Robinson Crusoe as the source of the theme Imperialism and Capitalism

M.K.BHAVNAGAR UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH

Name : Bhumi V Joshi

Roll No : 3

Enrollment No : PG14101020

Paper No :  The Neo-Classical Age

Assignment Topic :

Critically evaluation of the character of Robinson Crusoe as the source of the theme Imperialism and Capitalism.

Preface :
                                                

                Daniel Defoe was a great traveler as young man and went all over Europe. He wrote many novels but still today he is remembered for his great imaginative adventure novel ‘Robinson Crusoe’s life on island.

      Defoe got the raw material from Alexander Selkirk who spends many years on island alone. In the novel,  ‘Robinson Crusoe’ we find the character of Crusoe as an individual and writer takes the medium of Sea to describe the novel as ‘Picaresque’ and Adventure’ novel.

      Character of Robinson Crusoe no flashy hero or grand epic adventure. Crusoe displays character traits that have won him the approval of generation of readers. Crusoe’s business instincts are just as considerable as his survival instants and he manages twenty eight year absence and even leaves his island with the nice collection of gold.

            Crusoe is never interested in portraying himself as a hero in his own narration. He does not boast of his courage in quelling the mutiny and he is always ready to admit unheroic  feelings of fear or panic as when he saw footprint on the beach.

            Crusoe worries about the religious consequences of disobeying his father, but never display any emotions about leaving. As individual personality….

      “Crusoe is rather dull.”

Finally, while not boasting of heroism, Crusoe is nonetheless very interested in possessions, power and prestige.

      When Crusoe first calls himself king of the island, it seems jocund but when he treated Spaniard as his subject we must take his royal delusion seriously. Since it seems he really does consider himself king.

Example :

“ Crusoe teaches Friday the word “[Master]even before teaching him “yes” and “No” and indeed the he lets him “know that was to be [Crusoe’s ] name.”

      Crusoe’s virtues tend to private; his industry, resourcefulness and solitary courage makes him individual. But his vice are social, and his urge to subjugate others is highly objectionable. In bringing both side together into success, failures and contradictions of modern man.

So, as above over-viewing the character of Crusoe, let’s discuss him as the source of the theme Capitalism and Imperialism.

Character analysis of Robinson Crusoe with the source of the theme Capitalism and Imperialism.

      Robinson Crusoe reveals  to a little more, not just about the personality  of Defoe , but about the vaster problem of human loneliness , which spreads like a stain as more closer together.

      Unfortunately, Crusoe reaches the unknown island where there is no existence of other human being. Being alone on island, he himself start to do farming, merchant and all works of day to day life.

      Being a English man , he has a pride of his nation and religion Christianity also. He has a master mind of –            ‘WHITE MAN’S BURDEN ’

      Crusoe as an intellectual man on island. Crusoe suffers from identity crisis. ‘Who am I?’   Here, we find some elements like:

1.      Creation of sense of national identity.

2.     Colonial – Imperialism.

3.      The view of this negativeness , savage, primitive and barbaric.

4.      The use of national identity in order to implement imperial policy, for the development o f the native creation through a sense of responsibilities.  

                 Gradually , Crusoe expands his empires as English mentality. Being English man in his mind ,there is a wish  to be a master of his kingdom which is created by himself.

To live comfortably there , he tries  to face all situations and become – ‘Every Man’ like…..

Economic man, farmer         merchant, umbrella maker, etc..


             Generally Themes are………The fundamental and the often universal ideas  explored in a literally work.

      Imperialism:


                Having the desire the of being  master  of Robinson Crusoe there is the existence of the theme – Imperialism.

            Imperialism is the political, economic, military or other domination of one country or culture by another.

“Dominated country to dominator.”

            The term is especially applied to the European domination of Africa following the Berlin conference of 1885. ‘White man’s Burden’-is the most important in Imperialism to behind European global dominance.

 

“Power and duty is  responsible for burden.”

Become master:
                                            

Crusoe’s success in mastery his situation overcoming his obstacles and controlling his environment shows the condition of mastery in his beginning of the novel.

            No doubt; Crusoe becomes the master of Friday but Moreover, Crusoe’s mastery over nature makes him a master of his fate and of himself.

            The theme of mastery becomes more complex and less positive after Friday’s arrival when the idea of mastery comes to apply more to mastery comes to apply more to unfair relationship between humans.

“Friday learns English from Crusoe –who becomes his master.”

Examples:

“Crusoe teaches Friday the word ‘M’aster even before teaching him ‘yes’ and ‘no’ and indeed the he lets him “Known that was to be [Crusoe’s] name.”

In chapter xxiii, we find above examples which describes the imperialism the most. 

                             
                                             

                                

      Crusoe never enjoy the idea of considering Friday a friend or equal for some reason. Superiority comes instinctively to him. We have question Crusoe’s right to be called ‘[M]aster’ when he later refers to himself ‘king’ over the natives and Europeans , who are his “subjects. Master needs to Friday not love and care, but wants to solve. Every human being is suffering from loneliness.

“Loneliness is punishment   but solitude is boon.” 

            As economic man –Crusoe has been specifically identified with Capitalism.


                                       “Where is society there is rules!.”

            Being the king of the kingdom , he has fear of losing his slave –Friday-there we  find the importance of his position because without Friday how he describes his position over the island.

            “How Crusoe rules over the kingdom?”

               His solitary state on the island, his limited relationship with others,                                                                                                                                                                                                                 including his own family and the insignificance of sex /woman reflect the nature of capitalism.Crusoe is mainly interested in expanding his empire.

                                     “The novel becomes the narrative of ‘Master”

            He is fearing for loosing Friday as slave but not as companion – is described not only British mentality but reflects the human nature who wants power and position.

      

“Robinson Crusoe as a work whose protagonist is the founder of the new world which he rules and realisms for Christianity and England.”

                                                                                                                                      -Edward

Capitalism:

                        Capitalism is a social system based on the principal of individual rights. Politically it is the system of freedom.

            Novel stars with ‘trade’ means ‘Humans trade’. The novel has multi-culturalism and develops with various – multi themes.

            On island being alone, Crusoe treats himself as respected and high position of the kingdom. In order to keep expanding capitalism, requires a cheap sources  of raw materials and markets for finished products. Colonials and markets for finished products. Colonies serves both functions for the mother country.

            So, though capitalism and colonialism are not identical, they  are closely associated. In the 18^th century, Colonialism and imperialism were generally synonymous today terms are still often interchanged though they are not truly identical.

            In colonialism, one has controls the territory, the economy and the political structure of another  country :in Imperialism one nation extends its empire  or its domination of other lands.

            Crusoe acts as a colonizer in assume complete dominion over the  island and any  people he encounters. The land and all its products belong to him. Several times he notes the abundance of trees suitable  for making marts.

“Crusoe’s actions as an individual duplicate those of nations in climbing land for colonies.”

      Many chapters we find this like colonialism.

Examples:

The chapter which narrates his return to the island is titled ‘I revisit my island’. ‘My' colony on island.   

                                       

            Crusoe sees himself as ‘king’ and others as his subjects including his pets. He creates not a democracy, not a republic , but a kingdom there he imposes his will on  others, most obviously Friday but also on the worst  of the English mutineers, whom he forces into staying on the island.

            The true symbol of British conquest is Robinson Crusoe. Who cast away on a desert island, in his pocket a knife and a pipe becomes an architect, a carpenter, a knife grinder ,an astronomer ,a baker , a shipwright ,a potter , a saddler ,a farmer ,a tailor ,an umbrella –makes and clergyman.

            Crusoe is the true prototype of the British colonist; as Friday is the symbol of the subject races .Crusoe as imperialist conqueror is not a twentieth century invention His sovereign rule is suggested by the orb he holds and the object submission of the native.

      As above discussion we can say that;

“Colonialism helped capitalism to become powerful.”

            Nature creates boundary away from the society .Natural things grow gradually not in society but far away from the society. Crusoe becomes king, the lord , the master of the empire though he breaks the culture of Friday.

            Having the power of colonialism and Imperialism , Crusoe becomes cruel to Friday because of Crusoe’s  influences, culture , too .means…

‘Friday lost his original identity.”

     

Crusoe has great feeling towards his island and he says that…

“My island was now peopled, and thought, myself very rich in subjects; and it was a memory reflections, which I frequently made, how like a king  I looked.

First of all , the whole country as my own mere property, Basso that I had an undoubted right of dominion .I was absolute lord and law right, they all owed their lives to me , and there were ready to lay down their lives .If there had been occasion of it, for me.”

                  Above sentences which is spoken by Robinson Crusoe in the novel- so all reader observes that Daniel Defoe describes and develops him as the source of central theme –Capitalism and Imperialism..

Conclusion :

                    Being alone on island, Crusoe fulfills his wish to be the king of island. He also behaves with same attitude as Englishman. He becomes the master of Friday as his duty to make other people civilize .Thus as above discussion, we may conclude that Robinson Crusoe becomes the source of the theme Imperialism and Capitalism of the novel ‘ Robinson Crusoe.’