Representation Of 18th-Century Social Paradigm In Robinson Crusoe

Robinson Crusoe is a seventeenth-century Englishman, the son of a German merchant. Crusoe's family opposes his desire to go to sea, and his father argues that it is preferable to live a simple, stable existence. Crusoe eventually makes his way to London and joins a journey to Guinea aboard the ship of his new captain friend. The ship is captured by pirates while sailing to Guinea.

Crusoe and a slave named Xury manage to elude capture and are rescued by a Portuguese ship. Crusoe strikes a deal with the ship's master to sell Xury with his permission. To earn a fortune in the region, Crusoe buys a slave and a sugar plantation, and he intends to lead a slave expedition to Africa. On his route to work, a typhoon destroys his ship and strands him on a remote island.

Crusoe wakes up on a desolate island, and his first reaction is to run around in astonishment and terror. Crusoe comes to his senses and realizes that he will not be able to exist without hard work. To attain his goals, the character employs procedures and rationalistic ideas. He gathers shipwrecks and builds a shelter on the island, taking the first steps toward survival. 

He explores the island, builds himself a fortress, domesticates goats, and makes efficient use of his time. Crusoe survives and maintains himself on the island by following plans and relying on his courage. Crusoe discovers other humans on the island, but they are cannibalistic and cruel. He saves one of the cannibals and decides to civilize him. Crusoe names him Friday and teaches him English terms like "master," "yes," and "no." Friday also becomes a Christian and embraces some of the customs of the English. Crusoe saves and commands a group of fellow kidnapped Spaniards. Friday is alarmed by the sight of an approaching English ship. Crusoe and Friday watch as eleven men on a boat bring three captives ashore. They defeat these men and free the hostages, one of whom is a ship captain. Crusoe dispatches his soldiers to board the ship and seize it. They take the ship to return to civilization, which is London.

Crusoe invites Friday to England as a prestigious visitor. Crusoe returns to England to discover that his parents have died and that he is wealthy as a result of the investments he made before becoming imprisoned on the island. After his wife dies, he travels to his island colony again. 

Robinson Crusoe is an eighteenth-century novel in which the author illustrates the mindset of a European man who seeks to use his higher status to empower or rule others (Saeed, 2013).

Now, we will look at the social paradigms which are emphasized in the topics of colonialism, religion, and the 18th-century characteristics.

Colonialism is one of the characteristic social paradigms of the 18th century. Profits were derived mostly from the colonies and slaves in 18th-century Britain, thanks to the Industrial Revolution. With these environmental impacts, colonialism is also visible in the texts, and Robinson Crusoe is an excellent example. Although the novel seems to tell just an adventure at first glance, when the novel is consciously read, it is seen that colonialism and similar subjects are the main aspects that are shown from a different perspective (Saeed, 2013, p. 7). Although it seems like something from the past, colonialism gives direction to the world economy we live in. 

Because of the exposure to colonization in the past, the quality of life in some countries is different from that in the colonizer ones (Köksal, 2021). According to the Oxford Learner's Dictionary, "Colonialism is the practice by which a powerful country controls another country or other countries." Another thing to consider while describing colonialism is that it is not limited to the use of soil and underlying resources. The general goal of colonialism is to exploit all of a country's natural resources (Köksal, 2021). The novel's character, Robinson Crusoe, is a stereotypical colonial figure. He sets out for a desolate Caribbean island to start a colony. Defoe shows the colonialist mindset of a European man seeking a higher role to authorize or rule people (Shyam, 2020). Colonizers use their religion, language, society rules, and cultures to assimilate other countries and cultures. Crusoe teaches English to Friday on the island. Language has a greater influence than any armed force.

Colonizer countries attempted to teach their language and culture to other territories so they could have great power (Saeed, 2013, p. 8).

"I was greatly delighted with him, and made it my business to teach him everything proper to make him useful, handy, and helpful; but especially to make him speak, and understand me when I spoke; and he was the aptest scholar that ever was; and particularly was so merry, so constantly diligent, and so pleased when he could but understand me, or make me understand him, that it was very pleasant for me to talk to him." (Defoe, p. 190)

In the novel, Crusoe teaches Friday English, Christianity, and some social rules. He saves Friday due to his motivation to please God. It can be said that it is not a coincidence that Friday's first words were "Master," referring to Crusoe. Crusoe's way of gaining control over the island and his treatment of Friday makes him a great representative of the colonizer. Crusoe both gained control over people by ruling them and also with his religion and language as well. He names a person on the island

"Friday" and other places on the island. This shows us the power of naming, similar to what Columbus did. According to Joyce, Crusoe is a good representation of a colonizer.

"I began to speak to him and teach him to speak to me; and first, 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. I likewise taught him to say Master; and then let him know that was to be my name; I likewise taught him to say Yes and No and to know the meaning of them." (Defoe, p. 187)

Crusoe represents a colonial character and colonial thinking, while Friday represents all those people who were controlled by European colonizers. The development of Crusoe as "master" demonstrates a power structure, with Friday as "inferior" and Crusoe as "superior" (Saeed, 2013, P.4). Theoretically, the colonizing act is predicated on a relationship in which the colonizing culture exists as a result of the colonized. If the concept of "savage" has an opposite (civilized), the concept of "savage" might exist, owing to the invaded culture (Agir, 2007, р.10).

At the beginning of Crusoe's adventure, he sells Xury to the sailors for his freedom. This action shows that colonialism and slavery are both paradigms in 18th-century England.

"He offered me also sixty pieces of eight more for my boy Xury, which I was loth to take; not that I was unwilling to let the captain have him, but I was very loth to sell the poor boy's liberty, who had assisted me so faithfully in procuring my own." (Defoe, p. 33)

Other important aspects that are highly mentioned in the novel are religion and Calvinistic principles. Being alone and individual in the sight of God is one of the reasons that we can examine this story in terms of Calvinism. Crusoe stands alone without any religious symbols like a church or priest on the island, without believing in any miracles. He only believes in his working abilities to survive on the island until he finds salvation.

He believes that he is being punished on the island and that he may be visited by the Devil (Haüsermann, 1935, p. 447).

"I considered that the devil might have found out an abundance of other ways to have terrified me than this of the single print of a foot; that as I lived quite on the other side of the island, he would never have been so simple as to leave a mark in a place where it was ten thousand to one whether I should ever see it or not..." (Defoe, p. 142)

The novel has the restorative elements of colonization work ethic for the Englishman. With hard work, New World's wilderness can be civilized and find the harmony of God.

Puritans showed that in the eighteenth century, the goal of colonization was the manner of achieving God's order (Hubbell,

2000). Hubbell also states, "The power of patriarchy, however, comes only by the grace of God, and only after vast expenditures of labor." So with hard work and the acceptance of God, one can achieve good things. The novel shows that the moral framework is mostly based on English and Christian morals. Robinson Crusoe considers it his moral duty to save Friday. He saves Friday and kills the cannibals chasing them, considering it a Godly duty. Like many Puritans, Crusoe searches for salvation.

"I knew, the soul of a poor savage, and bring him to the true knowledge of religion and of the Christian doctrine, that he might know Christ Jesus, in whom is life eternal; I say, when I reflected upon all these things, a secret joy ran through every part of My soul, and I frequently rejoiced that ever I was brought to this place, which I had so often thought the most dreadful of all afflictions that could possibly have befallen me." (Defoe, p.199)

J. Paul Hunter demonstrates that Crusoe is an ordinary human, and he has spiritual, physical, and mental power. Instead of being a model of perfection, Crusoe becomes an example of the human success that God allows. Crusoe is portrayed as a type of ambassador who, in his opinion, spreads the principles of Christian doctrine to the natives on the land. The beliefs of British civilization are placed on the island's native people (Alshammari, 2016, p. 9).

When we look at the novel from the viewpoint of middle-class representation, we can observe that it is mainly meant for the middle class. Defoe did not create this book to teach people; rather, he wrote it for merchants, sailors, shopkeepers, and so on. He elevates "money" to a very high place. This image of a person in need of money is particularly tempting to middle-class viewers (Hausermann, 1935, p. 439). At the beginning of the novel, it can be seen that Crusoe's father does not want him to go overseas. He wants him to find a suitable, safe job. But because of the characteristic of a classic 18th-century man, we see that Crusoe desires adventure and treasures.

"That boy might be happy if he would stay at home, but if he goes abroad, he will be the most miserable wretch that was ever born; I can give no consent to it." (Defoe, p. 8)

Crusoe has the basic characteristics of his social class, which is the middle class. He works very hard, just like any other person of the same status. Defoe is keen on overseas travel, so we may say that the writer fantasizes about distant nations and places, and he portrays them in his work. This can be examined as an autobiographical representation of the narrative. Although it is a fictionalized narrative, it contains some accuracy of Defoe's life and the period in the 18th century. He contributes his expertise and experiences to the plot (Haüsermann, 1935, p. 441). In Defoe's real life, he had sons and did not have much authority over them. So again, the writer uses his experience to create a point in the story.

According to Curtis (1984): "The Narrative of Robinson Crusoe is the account of how a single man gradually masters his own compulsions and extends his control over a huge, indifferent, even potentially hostile environment, learning to harness its inhuman forces and to put them to use for his own benefit... this process... is essentially that of rationalizing the unknown, the immeasurable, and the inexplicable."

"He told me it was men of desperate fortunes on one hand, or of aspiring, superior fortunes on the other, who went abroad upon adventures, to rise by enterprise, and make themselves famous in undertakings of a nature out of the common road; that these things were all either too far above me or too far below me; that mine was the middle state, or what might be called the upper station of low life, which he had found, by long experience, was the best state in the world, the most suited to human happiness, not exposed to the miseries and hardships, the labour and sufferings of the mechanic part of mankind, and not embarrassed with the pride, luxury, ambition, and envy of the upper part of mankind." (Defoe, p. 6)

It can be determined that the character Robinson Crusoe and the storyline are both affected by the writer's life and the social elements of the 18th century's religious side. The social paradigms, which are emphasized in the topics of colonialism, religion, and the 18th-century characteristics, show us that you cannot read a novel without separating it from its period. Crusoe is the protagonist and an adventurous character who goes overseas and wants to make a fortune. He is the true British colonizer and the real representation of 18th-century people.

With colonialism, countries take what they need from other weak and undeveloped countries. Colonialism's overall purpose is to seize the natural resources, cultural aspects, language, and religious possessions of the colonized. Robinson Crusoe demonstrates the imperialist attitude of a European wanting more to empower or dominate others. These days, colonialism still survives but with different tools or perspectives.

When the novel is analyzed in terms of religion, one can see that Christianity and Christian morals were very important to 18th-century people. Crusoe uses religion and his sense of duty to God to try to survive on the island. Converting Friday to Christianity is one of the results of his hard and religious labor.

Like many colonizers, Crusoe not only colonized the land and its resources but also colonized Friday's beliefs, culture, everyday life, and language to "civilize" him. Crusoe puts himself in a higher position than Friday because of where he comes from or based on the color of his skin.

Lastly, when the novel is analyzed in relation to social life and how it is represented in the novel, it is clear that a novel cannot differ from its period and the life of the author. Defoe was from the middle class, and he used his knowledge and experience to conclude his story. Therefore, we see a character and a plot that are both influenced by the writer's life as well as the social construction of the 18th century's religious side. Defoe presents 18th-century colonialism with the usual features of the period.