Robinson Crusoe  or “The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson

Crusoe, of York, Mariner : who Lived Eight and Twenty Years All Alone in an Uninhabited
Island on the Coast of America, Near the Mouth of the Great River of Orinoco; Having Been
Cast on Shore by Shipwreck, Wherein All the Men Perished But Himself. With an Account
how He was at Last as Strangely Delivered by Pirates” is a fiction published in 1719 written
by Daniel Defoe, who lived between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries when the
European colonization was at its peak. Robinson Crusoe is not just an adventurous fiction, it
is a story where a European man bit by bit experts his impulse and expands his power over an
indifferent, huge, and hostile condition. This novel is an adventure story for children on the
surface but with a proper and conscious reading of the text gives a strong hint about colonial,
imperialistic and the capitalistic drift the protagonist of the novel, Robinson Crusoe. This
paper aims to reflect the colonial aspect of the novel and colonial tendency of the protagonist
and relation of the protagonist with other characters which suggests some strong colonial
notions within the novel.

   Colonization is usually the act of seize on a piece of land inhabited by indigenous

people and force authority over every one of them by another country. The motive for
colonization is not static, but the main motive is resources and it is mixed with the feeling of
superiority. Colonialism, on the other hand, is the band between the colonizer and the
colonized. Lois Tyson (2006) asserted that the ideology of the colonialist is based on the
colonizers’ overthinking of their superiority contrasted with the supposed inferiority of the
natives (indigenous) people. Colonizers view the colonized people as inferior to them and
think themselves as highly civilized from the socio-cultural aspect and it is the region behind
their thinking of colonized or native people as uncivilized and savages.  

    Robinson Crusoe is a popular fiction of eighteenth-century where the author

represents the imperialistic attitude of a European man, who wants a higher position to
authorize or to dominate others. The protagonist of the novel is a emblematic colonial
character. He sets on a distant Caribbean island to establish his own culture, his own
civilization, and his own colony. Defoe deals with colonialism by showing a wonderful
fictional depiction of an adventurous man, who steadily becomes a master over an island and
establish his own colony. In Robinson Crusoe portrayal of colonialism is mainly reflected
through the relationship between the colonized and colonizer, representation of colonized
land and its people, and representation of colonialism from the point of view of trade,
commerce and building an empire.

         Robinson Crusoe was published at a time when new settlements have spread all over
the world and the explorers were being glorified. Europeans, particularly the youthful
merchants were intrigued to go one of the states for abuse of natural resources and to build up
the British standards and Empire. Crusoe is this sort of bold man whose fundamental reason
for existing is to increase business achievement. By inspiring the adventurer's conviction
Crusoe manages nature not as a pantheist but as one calculating business man who is faithful
to capitalism. Crusoe's aphorism of life gives us how affected, perspective controlled by
imperialism.

            Robinson Crusoe, the protagonist of the novel, his colonial ideology and his tendency
to seem superior urged him to announce his possession upon an island that he’s not
discovered yet, with no idea whether the island is occupied with people or not. The first thing
he did was to place a cross sign with the date of his arrival:
        

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          “I cut with my knife upon a large post, in capital letters — and making it
into a great cross, I set it up on the shore where I first landed — ‘I came
on shore here on the 30th September 1659.” (Robinson Crusoe 101).

This urge reflects his wish to dominate the island and colonial tendency to establish
his claim. Crusoe is skilful and could claim himself as a master with the help of few simple
tools that he collected along from the shipwreck making it such a distinct way to claim
authority. Furthermore, in time of Crusoe’s “Survey of the Island”, he officially claims the
aspiration of land ownership for himself and England:

      “to think that this was all my own, that I was King and Lord of all this
Country indefeasibly, and had a Right of Possession; and if I could
convey it, I might have it in Inheritance, as completely as any Lord of
Manor in England.” (Robinson Crusoe 159).

Robinson Crusoe’s wish to be called as the Lord and King or emperor suggests his
colonial mindset to occupy the whole country and establish his domination. His words
represent the words of a colonial people who always try to control territory and its people.
He was unsure whether the island is occupied by people or not, yet his faith was so powerful
to perceive himself being the king over this island:

“I was Lord of the whole Manor; or if I pleased, I might call myself King,
or Emperor over the whole Country which I had Possession of. “There were
no Rivals. I had no Competitor, none to dispute Sovereignty or Command
with me” (RC 204).

The relationship between main character Crusoe and other character, Friday
establishes the relationship between them as master and slave which hints at the idea of
colonialism and the colonial relationship. In this novel, Crusoe can be seen as the metaphor
of the “imperial figure/ colonizer” so does the character of Friday also becomes a metaphor
of the “others” or “colonized peoples”. Just before their initial encounter, Crusoe “was
exceedingly surpriz’d with the Print of a Man’s naked Foot on the shore…I slept none that
Night;…but I so was embarrass’d with my own frightful Ideas of the Thing, that I
form’d nothing but dismal Imaginations to my self.” (Robinson Crusoe 246)  

The author represents Crusoe as a saviour; as he saves the infamous Friday, the only
known native of the chronicle. Crusoe sought after Friday to be indebted him the favour of
his liberate from cannibals for the rest of his living, that whenever he hears his name he
should remember and be indebted to his master who rescued him. Crusoe is commanding on
Friday that he should work for him as long as he is alive and makes him feel that he is
nothing without Crusoe.

“I let him know his name should be Friday, which was the day I saved his
life:I called him so for the memory of the time.” (Robinson Crusoe 328). 

   After rescuing him from cannibals Crusoe entitle him the name “Friday”, without
considering the fact that he is most likely already had a name. It acts as an important symbol
that confirms whether he is a European or other. Also, Crusoe establishes the English
language as the mode of communication, teaching and learning on the island. The imposition
of language is important as it has power more than the use of military suppression. This is an

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important notion that colonisers tried to impose their language, their culture upon others lands
or in foreign land without recognising unique value of native cultures.

“At last he lays his Head flat upon the Ground, close to my Foot, and sets my
other Foot upon his head, as he had done before; after this, made all the Signs to me
of Subjection, Servitude, and Submission imaginable, to let me know, how he would
serve me as long as he liv’d…” (Robinson Crusoe 328)

     In the novel, Crusoe orders Friday to call him as “Master” and begins to teach him
some English words for “yes” “no”, so that he can change Friday to a decent Christian
“slave.” He teaches him only those words which are relevant for the master-slave relation and
useful for dependence not for dissent. At the moment when Friday utters the word “Master”
he knowingly and unknowingly accepts his identity as a colonial subject and a “political
symbol” of racial inequality.
      
Crusoe is the perfect representation of the colonial figure and colonial mindset in this
fiction, and Friday symbolize of all those indigenous people who were dominated in the days
of “European imperialism”. Crusoe and Friday live peacefully on the island, but the method
with which Crusoe uses to enslave Friday also links him to colonial domination. Although
Friday serves with goodwill, Crusoe never realize that he does so as goodwill but as he is
inferior to Crusoe. 

     By Crusoe’s representation the cannibals’ physical and moral qualities are different,
atrocious and wild. But in a little while he changes his mentality and finds that no protections
were really necessary as Friday already has proved as a faithful, obedient and earnest
“Servant” and asserts his different identity from the wild savages. Crusoe presents Friday as
more European than black, with olive skin and European features, such as a small nose, and
flat lips and straight hair. Crusoe promptly pointed out, he is quite different from the cannibal
because his outer appearance is fairer and superior than the “ugly skin” native. It is a divisive
process by which a European judges and separates him from native to showcase him as pure
civilized Christian. But Friday’s noble savagery permits Crusoe to distinguish his slave from
the cannibals and converts him a perfect “European-style servant”.  

         After teaching Friday to say Crusoe’s language, Crusoe also attempt to change
Friday’s “cannibalistic eating habits.” Defoe shows that as a cannibal, Friday take pleasure in
consuming flesh. Crusoe strictly orders Friday that this kind of habit is not acceptable for
human society; this type of beastly practices separates them from human society. Crusoe, as a
colonizer, alters Friday’s language, culture, habits, religion. “I found Friday had still a
hankering Stomach after some of the Flesh, and was still a Cannibal in his Nature… I had by
some Means let him know, that I would kill him if he offer’d it.” (Robinson Crusoe 208)
Gradually Crusoe is able to alter Friday’s eating habits and convert him from cannibal to
human beings by teaching to eat the meat of animals rather than humans flash. This is the
method that produces by the colonizers to impose their own language, culture, religion and
identity on the colonized groups or nations. 

There is a connection of the relationships between God and Crusoe and Crusoe and
Friday. Here one is protector/colonizer and other is protected/colonized. Crusoe’s authority
becomes obvious through his attitude and approach towards Friday. Crusoe trusts that

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because of God's kindness, he finds Friday. So, he hurriedly accepts the opportunity which is
sent to his hands by God and characterizes Friday like the island gives Crusoe legitimacy of
his authority and subjugation over Friday and perceives him as Friday’s God. Crusoe’s
authority and domination on the island is a type of “monarchical system” and it can be seen
as process of creating his self-image to show someone a “self-validating image” of himself.

In Robinson Crusoe portrayal of the cannibal as a figure of radical other point towards
the polity of empire which contributes to the creation of a rich colonial image. Through this
“otherness” Defoe represents Crusoe’s distinct and superior identity from Savages and
creates two opposite groups within the text, one is civilized /Christian and other is
Cannibal /Savages. The bond between Crusoe and Friday clearly shows the binary structure
of British and Cannibal, civilized, good and uncivilized/evil.

. This kind of “domination”, “presence “and “control” over colonized by the colonizer
is sustained and control the minds of the colonized people.
     If we look into Crusoe’s second voyage to Brazil, it appears a commercial success. He
gains knowledge about sugar plantation there. He discovers that sugar-planters grow rich, so
he decided to become a planter. He brings in labours from Guinea. Crusoe’s activates in
Brazil becomes archetypal of a white colonizers as they used to set up plantation in distant
lands. The sole aims of these planters were to make fast money. But the scarcity of labourer
made him to start slave trading. In Defoe’s time Slave trading was a colonial concern.
Sixteenth and seventeenth century was the period that saw a rapid rise of capitalism. At that
time European merchants were searched the gold, natural products and slaves for the
expansion of trade. The plot of Robinson Crusoe articulates some of the most key
characteristics of Defoe’s time. At that time the middle class had become influential in
England. The capitalist system enabled the middle class to earn large amount of money. As a
person belongs to the middle class, Crusoe did not found it inconvenient to support slavery
and colonialism. It clearly suggests the colonial bias and inclination in his ideology. Thus; the
voyages and trades in Robinson Crusoe showcase the economic aspect of colonialism.
Capitalism, colonialism and materialism are connected in this novel. Even in his subtle
condition in the isolated island, Crusoe never forgets his monetary concerns. He regards
himself as a rich man and as the master of the island. This materialistic concern is apparent
when Crusoe says:
 
“My Island was now peopled, and I thought myself very rich in subjects and
it was a merry Reflection which I frequently made, How like a king I looked.”
(RC385)

         “Discovery” and “Adventure” is an important aspect of colonialism and a major

theme of colonial novels. Crusoe’s enthusiasm to discover other distant lands and people
depicts him as a perfect explorer and his ideology is similar to the ideology of colonizers. If
we analyze his adventurous journey it appears that Defoe represents Crusoe as an emblematic
European bourgeois, “rational”, “spiritual” and “attentive” of his own profit and image.
Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe reveals his political and economic view as to colonial tendency. In
colonialism, natural exploitation works result in great economic success.

The world of Robinson Crusoe characterize his age. It is not just an adventure story of
exciting journey of a man rather it is a story about a journey on an ambitious man, his success
and his mastery to control over the land through colonialism. Crusoe’s successful politics to
control other territory, the knowledge about power control makes him a colonizer and allows

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him to dominate over the island and people he comes across over there. Defoe several times
use the words like “Lord”, “master”, and “King” in this novel. This reflects his ownership of
land not requires any responsibilities or obligations towards the native people but absolute
right of dominate, suppress and exploit.