Robinson Crusoe Essay, Research Paper

Robinson Crusoe

The book Robinson Crusoe is an adventure story about a man who becomes trapped on a desolate island. Crusoe must survive through the harshest of conditions, and attempt to keep his sanity in tact. Throughout the book Crusoe questions his own faith in god time and time again, but never giving up hope for the best.

The book begins with a man who has a dream of taking over the seas, but is told he can never achieve this goal. Crusoe eventually finds himself in trouble, when he becomes captive on a ship. He beats the odds, though, and escapes from captivity. He later attempts to build a sugar plantation in Brazil, and goes to Africa to get slaves for his plantation. On his way to Africa Crusoe becomes the sole survivor of a shipwreck, and washes up on shore.

He accepts the fact that he may be there quite a while, and builds himself a home and tries to stay alive in this strange land. Although, he never loses sight of his goal, which is to get off the island, he does question his faith in god. Crusoe does not lose faith entirely, however, for at one point in the novel he becomes quite ill, and begins to read the Bible day and night. Although at other times he searches his soul for many questions; “Why did god put me on this island?” or “What is going to happen next?” Crusoe kept track of his life by writing in his journal, his only companion that is until he encounters signs of life. There’s only one problem; these men are cannibals. Some of them are held captive, and are grateful to Crusoe for saving them. The men decide to build themselves a makeshift raft. This comes in handy, for the shipwrecked men, when they spot a ship off the coastline. It turns out to be a mutinous ship. Crusoe and his companions fight back against the revolting crewmembers and defeat them. To show his gratitude, the ship’s captain agrees to bring them home.

After his fifteen-year vacation from civilization, Crusoe comes back to find a pleasant surprise. It turns out that his cash crops have made him a small fortune, and he soon becomes married. During the remainder of his life, Crusoe musters the strength to take a final voyage to the islands he once dwelled.

This is a book, not just of survival of the fittest, but of humanity and faith. This book has an underlying message about how to treat people. In the beginning Crusoe is held as a slave, yet he still became a wealthy plantation owner. I think that the author of this novel sent out a message that is one of the most common rules of edicate and of morality: treat others the way you would like to be treated. This is a simple lesson, but is an important life lesson. The author also taught a good survival and life lesson, which is to never give up hope. When faced by adversity, you should never roll over and die, but instead, attempt to overcome it.

This is a book with many great lessons to teach. It is a wonderful book for anyone who likes adventure or even for someone who doesn’t like adventure. This book is very open-ended, and kept me guessing the entire time, although I do urge strong caution, once you pick it up you won’t want to put it down. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading.