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MonkeyNotes-Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
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Themes
The predominant theme of Robinson Crusoe is religious. Crusoe is
the prodigal son who leaves his father's house and runs into
trouble. He is punished by Providence for his rebelliousness and
greed and forced to live a solitary confinement on a deserted
island, where he can come to terms with his religious faith. At first,
Crusoe tries to make it on the island through sheer hard work and
ingenuity. He is so self-assured that he feels he needs nothing other
than himself. When he falls ill and has no one to turn to, he begs
God for help and forgiveness. God hears his pleas and begins to
work with Crusoe. As Crusoe begins to feel truly repentant and to
regularly spend time reading the Bible and praying, he is richly
blessed on the island. He finds plenty to eat and plenty to occupy
himself. He is also always grateful to God for his survival and his
safety on the island. When he is delivered from the island, he
accredits his rescue to Providence, taking no credit for himself.
The prodigal son has truly learned his lesson and returns to
England a changed and humbled man; God has worked a miracle
in the life of Robinson Crusoe.
The minor theme of the novel is the imperialist dream. The novel
takes place during the age when new colonies were being
established and the explorer was being idealized. It was the dream
of many young Englishmen to go overseas to one of the colonies,
to grow rich, and to play a role in the spread of the British Empire.
Crusoe is tempted by this dream. His forays as an explorer at first
bring him some wealth. In Brazil, he grows quite rich, but when
cast upon an uninhabited island, Crusoe meets hardship.
Nevertheless, in true British imperialist fashion, he begins to
"colonize" the island, turning it into a small England. Crusoe
becomes the lord of the island and builds himself a "castle" and a
"country house." Like a lord, he rules over every form of life on
the island. His first subjects are his pets - a parrot, a dog, and two
cats. Then he begins to domesticate the goats. Next he saves
Friday. Though called a companion, he is really no more than a
servant who Crusoe "civilizes" in every way, dressing him in
English fashion, giving him a British name, teaching him the
English language, and turning him into a Christian. By the end of
the novel, Crusoe has truly become a "governor" of the island with
power over all those who find themselves stranded there, including
the Spaniard, Friday's father, and the shipwrecked captain and his
crew. Until the end of the story, when Crusoe revisits the island
and behaves like a real governor, who is concerned about the
welfare of the people in his colony, this image is maintained. Thus,
through the entire novel, the theme of British imperialism
continues.
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