robinson crusoe
To what extent can Robinson Crusoe be seen as a precursor of “ economic man”?
Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe is a novel written in 1719 based on the real story of the Scottish Alexander Selkirk who lived for four years on an island in the Pacific and who told his story after being saved. Robinson Crusoe is not only the story of the adventure of a lost man but mainly the utopian representation of perfect capitalism as seen by Defoe. Robinson Crusoe is a precursor of “economic man” because of his relationship with the island, his relationship with the people and religion. Firstly, Robinson Crusoe sees the island not as a peaceful place but as a market full of resources that have to be exploited. Crusoe’s whole life is paced by the market’s society stages that are buying, selling, trading. He is a businessman. He illustrates the corrupt influences of society. After closely escaping a shipwreck on his first voyage, Crusoe is still driven to set sail again. Before embarking, he even draws attention to the “evil Influence which carried me first away from my Father’s House, that hurried me into the wild and indigested Notion of raising my Fortune; and that impressed those Conceits so forcibly upon me, as to make me deaf to all good advice”. Crusoe directly addresses the “evil influence” of society that manifests the idea that we must exercise every opportunity to attain wealth and power. As soon as he arrives, Crusoe’s obsession is to find resources of his environment to survive. He learns the real relationships between things whose value is crucial for his survival. For example, wherever he looks he sees acres full of resources, and as he settles down to the task he glows, not with noble savagery, but purposive possession. He is the example of the capitalist man producing goods because they are useful and producing only as much as it is useful to him not seeking profits. The island is not an occasion to relax and meditate on his life but to conquer it as much
Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe is a novel written in 1719 based on the real story of the Scottish Alexander Selkirk who lived for four years on an island in the Pacific and who told his story after being saved. Robinson Crusoe is not only the story of the adventure of a lost man but mainly the utopian representation of perfect capitalism as seen by Defoe. Robinson Crusoe is a precursor of “economic man” because of his relationship with the island, his relationship with the people and religion. Firstly, Robinson Crusoe sees the island not as a peaceful place but as a market full of resources that have to be exploited. Crusoe’s whole life is paced by the market’s society stages that are buying, selling, trading. He is a businessman. He illustrates the corrupt influences of society. After closely escaping a shipwreck on his first voyage, Crusoe is still driven to set sail again. Before embarking, he even draws attention to the “evil Influence which carried me first away from my Father’s House, that hurried me into the wild and indigested Notion of raising my Fortune; and that impressed those Conceits so forcibly upon me, as to make me deaf to all good advice”. Crusoe directly addresses the “evil influence” of society that manifests the idea that we must exercise every opportunity to attain wealth and power. As soon as he arrives, Crusoe’s obsession is to find resources of his environment to survive. He learns the real relationships between things whose value is crucial for his survival. For example, wherever he looks he sees acres full of resources, and as he settles down to the task he glows, not with noble savagery, but purposive possession. He is the example of the capitalist man producing goods because they are useful and producing only as much as it is useful to him not seeking profits. The island is not an occasion to relax and meditate on his life but to conquer it as much