Robinson Crusoe, by Daniel Defoe, is a story about a man and his extraordinary
travels throughout the world. In the beginning, Robinson Crusoe travels out to
sea against the will of his father. He learns to regret this, though, as he
becomes enslaved, and later shipwrecked. He became shipwrecked on an island
where was the sole survivor. As a shipwrecked man, he had few possessions and
had to use his surroundings to survive. He painstakingly constructed his needs
and wants until, after twenty-six years he was finally able to leave the island.
Although very exciting and adventurous, Robinson Crusoe is more than just a
story about a man’s adventure and struggle to survive, it depicts one man’s
quest for spiritual salvation. In the beginning of the book, Robinson Crusoe is
not a devout Christian. He disobeyed his parents when he ran away to sea. He
called upon God only in times of trouble. He rarely used God’s name unless to
swear, and in turn blasphemed it. Although he coped with the hardships of
slavery and suffered its wickedness, he took a slave of his own after he escaped
from his master. This behavior does not represent a devout Christian nor does it
represent a person with high moral standards. Later in the book Crusoe described
his attitude when he said, ”I had no more sense of God or His judgments
……. than if I had been in the most prosperous condition of life.” This
shows the reader that Crusoe was virtually unaware of God’s presence. Later in
the book he becomes aware, and after becoming shipwrecked on the island,
Robinson Crusoe asked God for his survival. He later realized that he should
have actually thanked God for helping him survive the wreck and for helping him
survive on the island. This action marks Crusoe’s change from a person who is
unaware of God into a person who believed that God has control of the Earth and
that God directly affects every man’s life. After living on the island a few
years Crusoe craved something to read. He decided to read the bible because it
was the only book on the Island. He found that the Bible had answers for many of
his problems. He mentions the quote, “I will deliver thee” and viewed it
applicable to his life. Although the previously mentioned events are examples of
Crusoe’s growing faith towards God, there is one event that marks his true
spiritual salvation. When Crusoe cried, “Jesus, Thou Son of David, Jesus,
Though exalted Prince and Saviour. Give me repentance!” the reader is informed
that Crusoe has become a Christian and has accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior.
Throughout the rest of the book there are many exciting adventures and battles,
and even though Crusoe finds his way off the island he never lost touch with God
and his teachings. He became wealthy and remained spiritually sound as he spread
his wealth not only to the church, but also to the people that helped him
throughout life. The book ended on a good note as he gave tools and provisions
to the people left on the island to help them survive. This event marked the end
of Robinson Crusoe’s quest for spiritual salvation.