Biblical Reference in Robinson Crusoe

There are many biblical references in Robinson Crusoe, a novel by Daniel Defoe about a man, Crusoe, and his life as a “prodigal son.” The purpose of many of the biblical references in the novel is to compare Crusoe’s condition with that of the condition of certain individuals in the Bible. For example, on page 15 the captain of a ship upon which Crusoe sails away upon in order to run away from his parents compares Crusoe’s case to that of Jonah, saying, “perhaps this [storm] is all befallen us on your Account, like Jonah in the Ship of Tarshish.” The author uses this biblical reference in order to relate to the reader the spiritual (and sometimes physical) condition of Crusoe. After finding a human footprint, not his own, upon his island, Crusoe is “possessed” with fear and, consequently, takes matters into his own hands, staying hidden in his fortification, not daring to leave for anything. When he reflects upon this, Crusoe writes, “I look’d, I thought, like Saul, who complain’d not only that the Philistines were upon him; but that God had forsaken him”(135). In this sentence, Defoe references to what Saul told the ghost of Samuel, “I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams”(I Samuel 28:15). Crusoe, like Saul, is under attack, or, rather, the fear of an attack that could be made upon him by an unknown enemy. Neither Saul nor Crusoe, though, have really been deserted by God. Rather, they’ve placed their fear of “those who kill the body” above their fear of “the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell”(Matthew 10:28) and, therefore, believe God has deserted them, when, in reality, they’ve deserted God. Crusoe is compared to many biblical characters throughout the novel, including Job, Jonah, the prodigal son, Saul, and others as well. Defoe uses these references to dynamically portray Crusoe’s character, showing the similarities between Crusoe