Imagine the intense light of the sun scalding your eyes as you wake on a blistering, sandy beach. The horrid memories of the previous night shattered by the realization of the complete loneliness and the imminent solitude of isolation from the outside world. Stumbling inland you find your only salvation from this horrendous circumstance is gone, the island is deserted. Most people would not be able to survive on an uninhabited island by themselves. In Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, an English merchant ship wrecked and Robinson Crusoe, one of the merchants on board survived twenty-eight year on an uncharted island the 1950’s. He struggled through many difficulties, but through his perseverance he was able to return to England safely.
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The strong beliefs and customs of Protestantism resulted in strong ties between daily life and religion as well as a life style many would consider strictly conservative. Because of this, religion remained a large part of Defoe’s life. Protestants were, and still are one of the most conservative branches of Christianity. Due to its traditional ties, Protestantism held prejudice against many other cultures and peoples. Daniel Defoe’s devout faith in Protestantism shows through in his work, giving the main character, Robinson Crusoe, little tolerance of different or foreign people and cultures he encounters during his journey. Throughout the novel, Robinson Crusoe attempts to develop Friday, a native who he saved, into a person Crusoe would see as a more civilized person. Crusoe takes it upon himself to Europeanize Friday’s way of life and beliefs because of the Protestant idea of reforming those who do not follow the way of the church. Robinson teaches Friday English and “instruct[s] him in the knowledge of the true God” (Defoe 158). However, this idea …show more content…
He was marooned on an uninhabited island in the South Pacific Ocean and was rescued by another British merchant ship. Daniel Defoe also commonly found himself on the open sea in his earlier life. Because of his previous seafaring exploits, he was able to sympathize with Selkirk and made an instant connection. Many of the situations that occur in Robinson Crusoe coincide with events that happened to Alexander Selkirk during his time spent marooned. For instance, Alexander Selkirk was the only survivor from a merchant ship after it shipwrecked during a storm that blew the liner off course into an island. Another similar instance between the two is that both Selkirk and Crusoe were the only survivors of a shipwreck and were both able to live for years on an uninhabited island. Robinson “lived just like a man cast away upon some desolate island, that had nobody there but himself…” (Defoe 39). Another similarity of Alexander Selkirk’s story to that of Robinson Crusoe was the grand escape. The stories have some slight variances, but both retain the similar storyline where another ship comes to the rescue. Alexander Selkirk was rescued by a passing English merchant ship, which provided his safe passage home after his survival. In the Crusoe story, an English merchant ship came ashore during a mutiny. Crusoe, Friday and some of the crewmen then
The strong beliefs and customs of Protestantism resulted in strong ties between daily life and religion as well as a life style many would consider strictly conservative. Because of this, religion remained a large part of Defoe’s life. Protestants were, and still are one of the most conservative branches of Christianity. Due to its traditional ties, Protestantism held prejudice against many other cultures and peoples. Daniel Defoe’s devout faith in Protestantism shows through in his work, giving the main character, Robinson Crusoe, little tolerance of different or foreign people and cultures he encounters during his journey. Throughout the novel, Robinson Crusoe attempts to develop Friday, a native who he saved, into a person Crusoe would see as a more civilized person. Crusoe takes it upon himself to Europeanize Friday’s way of life and beliefs because of the Protestant idea of reforming those who do not follow the way of the church. Robinson teaches Friday English and “instruct[s] him in the knowledge of the true God” (Defoe 158). However, this idea …show more content…
He was marooned on an uninhabited island in the South Pacific Ocean and was rescued by another British merchant ship. Daniel Defoe also commonly found himself on the open sea in his earlier life. Because of his previous seafaring exploits, he was able to sympathize with Selkirk and made an instant connection. Many of the situations that occur in Robinson Crusoe coincide with events that happened to Alexander Selkirk during his time spent marooned. For instance, Alexander Selkirk was the only survivor from a merchant ship after it shipwrecked during a storm that blew the liner off course into an island. Another similar instance between the two is that both Selkirk and Crusoe were the only survivors of a shipwreck and were both able to live for years on an uninhabited island. Robinson “lived just like a man cast away upon some desolate island, that had nobody there but himself…” (Defoe 39). Another similarity of Alexander Selkirk’s story to that of Robinson Crusoe was the grand escape. The stories have some slight variances, but both retain the similar storyline where another ship comes to the rescue. Alexander Selkirk was rescued by a passing English merchant ship, which provided his safe passage home after his survival. In the Crusoe story, an English merchant ship came ashore during a mutiny. Crusoe, Friday and some of the crewmen then