Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas
explored in a literary work.
The Ambivalence of Mastery
Crusoe’s success in mastering his situation, overcoming
his obstacles, and controlling his environment shows the condition
of mastery in a positive light, at least at the beginning of the
novel. Crusoe lands in an inhospitable environment and makes it
his home. His taming and domestication of wild goats and parrots
with Crusoe as their master illustrates his newfound control. Moreover,
Crusoe’s mastery over nature makes him a master of his fate and
of himself. Early in the novel, he frequently blames himself for
disobeying his father’s advice or blames the destiny that drove
him to sea. But in the later part of the novel, Crusoe stops viewing
himself as a passive victim and strikes a new note of self-determination.
In building a home for himself on the island, he finds that he is
master of his life—he suffers a hard fate and still finds prosperity.
But this theme of mastery becomes more complex and less
positive after Friday’s arrival, when the idea of mastery comes
to apply more to unfair relationships between humans. In Chapter
XXIII, Crusoe teaches Friday the word “[m]aster” even before teaching him
“yes” and “no,” and indeed he lets him “know that was to be [Crusoe’s]
name.” Crusoe never entertains the idea of considering Friday a
friend or equal—for some reason, superiority comes instinctively
to him. We further question Crusoe’s right to be called “[m]aster”
when he later refers to himself as “king” over the natives and Europeans,
who are his “subjects.” In short, while Crusoe seems praiseworthy
in mastering his fate, the praiseworthiness of his mastery over
his fellow humans is more doubtful. Defoe explores the link between
the two in his depiction of the colonial mind.
The Necessity of Repentance
Crusoe’s experiences constitute not simply an adventure
story in which thrilling things happen, but also a moral tale illustrating
the right and wrong ways to live one’s life. This moral and religious dimension
of the tale is indicated in the Preface, which states that Crusoe’s
story is being published to instruct others in God’s wisdom, and
one vital part of this wisdom is the importance of repenting one’s
sins. While it is important to be grateful for God’s miracles, as
Crusoe is when his grain sprouts, it is not enough simply to express
gratitude or even to pray to God, as Crusoe does several times with
few results. Crusoe needs repentance most, as he learns from the
fiery angelic figure that comes to him during a feverish hallucination
and says, “Seeing all these things have not brought thee to repentance,
now thou shalt die.” Crusoe believes that his major sin is his rebellious
behavior toward his father, which he refers to as his “original
sin,” akin to Adam and Eve’s first disobedience of God. This biblical
reference also suggests that Crusoe’s exile from civilization represents
Adam and Eve’s expulsion from Eden.
For Crusoe, repentance consists of acknowledging his
wretchedness and his absolute dependence on the Lord. This admission marks
a turning point in Crusoe’s spiritual consciousness, and is almost
a born-again experience for him. After repentance, he complains
much less about his sad fate and views the island more positively.
Later, when Crusoe is rescued and his fortune restored, he compares
himself to Job, who also regained divine favor. Ironically, this
view of the necessity of repentance ends up justifying sin: Crusoe
may never have learned to repent if he had never sinfully disobeyed
his father in the first place. Thus, as powerful as the theme of repentance
is in the novel, it is nevertheless complex and ambiguous.
The Importance of Self-Awareness
Crusoe’s arrival on the island does not make him revert
to a brute existence controlled by animal instincts, and, unlike
animals, he remains conscious of himself at all times. Indeed, his
island existence actually deepens his self-awareness as he withdraws
from the external social world and turns inward. The idea that the
individual must keep a careful reckoning of the state of his own
soul is a key point in the Presbyterian doctrine that Defoe took
seriously all his life. We see that in his normal day-to-day activities,
Crusoe keeps accounts of himself enthusiastically and in various
ways. For example, it is significant that Crusoe’s makeshift calendar
does not simply mark the passing of days, but instead more egocentrically
marks the days he has spent on the island: it is about him, a sort
of self-conscious or autobiographical calendar with him at its center.
Similarly, Crusoe obsessively keeps a journal to record his daily
activities, even when they amount to nothing more than finding a
few pieces of wood on the beach or waiting inside while it rains.
Crusoe feels the importance of staying aware of his situation at
all times. We can also sense Crusoe’s impulse toward self-awareness
in the fact that he teaches his parrot to say the words, “Poor Robin
Crusoe. . . . Where have you been?” This sort of self-examining
thought is natural for anyone alone on a desert island, but it is
given a strange intensity when we recall that Crusoe has spent months
teaching the bird to say it back to him. Crusoe teaches nature itself
to voice his own self-awareness.
