Question : Essay-type
Why has Robinson Crusoe been called at once realistic and allegorical?
Introduction
Defoe in his preface to the novel ‘Robinson Crusoe’ described the book as ‘a just history of fact’, adding : ‘neither is there any appearance of fiction in it’. By this Defoe seemed to mean that the story in this book was historical and therefore authentic. However, not long after the publication of this book, Defoe’s claim was exploded by the playwright Charles Gildon who asserted that Robinson Crusoe contained a purely fictitious story, with nothing historical in it. Now, one thing cannot be denied; Robinson Crusoe was based upon the actual experiences of a real man, called Alexander Selkirk who had spent four years alone, all alone, on the uninhabited island of Juan Fernandez. But, while recognizing this, we must admit that the hero of the novel is an imaginary character. But while reading the novel we come to know that Daniel Defoe achieves verisimilitude in the novel. The illusion of reality is enriched by a deep allegorical significance.
Robinson Crusoe : Realistic And Allegorical Significance
We now come to the point at issue Defoe’s story Robinson Crusoe is, on the whole, improbable and even fantastic : and yet, Defoe’s technique of telling the story is such that we fall completely under its spell and go on reading it eagerly, and even breathlessly, without doubting its variety, Defoe’s genius lies in his ability to secure that ‘willing suspension of disbelief’.
Some of the feats performed by Crusoe on his island and just are just impossible. To this category belong Crusoe’s digging a cave into a rock, his building a large boat, his making a chair and a table, and his making and baking of earthen wares. The very circumstances of Crusoe’s spending such a long time as twenty-eight years on the island is unbelievable. But most of Crusoe’s other doings, though highly improbable, acquire credibility through Defoe’s use of his special method of writing.
Some Realistic Examples From The Novel
A few examples of Defoe’s circumstantial method may now be picked up from the novel to show the effectiveness of the technique. One of Crusoe’s most successful projects is the raising of the crops of barley and rice on the island. Now, the manner in which the whole procedure is described is so detailed and convincing that nobody can doubt Crusoe’s success in raising a crop and then continuing to do so twice a year. Similar are Crusoe’s achievements in killing goats and making a sieve. Walter Allen in this connection says that Defoe was not a sportsman and that he had most probably never haunted an animal in his life; and yet the passage in which Crusoe describes how and by what method he started his killing of goats contains such details as inevitably produce the effect of realism.
Besides, some of the happenings on the island are such that they are in themselves possible and even probable, so that no doubt at all arises in our minds with regard to them; for instance, there is nothing improbable about Crusoe’s swimming to the stranded ship and obtaining all sorts of useful articles and things from it. Similarly, there is nothing impossible or improbable about his keeping such domestic pets as a dog, cats, a kid, a parrot etc. The mingling of such ordinary and perfectly credible situations with those which are highly improbable and even impossible, lends an atmosphere of reality to the whole. This method is the same which Coleridge employed in ‘The Ancient Mariner’, and by which he made a supernatural story credible and realistic.
Then there is another important ingredient which lends plausibility to the novel as a whole; and this ingredient is psychological truth. Crusoe’s feelings after he has been swept ashore on an uninhabited island have been described so minutely and convincingly that we get the feeling that, if we had been in his place, we would have experienced the same thoughts and emotions.
Although there is very little of character-portrayal in the novel, yet whatever there is of it does contribute to the realistic effect. Besides Crusoe’s own character, there is also the portrayal of the character of Friday; and this portrayal definitely enhances the realistic effect of the story. Friday’s gratitude to Crusoe is perfectly natural. Then there are other characters too in the novel, though they are very sketchily drawn, all these persons are real, and they certainly add to the verisimilitude to the novel.
Conclusion
Yet another device which adds to the realistic effect of the novel is a liberal use of dates and geographical-place names. A journal or diary is associated in the public mind with an authentic record of a man’s experiences and moods, and so Crusoe’s keeping a journal helps the realistic quality of the novel. Here we are again reminded of Coleridge’s famous poem ‘The Ancient Mariner’ in which the details of the mariner’s voyage have a diary-like air. As for the geographical details, actual places such as The Cape Verde, The Canary Islands, The African Coast, Brazil, Lisbon etc. find mention in the novel; and these too reinforce the impression of authenticity.
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Similar Questions
1️⃣ Substantiate the view that the novel Robinson Crusoe fully illustrates Defoe’s genius for making the incredible credible and the fantastic unremarkable.
2️⃣ How does Defoe achieve verisimilitude in his novel ‘Robinson Crusoe’?
3️⃣ Write a note on Defoe’s technique in producing the effect of realism in his novel ‘Robinson Crusoe’.
4️⃣ Show that Aristotle’s phrase ‘probable improbabilities’ expresses the essence of the story in ‘Robinson Crusoe’.
5️⃣ Defoe’s claim about the story in ‘Robinson Crusoe’.
