I finished Robinson Crusoe a few days ago and am now finally finding time to finish my review. Where I left off, Cannibals were starting to make an appearance on the island. Here is where I find that Crusoe uses his intelligence. Although at first, he plans on attacking them for their savage and sinful acts, he changes his mind and makes sure to remove any indication that he lives on the island. This is where we meet “Friday”, who Crusoe rescues from these terrible cannibals. We then get a glimpse into Crusoe’s compassion as he teaches Friday to perform certain chores and rids him of his cannibalistic habits by feeding him goat meat.
Crusoe and Friday’s relationship continues to grow and the two eventually worry about losing each other. The talk about religion, geography, and Fridays home island, to which they plan to sail after the construct a canoe. Before leaving, however, they battle with the cannibals and rescue Friday’s father. Crusoe starts to consider himself a king, and that these people are part of his “kingdom”. More individuals come to the island which Crusoe and his new accomplices attack. They seize their ship and after over 25 years on the island, Crusoe sets sail for England.
The rest of Robinson Crusoe is history. Crusoe stops at a few places before returning home to England. The remaining pages of the book tell us that he has married, then set sail again, and has revisited his island.
Robinson Crusoe has been said one of, if not the, first “novels” ever written. If this is indeed the case, then I have to say that it is an excellent and entertaining story. Thinking of how boring life without technology must have been, Robinson Crusoe is a breath of fresh air. Reading over reviews of some of my class-mates would tell me that the novel was not overly enjoyed, however, looking upon the population when the book was released show me why it is a classic. I would recommend Robinson Crusoe to anyone who enjoys any Cast Away type adventures. Now… to watch Robinson Crusoe on Mars.
One Comment
Re. technology: our grandchildren will probably view our level of technology as primitive (unless some catastrophe takes us back to the dark ages). “Technology” means the application of scientific knowledge to practical matters, so from the invention of the wheel onwards humans have been using technology. Crusoe’s use of technology — his farming, his building — are a focus of the narrative. That in itself is a fascinating theme: his imposition of European technology on nature.