Daniel Defoe's "Robinson Crusoe" -- A Spiritual Autobiography
Question: Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe is a ‘spiritual autobiography’. – Discuss. Answer : Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe is a complete novel in every sense. While this work of art is basically about the actions and the adventures of the narrator-protagonist named Robinson Crusoe, it has multi-layered meanings from multidimensional angles. Some critics say that this novel is a ‘spiritual autobiography’. The others say that it is an allegory or a fable. Apart from delineating Crusoe’s thirst for survival, this novel depicts the spiritual upliftment of the protagonist. We notice, at the outset, that Crusoe was a bohemian, a vagabond, a daredevil and an adventurous boy. He was born at the city of York in England. From the very beginning, he used to dream of seafaring and so, his father used to advise him again and again that middle station invites fewest disasters and troubles. Perceiving that his father was against his dreams of seafaring, he began to