Robinson Crusoe Character Analysis Essay

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Despite being the titular character, protagonist, and narrator of Daniel Defoe’s novel “Robinson Crusoe”, Robinson Crusoe is both a static and unlikeable character. Even after his incredibly journey through the course of the book, Crusoe shows limited to no signs of personal growth or development. It is difficult to sympathise with Crusoe even after all of the hardships he endured as he is only truly interested in furthering his own agenda. Throughout the novel Crusoe is constantly presented as a racist and self centered man. Crusoe’s negative qualities build up while he is given little to no redeeming qualities.

One of Crusoe 's most prominent personality traits is his self-centered attitude. He actively looks to pursue his own agenda, …show more content…

In what initially seems to be a selfless act, Crusoe kills two black cannibals, who he considers “savages”, who were pursuing Friday. However, Crusoe distorts his kindness by making Friday his property and taking total ownership over him. Crusoe tells him that “ his Name should be Friday, which was the Day I sav 'd his Life; I call 'd him so for the Memory of the Time; I likewise taught him to say Master, and then let him know, that was to be my Name" (Defoe 312). Crusoe dehumanizes and belittles Friday by not giving him a real name, making him call him “master”, and by treating him like …show more content…

Despite being foreign to the island, he considers himself the king and the native “savages” his subjects who “all owed their lives to me, and were ready to lay down their lives, if there had been occasion of it, for me" (Defoe 367). He even considers the island “my own mere property, Baso that I had an undoubted right of dominion” (Defoe 367). Crusoe takes command over the island not by merit or democracy, but because he feels he is superior to the natives. He arrogantly believes that each and every one of the natives owes him their life, and fully expects them to treat him as a king.

Crusoe proves throughout the novel that he is an unlikeable character. His self centered attitude, greed, and interactions with Friday and the other natives of the island prove that he is both a bad person and an unpleasant

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