Why has “Robinson Crusoe” been called at once realistic and allegorical?

Why has “Robinson Crusoe” been called at once realistic and allegorical?

Outwardly Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe seems to be a story of travel and adventure but inwardly it is not merely a nursery tale meant only for children but it has full of realism and allegorical significance which run side by side in the novel. Travel and adventure is only the surface subject of the book. If we probe it deeper and examine it closely we get the allegory of life and religion under the surface of realism. So far as realism of the book is concerned, the book deals with actual experiences of a real man called Alexander Selkrik who had spent more than four years alone on the uninhabited island of Juan Fernandez and Crusoe himself in the book is identifiable with Alexander Selkrik. This real incident not only prepares the ground of reality for the book but also contributes to enhance the allegorical significance of the book as Defoe’s Crusoe like Bunyan’s Christian in The Pilgrim’s progress makes his voyage not only for material enhancement, as if it seems to be apparently but for spiritual salvation allegorically. Let us first discuss Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe on realistic ground to show how far the air of realism is infused into the work and next to relate the real life passage for material advancement with allegorical quest of soul for spiritual salvation.

 Defoe has used different techniques to bring realism into the novel. They are as follows:

Circumstantial Method:

One of Crusoe’s most successful projects which may be defined as the circumstantial method is the raising of the crops of barley and rice on the island. Another circumstantial method is that the presence of the wrecked ship near the sea shore which enabled Crusoe to bring the equipment and the material he needed to survive.

Realism in character- portrayal:

Friday’s gratitude to Crusoe is perfectly natural. Friday becomes a devoted servent of Crusoe who has saved his life from the clutches of cannibals and many other characters in the novel seem to be real such as the English captain, the Portuguese Captain and the black boy Xury who has helped Crusoe to escape from the Turkish pirates.

Liberal of dates and geographical place name:

Another device which adds to the realistic effects of the novel is a liberal of date and geographical place name. Crusoe was born in the year 1632, in the city of York. He got stranded on the deslate island on the 30^th September, 1639. He left the island on the 19^th December, 1686, after a stay of 28 years, two month and nineteen day and the like.......................................................................................

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Milan Tomic

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