What a way to finish the old year… with another classic
read, this one, Robinson Crusoe by
Daniel Defoe. In much the same vein as
my last read, it is the story of the journey of one man, Mr. Crusoe. Crusoe is the youngest of three boys who leaves
home at the tender age of 18 for an adventure of a lifetime. However,
his voyage is cut short when his ship is wrecked at sea. This accident only adds to his desire for the
sea and he sails again, but this time his voyage is taken over by pirates and
he escapes with a captain to Africa, where he earns a plantation.
On his next voyage a few years later, to bring slaves out of
Africa his ship is wrecked and he is the only human survivor landing on an
island, which is thought to be Tobago.
The dog and two cats of the ship’s captain also manage to get
ashore. This is where the bulk of the
story takes place during Crusoe’s time on the island attempting to
survive. Crusoe struggles at first
wondering if he can live a life of solitude, but he turns to God for support
and learns that he can thrive on the island, by utilizing the various elements
of the land. He turns to scripture, a
copy of the Bible is found from the wreckage, and helps him to develop his
spirituality. His daily rituals and
ability to communicate with nature is impressive. He uses the land to survive, eating berries,
using the skin from captured animals for colder weather and building a home to
live. He creates a calendar to track his
time in isolation and notes the trends in weather and nightfall as the years pass.
He is visited by native “cannibals” who want to eat him alive, and gains a
companion, named “Friday”, who stays with him after the natives leave the
land. A few years pass and eventually
Friday and Crusoe escape the island with the help of Friday’s father who
happens to also make an expedition to the island as part of the natives’ annual
visit from the natives. It was a 25+
year timeframe of living on the island for Crusoe, who later shows the natives
how he lived on the land.
There are a few more voyages left until he returns to his
native land with wealth he had received of his estate from Brazil, as his
parents thought he was dead and did not leave anything for him in their will. Crusoe’s story is one of human will being
stronger than the odds of failure that surely were against him. This is an iconic story which sets the stage
for the “cast-away” sailors that come in rapid succession in later years
(movies, TV shows, and other books) and even today’s reality shows, like Survivor and Running Wild with Bear Grylls, have the element of being captive with
only your own hands, your faith, and ingenuity to make it on your own. I enjoyed the Crusoe’s days alone
contemplating life and what is truly important.
I guess in many ways, Crusoe’s life is very much like our own, though we
don’t have the island piece. Defoe
writes a story that illustrates man’s search for meaning when there doesn’t
seem to be any. Great book.
No comments:
Post a Comment