Robinson Crusoe – His Universal Popularity

Daniel Defoe was born in 1659 at St. Gille’s, Cripplegate in London. He was a man of many shades. These different personal traits are reflected in his literary contribution. He had performed a numerous occupation during his lifetime. Some of his important masterpieces such as “Essay on Projects” (1698), “The Real Born English Man” (1701), “The Hymn to the Pillar” (1703), “Consolidator” (1705), “Apparition of Mrs. Veal” (1706), “History of the Union” (1708-09), “Reasons against the succession of the House of Hanover” (1712), “General history of trade” (1713), “Robinson Crusoe” (1719) , “Captain Singleton” (1720), “Mole Flanders” (1722), “Rexona or the Fortunate Mistress” (1724) and other important literary works will remain glorious throughout the centuries.

Daniel Defoe picks up his magic pen at the age of sixty to write a multidimensional novel “Robinson Crusoe” (1719). After completing the novel by him, Daniel Defoe gains immense popularity among various readers and admirers. He gets the inspiration to write “Robinson Crusoe” from the real life events of Alexander Selkirk. Alexander Selkirk also spends five years alone on a desolate island.

However, Defoe’s “Robinson Crusoe” is still a very popular novel for everyone. “Robinson Crusoe” can be classed with Bunyan’s “Pilgrim’s Progress” and Jonathan Swift’s “Gulliver’s Travels.” Every boy and girl who goes to school is very interested in the story of “Robinson Crusoe”. It has the magic. It attracts tender minds. It has the magnificent flavor of adventure that is irresistible and no one can help it. Defoe knows the true magic that strikes at the core of everyone’s heart, of any age. Here lies the popularity and universality of “Robinson Crusoe”.

The protagonist of the novel “Robinson Crusoe”, Robinson loves to travel. He ignores the precious instructions and advice of his parents. He runs away from home to explore new places and unknown lands. He goes to London. From London he sails to Guinea with an English captain. But he unfortunately he is taken prisoner by the Turkish pirates. After two years of slavery, he finally breaks free. But due to bad weather, the ship is shipwrecked and all the other members of the ship lose their lives.

Only Robinson remains to survive. He has been thrown onto a desolate island. He thanks his fate for his survival. But at the same time he discovered that he is the only human being alive in that unknown place. He feels joy, but the pain is too close to that much-desired joy. He does not find a single human being with whom he can share his thoughts. He has no shelter, no food, nothing to drink, no comfort and no security. But it is the innate nature of the human being to make the necessary adjustments. Robinson also adapts to nature and the situation.

For a few days it sleeps in the branches of the trees. He has no idea about the island. Little by little he discovers that his boat is approaching the shore due to the tides. He goes to the ship and takes very essential items. He carries food, bread, rice, cheese, wine, dried fruit, barley, wheat, carpenter’s tools, guns, nails, spikes, bedding, clothing, and hundreds of other vital pieces of equipment. You get a suitable place where you can erect your new sheltered shelter. He stores everything in his shelter and makes it suitable for living in it. But soon he changes places and moves to a new location, where he finds many more advantages. He prepares a fence around his store which gives much more security.

Now he thanks Almighty God for saving his life and having a peaceful life on this island. He reads the Bible. He now has two parrots and a dog, he takes them out of the boat. He learns to do agriculture. He learns how to make clay pots and vessels and also how to make them durable. He divides twenty-four hours into various household chores. He is really thankful to God for saving his life and giving him everything. Until now, Robinson is using nature in the passage of his life on the unknown island.

Suddenly one day he finds two canoes and eleven cannibals on the shore. For the first time he feels danger. But Robinson very bravely fights against enemies and saves the lives of innocents. He somehow finds himself a very dependent and innocent human being. He starts calling him on Friday. He calls it Friday as he receives it on Friday. Robinson gives him clothes. He teaches him to eat well and to speak “master”, “yes” and “no”. He tells him about God and makes him a good Christian. As an obedient Friday he also follows his teacher. He learns to different housework. He treats Robinson like his father. Robinson finds a partner on a desolate island. He is quite relieved for Friday’s company. Both Robinson and Friday valiantly fight off more cannibals and save the lives of the prisoners. Through different adventures and emotions, Robinson leaves the desolate island together with Friday and begins a new journey through new places.

Defoe wraps his novel “Robinson Crusoe” with the help of adventure, emotion, sensation, reflexes, morals, cannibals, and loneliness. These are the elements of the popularity of his novel. Defoe makes his hero Robinson strong, tough, brave, skilled, and experienced, and thus challenges him to such a hostile environment at first. Defoe very cleverly mixes both reality and imagination. His imagination is full of reality. The episodes of the novel are really convincing. We never feel that it is a work of pure imagination. Defoe’s hero is both happy and sad. He is sad because he is alone on a lonely island. On the other hand, he is happy because God has saved his life and provided all the good facilities on such an island.

Defoe writes “Robinson Crusoe” in a very simple and spontaneous style. His simple style entices his readers to read more. Simple, easy, spontaneous, simple, colloquial, full of allegories, charming attitude – these are all the best ingredients that make the novel “Robinson Crusoe” a popular novel in all stages of life and all over the world.