McGray
EH 241
Adam Crowley
February 12, 2009
So far I have read two hundred pages of “Robinson Crusoe” and have not yet failed to be amazed with everything that has happened. It seems every block of fifty pages holds another, different twist and turn that hurdles the reader into a rush of emotion, whether it is excitement, fear, pity, or disgust. However it is within pages 150-200 that the theme of the book, what it is that Daniel Defoe is trying to comment on, begins to become apparent. This theme, in a short sentence, seems to be Crusoe’s ability, as a middle class ordinary man, to gain understanding of God and to form a personal relationship to him without the help of the church. This is opposed to the strict Catholic tradition, at that time, that ordinary people who were not priests or church officials could not gain a personal understanding of God, that they must gain a relationship to God through the church. These Catholic ideas are directly challenged through the Protestant reformation, which given the poor opinion of the Catholic church during Defoe’s time probably would have been quite popular in England
When one reflects on all that Crusoe has been able to do, at first it seems unbelievable. However this leads to a questioning as to the reason why the author allows for his character to accomplish such amazing feats. The answer is in the results. Here is a middle class man that has landed on a deserted island, who previously was not a man of God. Through his personal experiences and hardships this man without the help of the church develops a relationship with God and eventually an understanding. This is something the church would not have thought possible. In fact it was one of the biggest disagreements between Martin Luther, the primary “reformer” which helped bring about the reformation, and the Catholic church. Then, specifically on page 162, Crusoe takes his relationship with God one step further by acquiring an understanding of Him. This is done simply on personal inward reflection, personal being once again a key word, on a series of difficult questions asked from “his man Friday”. It was not through church traditions or doctrine that this understanding is achieved, which is significant in my opinion.
Taking a macro perspective of the story, it starts to make sense in reference to my argument. Defoe tells the story a man sent to a place, and really the only place, where the church has no authority or power, a deserted island in a savage territory. Yet even here a man, in fact two men counting Friday, are able to find God. Crusoe does in fact go on to describe Friday as being of the Protestant denomination.
So it seems as though what Defoe is trying to convey through this story of a ship wrecked wretch is a commentary on the downfalls, or flaws, of the Catholic church. This may be a bold assertion on my part and possibly just a rambling tangent with no weight that was taken from a whim, but when considering the events that were taking place in reality at that time (i.e. the reformation, the split between Catholics and Anglicans) it seems to make sense.
Timothy McGuire
Eh 241
The Robinson Crusoe story has several themes which don’t make themselves apparent until much of the way through the book. I think part of the reason is that this story is not organized into chapters as many modern novels are.
The first theme I noticed is fate and that of a divine “providence” who guides things in a very direct way. Crusoe mentions this throughout the story but most often during happy or catastrophic events. In addition it Crusoe mentions that many of his life in particular his being stranded or captured happened on the same day. He seems to attribute some significance to this as if his maker is trying to teach him a lesson.
Religion seems to play a major role in this story as well. The beginning of the book seems to be reminiscent of the prodigal son. With the Crusoe falling into disaster just as his father predicted he would and against much advice to him leaving. He later refers to this as his “original sin.” Later religion play a much greater role for Crusoe with him often drawing strength, meaning and comfort from the bible. Particularly after his major religions conversion when he got sick on the island.
After he “rescues” or more accurately plays the rescuer as Friday seemed quite elusive and capable of escape by the description given religion takes on newer significance. Crusoe later Christianizes Friday but never treats him as an equal even after conversion Friday is always treated as a servant.
The last theme seems to be that of control. Crusoe seems to have to “master” or control pretty much everything he can. First he does all he can to control his environment including erecting intricate defenses far in excess of what would be necessary and originally without any justification to build them as he was unaware of any dangers human or animal. Later he “rescues” Friday and makes him his servant, whom he then controls and Christianizes. Then when he rescues Fridays father and the Spaniard he makes them recognize him as the sole authority on the island. Crusoe does this again to a much greater extent when he helps the Captain reclaim his ship on several conditions one of which being that he recognize him as the Chief Authority on “his” island.