Discussion Notes for 1/29
Page 242-3: Robinson makes another unique comment about not
having the right to judge the “savage” culture.
- · “I would act then as God should direct; but that unless something offer’d that was more a Call to me than yet I knew of, I would not meddle with them”
- · Then he switches to wanting to kill them and being “enrag’d to the highest Degree” when he discovers a captive is European.
- · Resembling the temporary shift earlier in the novel about not causing the savages harm because God will judge them.
Friday is always the one to kill people/animals.
- · What does this say about the savages? Or rather about how English society views “uncivilized people”?
- · Friday is so confident in his tactics to kill the bear and has impeccable aim when killing men that have taken his father captive and the Englishmen on the ship that lands.
- · Perhaps this is a comment on how Defoe views civilized men versus natives. They are much more skilled at these “unacceptable” tasks. However, Crusoe still is good at these tasks; Friday is just more skilled and more capable of killing more people/things.
Crusoe is very confused by the encounter between Friday and
Friday’s father.
- · Page 247: “jump’d about again, like a distracted Creature [crazed, out of one’s mind person]”
- · The description (pages 247-248) seems like Crusoe is awestruck by this Father-Son bond. He mentioned before that he and Friday had a Father-Son bond but now he is rethinking that.
- · He has been on the island for so long and separated from his family for so long that he does not know companionship or love the way Friday did.
- · He even takes Friday away on the English ship without mentioning his Father again though he is about to return for Friday and Crusoe.
Crusoe taught Friday the word “Savage” page 258à “civilizing” him or
brainwashing him?
No comments:
Post a Comment