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Robinson Crusoe - Part 1
Young
Robinson Crusoe decides he wants to leave his father and
mother to go to sea. He refuses to take their advice and
sets sail.
Illustration by NC Wyeth (1920)
Young Robinson Crusoe refuses to take his father's advice.
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Robinson Crusoe - Part 2
Crusoe
learns more of what it means to be a seaman. He is captured
off the west coast of Africa and made a slave.
In
this section of the novel we get into Defoe's treatment
of the issues of slavery and race. Reading the early parts
of the novel, one might get the mistaken impression that
Defoe is intolerant of other races. This is not the case.
One must remember that he was writing his book before 1719.
His continued treatment of the slavery issue throughout
the novel is many years ahead of its time and shows him
to be a deeply thoughtful and serious commentator on the
social injustices he saw around him.
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Robinson Crusoe - Part 3
In this section
of the novel, Crusoe continues making good on his escape.
He then makes a series of fateful decisions as he tries
to get on his feet and make a life for himself.
Defoe
begins to get into the slavery issue and how it plays the
major role in Crusoe's single most important decision.
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Robinson Crusoe - Part 4
Crusoe
experiences a terrifying shipwreck and is the only survivor.
His struggle for food, water, and a place to sleep begin.
No matter what situation Crusoe finds himself in, he never
stops thinking.
Illustration
is by NC Wyeth (1920)
Crusoe takes supplies off his shipwreck on his hastily
built raft.
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Robinson Crusoe - Part 5
Crusoe
explains how he made his own tools and built his home on
the island. He begins to show us his journal entries which
track each day's activities. He goes hunting and, much to
his surprise, begins to use agriculture. All his mental
efforts are bent toward making his survival upon the island
long-term. He even considers what he will have to do to
ensure his survival when his health and strength begin to
fail. The inclusion of the journal entries, which actually
repeat some of the very things Crusoe has already told us,
are a striking literary device on the part of Daniel Defoe.
Pay attention to how the voice (I mean the literary voice,
not the audio voice!) of Crusoe changes ever so slightly
with these journal entries as compared to the rest of his
narration. Crusoe also begins struggle with religious thoughts
and wonders whether some sort of divine providence is behind
his being the sole survivor of the shipwreck.
Illustration
is by NC Wyeth (1920)
Crusoe carves his cross on the beach to keep track
of passing days, weeks and months
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Robinson Crusoe - Part 6
Crusoe
continues to offer the reader his journal entries, describing
how he brought supplies from off the shipwreck. He battles
sickness and finds a way to speed his recovery. He begins
to read a copy of the Bible that he finds in one of his
chests. This causes him to ponder the nature of his deliverance
and he begins to read the book regularly for the first time
in his life. Defoe is here beginning his fascinating analysis
of a human being's place in the world and how hardship can
lead a person to question the very nature of existence.
As
Crusoe recovers from his sickness, he begins to venture
farther abroad on the island, discovering things that will
assist his survival efforts.
Illustration
is by NC Wyeth (1920)
Crusoe reads his Bible and ponders the nature of his
deliverance
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Robinson Crusoe - Part 7
Crusoe
details how he learns to grow crops that will help sustain
him when his ammunition runs out. He journeys to the far
side of the island, finding better land and more plentiful
game there. He describes the difficulties overcome in learning
to weave baskets and cut lumber from a tree. He also writes
about his religious thinking and how he begins to come to
terms with his solitary condition.
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Robinson Crusoe - Part 8
Robinson
Crusoe struggles to harvest his corn, make bread, build
a boat and sew some clothes. The efforts he makes are constantly
set back by mistakes and errors in judgement. He deals with
his lack of expertise in the various arts that he must call
upon with a certain amount of humor. Pay attention to how
Crusoe constantly monitors his state of mind and is ever
willing to discuss his mistakes and to poke fun at himself.
Illustration
is by NC Wyeth (1920)
Crusoe harvests his barley while his parot looks on
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Robinson Crusoe - Part 9
Let's get on
with our story, shall we? It's a good story and reading
it is a lot of fun. Difficult, but fun. Defoe's language
is up and down and backward and forward. It makes you think
fast. Try picking up the book and reading any part of it
out loud and fast. It's tricky. But it's a very good way
to learn more about how Defoe's mind worked. Amazing. Are
you starting to wonder why Crusoe constantly reminds us
of things and says things like: 'As I told you before,'
or 'As I said earlier?'
He almost insists
that you follow the correct sequence of events, but he skips
ahead in order to achieve a much more important goal. He
wants you to follow along with his state of mind. That's
why his story-telling language is so twisty and folds back
on itself so often. This is certainly one of the most fantastic
things about Defoe's novel. Its obsessive focus on the man's
state of mind sets a precedent that influences almost all
of literature following Defoe. It is really this that makes
the book so modern.
This story holds
surprises for us. Stay tuned until next week...
Illustration
is by NC Wyeth (1920)
Crusoe battles the currents on the far side of his
island
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Robinson Crusoe - Part 10
Our lone character,
Robinson Crusoe, succeeds in raising his herd of goats and
learns to use them for meat, milk and cheese. But his shocking
discovery on a beach shakes his foundation and fills him
with dread.
Illustration
is by NC Wyeth (1920)
Crusoe makes a shocking discovery
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Robinson Crusoe - Part 11
Crusoe makes
another shocking discovery and sets himself on a course
of action that leads him to one of the book's most interesting
passages. It is here, in Crusoe's struggle with his own
outrage and his ideas about what makes for civilized behavior,
that Defoe begins to turn the novel in a new direction.
He is examining the underpinnings of Western civilization.
What makes a person civilized? What does the right of self
defense really mean? This kind of thinking and questioning
is perhaps somewhat lacking in certain countries today.
Notice also how religion, for Crusoe, seems to have a moderating,
calming influence. He resists using it to justify himself
or his actions.
Illustration
is by NC Wyeth (1920)
Crusoe watches the ocean for boats
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Robinson Crusoe - Part 12
Crusoe
worries about being attacked if his presence is discovered
by cannibals who visit the island. He finds a spectacular
cave and then, during a night storm, hears a cannon shot.
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Robinson Crusoe - Part 13
Cannibals come
to Crusoe's island and make him believe there is a possibility
of confrontation. But in this section of the book Crusoe
meets his companion, Friday. He considers this man to be
his servant and slave. An odd assumption since it is actually
he, Robinson Crusoe, who is the intruder in Friday's part
of the world. This must have something to do with the way
certain nations operated in those days and, in some cases,
still do.
At any rate,
Crusoe begins to teach Friday English and becomes more assured
of their friendship.
Illustration
is by NC Wyeth (1920)
Crusoe meets the man who becomes Friday.
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Robinson Crusoe - Part 14
Crusoe
builds his friendship with Friday, teaching him english,
Christianity, hunting with a gun, and working with tools.
The two men develop a deep and trusting bond once Crusoe
gets over his struggles with suspicion and doubts about
Friday's intentions. We find ourselves at that part of the
novel that best illustrates what many critics of Defoe's
novel say is a glorification of English colonialism and
empire. To be sure, that is part of what is going on in
the book. However, there is more to it than that. Defoe,
at times, seems close to sowing seeds of doubt about the
English world he lived in and its beliefs about its place
in the world. Pay very close attention to the conversations
between Friday and Crusoe. They move in directions entirely
unanticipated by Crusoe. He is constantly surprised by how
loyal, intelligent, and civilized Friday turns out to be
in his very deepest nature.
Illustration
is by NC Wyeth (1920)
Crusoe and Friday build a boat.
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Robinson Crusoe - Part 15
Robinson
Crusoe and Friday get many surprises as they battle cannibals.
The action explodes as they are forced to think and act
quickly to save lives. Crusoe continues to be amazed at
the strength of Friday's character and his incredible loyalty.
Illustration
is by NC Wyeth (1920)
Crusoe battles the cannibals on the beach.
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Robinson Crusoe - Part 16
Crusoe
and Friday see what looks like an English ship. But what
does this ship bring? This is an action-packed section of
the book. Crusoe uses every bit of his cunning and skill
to defend himself and Friday while never ceasing to maintain
his hope of rescue.
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Robinson Crusoe - Part 17 (Conclusion)
Robinson
Crusoe and Friday finally have a ship and a way off the
island. Crusoe relates his journey home and how he resolves
the outstanding issues he left behind in his life. He meets
with one final harrowing adventure on his journey home and
uses it to lead into the final thoughts of his great tale.
So ends one of the greatest adventures ever written and
so began the great art of the English novel. Daniel Defoe
created a character that has influenced every writer and
every reader's imagination since he wrote this incredible
book.
It has been an
uncommon pleasure to read this difficult book and to make
my way through the unusual language of Mr. Defoe. Perhaps
by reading him, one can learn to think a bit like him. With
great language comes great subtlety of thought.
By the
way, Defoe did write a sequel to this book. It's called
'The Farther Adventures of Robinson Crusoe.' Perhaps a podcast
of that book should be...
Illustration
is by NC Wyeth (1920)
Crusoe is grateful to the ship's captain for his opportunity
of rescue.
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