Topic: Robinson Crusoe as a Nature man

Paper: 2^nd

Roll no: 09

Prepared by: Dipti Vaghel

~ Preface

          The form of novel start from the written fiction or adventure. Daniel Defoe was a writer who wrote adventure and then it consider as a novel. He born in1659 at London, he was merchant, writer and journalist. His mother died when he was 10 years old. He married with Mary Tuffley, the daughter of a London merchant. He had eight children. He also write pamphlet and one of his work ‘pamphleteering and prison’. He wrote number of novels during his life as under,

          ~ Robinson Crusoe (1719)

          ~ The Father Adventure of Robinson Crusoe (1719)

          ~ Serious reflection during the life and surprising                                        adventure of Robinson Crusoe (1720)

          ~ Memoirs of Cavalier (1720)

          ~ Captain Singleton (1720)

          ~ A journal of the Plague Year (1722)

          ~Colonel Jack (1722)

          ~ Moll Flanders (1722)

          ~ Roxana: The Fortunate Mistress (1724)

         

          He also wrote three volumes travel book, ‘A Tour Thro’. He becomes so famous because of his novel ‘Robinson Crusoe’. So let’s know about it.

~ Novel Robinson Crusoe

          He wrote it in 1719. It is a tell of a man’s shipwreck on a deserted island and his subsequent adventures. The author based part of his narrative on the story of the Scottish caste way Alexander Selkirk, who spent four years strange surprising adventures of Robinson Crusoe. The book is a fictional autobiography of the title character, who spends years on a remote tropical island.

          Thus, in this novel Robinson Crusoe Passed number of years on that island. During those years he lives with Nature or adjusts with Nature. He made number of things from the Nature. He made umbrella from goatskins, house from trees. He made all those things by himself so we can say that he is self-dependable person. So let’s know the character of Robinson Crusoe as a Nature man in detail. Because he got great experience from the Mother Nature. How to live in Mother Nature?

~ Robinson Crusoe as a Nature man

          As we know that Robinson Crusoe lost his self in the island because during his sea-voyage his ship broken. When he was on island, there was no other land in sight. On that shore he makes a small tent with the sail and some poles. When it was finished he brought into it everything that he knew would be spoiled by either the rain or the sun. The empty boxes he arranged in a circle round the tent, and he made a bed upon the floor. He was tried after completed his work so he was soon asleep. He had taken everything from the broken ship which was of value to him. He must remembered four points in his mind for choosing to his home. First of all, he needed to find a place which would be healthy and near to some fresh water. Secondly, there ought to be protection from the heat of the sun. Thirdly, he must be safe from attacks either by savages or by wild animals. And last one; he must have a view of the sea so that if any ship should chance to come near to the island, he would not miss it.

          Thus, first of all he prepared a small home, which comfortable for him to live his life on that island. And that place was suitable in which he live. But after prepared his tent he also thought that perhaps any animal can injured him so he made fence. It was so strong that neither man nor animal could get over it or through it. He bought inside all his food and stores.

          Always he goes to outside with his gun and after some days he discovered that there were goats upon that island. They were very shy and ran swiftly, so that they were difficult to shoot. He observed that they did not run away so quickly. After some planed the first goat that he shot was a she goat who had a little kid by her side. He carried the little goat home on his shoulders and tried to tame it. But unfortunately  it would not eat any of the food that in offered it and so he killed it. They provided him with fresh meat for some days.

          He made calendar on large cross of wood for count of time. He rescued two cats and a dog from the ship. Those were his companions in his lonely life. He set his self to make a chair and a table. On their voyage they had carried a few hens and that little bag had held the corn for them to eat. Most of the corn eaten by rats but some remained in the bottom. This was just before the rainy season began. After a month he noticed some green shoots coming through the ground.

          After some times those shoots had now become stalks of barley. When the grain ripened later on he saved it carefully and planned to plant it the following years. He did the same with some rice that he found and together with the barley he was able to make some bread and some rice cakes. Then gradually he begins to explore his island. First of all he went up the river where he had first brought his raft on shore. Two miles upstream, the river became much smaller and the water was cool and clear. He found various sorts of fruits were growing like melons and grapes. Some of these he ate and some especially the grapes, he saved to eat later on. Some of the grapes he dried in the sun, so that he would have raising to eat when there was no fresh fruit about.

          Then he found a place almost like a garden which had been specially planted with fruits and flowers. He liked the place so much that he often returned there was during the month of July. He thought of living there permanently but that place was so far from the shore. So he decided to build small shelter so that he could come to stay whenever he liked. Then he returned to his first home. There were he found all the things as it was. Then by the help of some branches he weaves baskets. He wanted to see what the other side of the island looked like. So he took his gun, an axe and the dog, and a quantity of food and set off.

          He found a new place there were number of turtles on the beach. He was looking forward to a good crop of barley and rice after the rainy season. He had first to deal with two types of enemy, first a number of long legged creatures and flock of birds. He made a fence which surrounded the crops and at night he tied his dog to it. And for flock of birds he fired his gun so they went away. He was able to harvest his crop and gathered in two sacks of rice and two and a half sacks of barley.

          He made pots and jars in which he store food and water. Then he also made two large jars. They were out of shape and very ugly but he was able to use them for storing grain. So he made himself as a potter. One day he made a large fire that he could cook some goats’ meat. He also noticed a broken piece of pottery lying in the fire. It has burned as hard as a stone and was as red as a brick. This made him think how he could arrange his fire so that it would bake whole pots. From that observation he tried to make some pots he arranged his fire all around them. He kept putting more and more wood on the fire until he saw that the pots were red-hot. He kept them in that heat for five hours and then slowly he fire die down. He watched the pots all night so that the pots were red-hot. He kept them in that heat for five hours and then slowly he fire die down. He watched the pots all night so that the fire should not die away too quickly. In the morning he found that he had made some very good if not beautiful cooking pots. He was so pleased with his work that  he could hardly wait until the pots were cold before testing them. He wanted to be able to make bread from those grains.

          He face another problem was to separate the husks from the flour. But for situation of that problem he found some muslin clothes. Then he had to design an oven. Thus, he could make not only bread but pastry also.

          He had a number of goatskins taken from the animals he had shot. Those he had stretched out and allowed to dry in the sun. The first thing that he made hat, waistcoat and a pair of trousers for his self. He spent a great deal of time and effort in making an umbrella. He could go out with umbrella not only when it was raining but also in the hottest weather.

          One day he was walking on the seashore, he made a very strange discovery. He was alarmed to see the foot print in the sand. Thus he found Friday. He taught Friday how to grind the corn and bake the bread and most important that is language.

~ Conclusion

          Thus in this novel Robinson Crusoe is the main character. This novel known as sea novel because we find description related with sea voyage. We observed that Robinson Crusoe lived on the island and during that gurney he closer with Nature. He did everything by himself because he had no other way.

          He made his house on that island, developed farm, food to eat, clothes,umberella, ets.Thus he live on that island as a Nature man.