Jerry Smith's Reviews > Robinson Crusoe

Obviously one of the most iconic novels ever written and one that has a hold on human imagination and has spawned many similar works over the centuries. I enjoyed the book but I found it somewhat unsatisfactory on a number of levels.

The story itself is, of course, very well known and the vast bulk of it concerns Crusoe's 28 year stay on a deserted island, latterly joined by Friday and subsequently a group of sailors who had suffered a mutiny. There is considerable repetition in the text as Crusoe is constantly worried about being devoured by "wild animals or savages" and this fear is made real by encounters with cannibals on a number of occasions as well as wolves on his journey back to England.

Ultimately a story that discusses Crusoe's introspection as to his fate and his situation. There is a lot of interesting self-examination as he makes the best of his situation and how well off he is once he gets himself settled. Unfortunately he then ascribes this to religion and the scriptures although at the end there is a vague reference to the inquisition and his unease with Roman Catholicism that is never developed and I wonder why. I kept thinking there was going to be more on this but the point was never developed.

It is obviously important to remember when this novel was penned to avoid relativism but still, with the benefit of 300 years I find the idealized slave/master relationship that exists between Friday and Crusoe uncomfortable ("my man Friday") as well as his conversion to christianity although, Defoe points out one of the most theological illogicalities coming from the mouth of Friday which, of course, he can't explain. Since slavery is sanctioned in the bible this is less problematic for the author.

Which leads me to the final few chapters of the book which cover Crusoe's deliverance from the island. I find this account perfunctory and unsatisfactory in the light of what has gone before. DD skips over some aspects with the excuse that he doesn't want to bother the reader with a log of activities so we get one line telling us that he sailed to England. Then there is an in depth account of his trip across Europe, or rather, one incident of the wolves and the bear in the mountains. This is then followed by a very brief literary gallup across the rest of the trip including his trip from Calais to Dover.

Then we are treated to a short description of his sale of his Brazilian estate (with the vague reference to the inquisition) and his return to the island plus a promise to maybe write some more at a later date. Now, I was done at this stage and wasn't ready for DD to provide a Count of Monte Cristo length account since this novel is basically about the island and his adaptation to living there. I also found it strange that, after living 28 years (mostly on his own) there is very little coverage of his adjustment to life back in Europe beyond casual references. The fate of Friday is also left largely in limbo.

So I was disappointed in the ending which rather spoilt the novel for me. Almost as though Defoe ran out of ideas as to how to end it but perhaps I miss some literary nuances in these final chapters. Perhaps this is a metaphor for the ordinariness of life and how that life goes on.