Civilization And Colonialism In Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe

Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, a single protagonist from Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe demonstrates civilization, governments, and religious aspects of these time periods, all from his home on an island. Crusoe created his own society on an island in the Caribbean, and this untouched land became a civilized structure under his control.
Upon arriving to the island, Crusoe was particularly delighted at the sight of a valley. He, much like kings did in Europe, was scoping out the land he wanted before he would try to rule it. Along with this, when a ruler is interested in taking power of land, to the people he is expected to be an heir of the land. Having no roots of family who hold power on this island, Crusoe was a sudden addition …show more content…
In my mind, this marks the start of Crusoe developing qualities of an absolutist; without his ink he cannot write in his journal, thus his parliament is gone for good. Crusoe’s inner thoughts about how he proceeds to live on the land lead up to the creation of his own absolutist government. He perceives a hurricane as a war upon him and worries that another hurricane, or “event,” would severely affect his ruling. In the month of April, an earthquake strikes and Crusoe is very close to being killed. Even though Crusoe’s life was threatened, he focused on the relief he feels knowing that no damage has been done to his “kingdom.” These natural disasters represent uprisings and conflicts that were happening in Europe between the people and the ruler. All the ruler (Crusoe) is worried about s the state of his kingdom. Crusoe puts effort into his kingdom; he even bothers to pitch “two rows of strong stakes, driving them into the ground till they stood very firm,” (75) clearly claiming his land and setting up his boundaries. Crusoe receives great pleasure when thinking that he “was king and lord of all this country indefensibly, and had a right of possession” (128). What is intriguing is that he no longer refers to himself as a miserable and poor man; he can very easily rule this land, and so he does, with both his imagination and the things he encounters. Defoe describes many situations where Crusoe’s behavior is …show more content…
Crusoe, being a depiction of Louis XIV, constructed a system of government as well, which was made up of beings and animals he found and directed on the (his) island. Crusoe encounters a parrot that repeats him and lingers near him, similar to how a monarch “chooses an individual to be his right-hand man” (Ritzema). He directs sheep he finds and makes an enclosure for them, mirroring Louis XIV in how he made his subjects live with him in Versaille. Crusoe also has his friend (or rather, subject), Friday, live near him. He teaches Friday how to clothe himself, much like Louis XIV who insisted that the people who lived in Versaille learn proper etiquette. A goat he keeps as a pet is kept in a place where, shockingly, Crusoe nearly staves it until he remembers it. He forgets about his “subjects” as they are suffering, demonstrating the negative qualities of an absolutist. Naturally, Crusoe experiences gloomy moods when he realizes he is fixed on this island. He views the island as a prison, displaying an idea almost identical the failure of monarchs to realize how much of a prison their land can be to their people. Interestingly, Crusoe is facing what is it like to be on that