Robinson Crusoe and Individualism in Daniel Defoe's Novel

Introduction: Individualism and the Literary Legacy of Defoe

The adage "no man is an island" always holds true because humankind has always been a social being. By belonging to a group or society, individuals are expected to abide by its collective norms and behaviors. Although individuals are assumed to follow the standards of the group, there are those who choose otherwise and demonstrate individualism — believing in the core importance of the individual and exhibiting self-reliant, independent behavior. To some groups or societies, individualism is shunned, and members who display this trait are considered pariahs. Others, however, value individualism because it promotes innovation and creativity. Several great works of art, scientific inventions, marvels of technology and engineering, and breakthroughs in other endeavors have been the result of individualism and are heralded by the very collective society that benefited from them.

Daniel Defoe's The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, published in 1719, would not have become one of the great literary classics had Defoe chosen to maintain the middle-class workman's life of his father. Instead, he engaged in various occupations and traveled extensively; those experiences provided a wealth of knowledge that fueled the wonderful stories he began writing in the twilight of his years. Had Defoe not shown his individualistic nature, there would be no Robinson Crusoe, no Captain Jack, no Moll Flanders — none of the literary classics read across generations.

Crusoe's Break from Convention and Early Adventures

Literary works by authors are often said to mirror life — and particularly the lives of those who wrote them. Defoe's Robinson Crusoe may be read as Defoe's own life story, given the several parallels between them. The most important of these is how Defoe's innate individualism is powerfully projected through his protagonist. As a young man, Robinson Crusoe's father wanted him to study law — a profession that could provide a stable and secure life. Crusoe, however, wanted to travel the seas and seek adventure. Against his father's wishes, he embarked on his passion, and this is the first display of the protagonist's individualism. He did not want to be like the rest of the youth of his time, who sought stable and secure professions; rather, he chose to engage in experiences far outside the confines of England.

Survival on the Island: Individualism in Its Purest Form

As Crusoe embarked on his adventure at sea, his initial foray proved successful and he earned a hefty profit as a sea merchant. Emboldened by this good fortune, he was ready to try another venture. On his next journey, however, luck was not on his side — the ship he was sailing was captured by pirates and he was enslaved, only to be saved later by a kindly Portuguese captain. He eventually arrived in Brazil, where he established himself as a plantation owner. Recognizing that slave-labor trading could be profitable, he ventured into that field as well. On a slave-gathering trip to Africa, he found himself the sole survivor of a shipwreck on a remote island off the coast of Trinidad.

In his aloneness, Crusoe had to demonstrate independence and initiative by living off the land and surviving entirely on his own resources. During this period, he displayed the highest form of individualism — albeit one forced upon him by circumstance — because there was no one else to rely on. He built a shelter, grazed goats for meat, erected a cross on which he inscribed a notch for each day he spent on the island, attempted to make candles, and even planted grain. All of these activities he recorded in a journal as testament to his existence. As scholars of Defoe's novel have noted, this episode of enforced self-sufficiency stands as the most vivid dramatization of individualist values in the entire book.

Conclusion: A Positive Individualism

Upon his arrival in England, Crusoe found himself without any relatives back home, but despite this sad fact, he discovered that he was a rich man due to investments he had made previously. Although he was alone, Friday was still with him, and from then on they embarked on other journeys and adventures. Throughout everything, Crusoe remained the man he had always been: an individualist with a clear and forthright vision. He never wavered from doing the right thing and continued to help others, especially in dire times.

Indeed, individualism may have always figured prominently in Crusoe's personality and attitude, but it was the kind of individualism heralded by society because of the benefits it produced. Crusoe may have lived as a man alone on an island, but he never forgot that he was still part of a greater society — the same society that had provided him with the values, morals, and ethics that made him altruistic, humane, and compassionate. As literary historians have observed, Robinson Crusoe endures precisely because Defoe so skillfully balanced the hero's fierce independence with his abiding sense of social duty. Crusoe may have always sought his own way and fortune, but whenever he found himself among a group or society, he became part of it — even while knowing he was different.

Bibliography

Defoe, Daniel. Robinson Crusoe. New York, NY: Aladdin Paperbacks, 2001. Print.