Spiritual regeneration of Robinson Course

In Daniel Defoe’s novel ‘Robinson Crusoe’ the author tells the tale of spiritual development of an adventure-loving man. The moral and religious dimension of the tale is indicated in the Preface of the book. Robinson Crusoe’s spiritual and religious change is one of the major themes of the novel. Thus an analysis of Robinson Crusoe life would like to clarify the theme of sin, punishment and repentance.

At the very beginning of the novel, a man named Robinson Crusoe records of his own life story. His father was a German. He is the youngest of three brothers. His father wanted him to be a lawyer. He wanted to go to the sea against the admonition of his father. At first, his father’s advice affected much and he decided to settle at home. He leaves home without uttering a single word of farewell. His father suggested him to be satisfied with the middle station of life.

Being discontented with his middle station of life Crusoe had gone one day to Hull and boarded a ship bound for London. Hardly had the ship sailed out of the harbor, when a strong wind began to blow. The wind soon grew into a furious storm and the ship was wrecked. However, Crusoe and others on board the ship were rescued. Crusoe was overtaken by reserves during this journey and thought that the storm had been sent by heaven as a punishment to him for his paying no heed to his father, exhortation and mother’s entreaties. He decided that of his life was saved; he would go to his father directly to beg his pardon and would never venture on a ship again. But whenever he found himself safe in London, he forgot all the resolutions and again boarded a ship bound for the coast of Africa. That means, the change which took place in Crusoe was not firmly inculcated.

Later he undertook more voyages. Almost all the voyages were devastating but the fourth one was the must devastating of all. In this voyage the ship was wrecked and all the men perished in the sea. Only Crusoe survived this wreckage and found himself on an island which was totally inhabited.

Crusoe no proceed to build a proper habitation for himself. With the passage of time he adjusted himself with new environment be devising various schemes and methods. One day an earthquake shook the whole island but at this time of danger, he did not utter any serious or ardent prayer except the common words. After ending earthquake, Crusoe was suffering from acute fever. During this illness, he dreamt a frightening dream that man deseeding from a cloud to kill Crusoe. On waking up Crusoe remembered of his father’s advice which he had disobeyed. He now realized the need to appeal to God for help. He offered an earnest prayer to god for his grace. Now he began to shed his tears and exclaimed “Lord! What a miserable creature am!” In this way we find turning point in the spiritual life of Crusoe.

Another way of looking at this is to regard it as an allegorical expansion of the idea of man’s isolation and loneliness. In the last analysis, every human being is alone, and is condemned to solitariness. A man may live in the midst of crowds; he may dwell in congested cities and towns; but a man is essentially alone. No man can communicate with any other man, not even with his own wife and children, in the true sense of the world. Defoe’s novel is, in this sense a dramatization of universal experience: “We are all Crusoe, for to be Crusoe is the human fate”.

To sum up, we can say that thus Robinson Crusoe manifests the theme of sin, punishment realization and repentance. The novel is not only adventure story but also a moral teaching. The sorrow and misery which Robinson Crusoe faces are typical of the human being.