loneliness=craziness in Robinson Crusoe
Throughout Daniel Defoe's, Robinson Crusoe one may see the effects of solitude on the development and life of the main character. When Robinson Crusoe becomes stranded on a desolate island, he must do whatever is necessary to survive. After being on the island for several years Crusoe learns to adapt to his surroundings and live with what he has. One thing he does not have for most of his stay there is a companion, another person to talk to, someone to share his thoughts with and help him out. To fulfill his desires of wanting company, Crusoe decides to let God become his companion. He starts to read the Bible and learn Christianity. Defoe seems to be a very strong believer in God. He believes that God's providence shapes the lives of all men and that any unusual circumstances or misfortunes that occur happen because that is the way God wanted it. Throughout the novel one can see other instances of divine intervention in Crusoe's life. Even though Robinson Crusoe is under impractical circumstances, stranded on this remote island, his isolation enables him to learn numerous things and become a devote Christian. He learns how to become an architect, a carpenter, a baker, a tailor, a farmer, an umbrella maker, and even
As Robinson Crusoe survives on his island and adapts very well to his surroundings he becomes lonely and wishes for some companionship. During his stay on the island Crusoe trains a parrot to speak to him just so he can hear another voice, even though it is just a repetition of his own words. Since he has an enormous amount of time on his hands, he takes the time to learn his scriptures well and become a companion to the Lord. If he was not stuck on the island by himself, he would have most likely forgotten about his religion as he did in the beginning of the novel. When Crusoe takes his first voyage on sea he is met with a great storm. During this storm he promises God that he will go home to his father if he survives. Once the storm stops and his fears are over, Crusoe abandons the promise that he made to the Lord. The psychological condition of Robinson Crusoe was not just totally imagined by Daniel Defoe. Defoe was not a stranger to the life of imprisonment. In the early 18th century, Defoe was imprisoned for about six months. He was thrown in jail because of a controversial pamphlet that he wrote called The Shortest Was With Dissenters. In this pamphlet Defoe humorously implied that all people who were not members of the Church of England should be killed. This imprisonment may have given Defoe several thoughts of what is like to be totally cut off from civilization. One may see the severity of Crusoe's loneliness and lack of human companionship after his illness goes away. When he is better Crusoe is crying to God asking him why he has being punished in such a cruel manner. This gives the reader an idea of how Crusoe is feeling at that time in his life. He is extremely unhappy with his secular condition and that he has nobody to live with or speak to. This point is very important later on in the novel. a preacher. Crusoe becomes a very independent and resourceful individual as the novel progresses. Crusoe has become extremely confused during his stay on the island. At first he dreams for someone to come and save him, then he fears that someone will try to destroy him, and then later on in the novel he once again wishes for companionship and rescues Friday from savages. This confusion on the part of Crusoe is due to his
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1530
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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