Robinson Crusoe Essay

" The holy work of god has to be attended to and if we are crushed and humbled to the very dust, as also laughing stocks to all who know us, we must be faithful and look for rest and peace only in heaven"

"It was my folly! I have said it. But up to that epoch of my life, I had lived in vain. The world had been so cheerless! My heart was a habitation large enough for many guests, but lonely and chill and without a household fire. I longed to kindle one!" Chapter 4, 71

Robinson Crusoe is a man who was lost in the world, stuck at home with his parents, he was expected to be a lawyer, but his heart longed for the sea. Crusoe eventually left home, without telling his parents what he planned. After several voyages, all of which were seemingly “unlucky,” he is shipwrecked on a desert island and is forced to survive with only bare necessities. Many people consider him a hero because of how he dealt with his misfortune. Some people believe that Robinson Crusoe is a likeable and admirable character, but others disagree. Robinson Crusoe is not a likeable or admirable character for three reasons: he is self-absorbed, he lacks emotion, and he is hypocritical.

He would make a short prayer in the morning, and a long prayer at night; and, strange as it may seem, few men would at times appear more devotional than he. The exercises of his family devotions were always commenced with singing; and, as he was a very poor singer himself, the duty of raising the hymn generally came upon me. He would read his hymn, and nod at me to commence. I would at times do so; at others, I would not. My non-compliance would almost always produce much confusion. To show himself independent of me, he would start and stagger through with his hymn in the most discordant manner. In this state of mind, he prayed with more than ordinary spirit. Poor man! such was his disposition, and success at deceiving, I do verily believe that he sometimes deceived himself into the solemn belief, that he was a sincere worshipper of the most high God" (P.

“If it assume my noble father’s person,/I’ll speak to it though hell itself should gape/And bid me hold my peace.” (1.2.244-245)

Another part of this is at the end of the story when he does not believe in him anymore and his is the quote that i have got for when his dad has passed away that it says that ‘ “there were no more prayers at his grave no candles that were lit to his memory his last word was my name” (wiesel 106) as this continues on he does not believe in him anymore.

This year as a class we have read 2 different books. One of these books was at the beginning of the school year called “lorde of the flies.” In this book there are a bunch of kids stranded on an island due to a plane crash with no parental supervision. You see how different you are in a life where there are no rules and how savage you become when you put on a mask. These boys tested each other and themselves and at the end of the day got some people killed. The other book we read this year was Hamlet. This book was about a young prince whose father had died and his mother marries his uncle soon after. Hamlet was still grieving as his mother and uncle are having their incestual wedding. Hamlet also sometimes sees his father as a ghost and the ghost tells him that Hamlet's uncle killed the king (who is the ghost speaking to him) and this causes only cauas. Hamlet too feels alone like the boys in lord of the flies and begins doing things he never thought he would. These books opened my eyes to how different people become depending on the situation they are in and depending on how ruthless you are willing to be. I know now that if something bad happens to learn how to forgive the way Hamlet couldn’t and to let go of things.

As soon as Crusoe is washed up on the shore of the island he looked up and thanked God for his life. I would too if I were him because the way he described it, the boat was mighty far away and the waves were massive. It was a miracle he was still breathing considering everyone else had perished in the wreck. After, on page 104, he eases his mind by writing out the comforts and miseries of his current situation. He states, “But God wonderfully sent the ship in near enough to the shore, that I have got out as many necessary things as will either supply my wants or enable me to supply myself, even as long as I live”. Crusoe is acknowledging God’s presence in his survival and how caring he really was. Despite Crusoe’s lack of belief before the incident, God still had mercy on him and for that he was thankful. Furthermore, on page 152, Crusoe states he began to seriously read the Bible every single day for as long as his mind let him. This drove him to throw his hands in the air and cry, “Jesus, thou son of David! Jesus, thou exalted Prince and Saviour! Give me repentance!”. He revealed this was the first time he had truly prayed in all his life. Crusoe at this point is now

The first reason that Robinson Crusoe is an admirable character is because he devotes himself to growing his spiritual life. First, he asserts, “My duty to God, and the reading scriptures, which I constantly set apart some time from thrice every day.” (Defoe

However, unlike the custom of the times, Crusoe carves out a dedication "I came on shore here of the 30th of Sept. 1659" (Defoe 61) as opposed to a tribute to God or Christ. Next, in his journal, Crusoe begins to relieve himself by listing both the good and evil of his situation. Crusoe confronted with tragedy quickly takes religion into his life, but once again the sincerity in his beliefs can easily be questioned by the reader. Additionally, once Crusoe is settled into his life on the island, he forgets his commitment to religion until he becomes deathly ill. In his journal he writes "Very ill, frighted almost to death with the apprehension of my sad condition ... Prayed to God for the first time since the storm off Hull" (Defoe 84). His strength returns soon then suddenly he falls back into sickness. During this fit of illness he cries out for God to pity and have mercy on him. After waking up feeling better, but thirsty, Crusoe lies in bed and falls back to sleep. While asleep, Crusoe experiences a vision of a man descending from the clouds. The apparition approaches Crusoe, saying "Seeing all these things have not brought thee to repentance, now thou shalt die" (Defoe 85). Crusoe finally realizes all the wickedness in his life, such as disobeying his father and participating in the slave trade for his own profit. While suffering in sickness for another day, at last

In the beginning of the book, Robinson Crusoe runs away from home to get on a ship. Then, when he was on his way to Canary Island, his ship was bombarded by pirates, who took him hostage. Finally, after two long years,

While you remain in listless indifference, how can you tell what is the will of God concerning you? and how do you expect to be saved, unless as faithful servants you do your Lord's will....pg. 206

Crusoe's journey in the canoe exemplifies the reality of his life in that, although he longs to please and obey God, he must also contend

Daniel Defoe wrote Robinson Crusoe as a restless and generally unhappy character in the beginning of the novel. Like a lot of people in society, Crusoe was never truly satisfied with the “middle state” even though his father claimed it to be “the best state in the world” (Crusoe 44). In the beginning of the novel, Crusoe was also never truly satisfied when it came to his religious life and, like many people, made empty promises he could not keep due to his inherent desire to escape the restrictions of his social class; from the very beginning, this novel implies that human nature is inherently

The theme of "man’s relationship to God and the universe" presented in Epistle 1 of Alexander Pope’s "An Essay on Man" complements Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe. Crusoe is an inconsistent character who turns to God whenever he is in need, yet fails to maintain respect for nature and for his fellow man. In the first year of Robinson Crusoe’s solitary life on the island, he falls ill and has a terrifying dream that alters his awareness of his place in the universe and God’s control of it. This experience leads him to contemplate his past ingratitude and to embark on a life of piety, reading the Bible daily, though without a drastic or permanent change in his character.