1.Thethemeandthesignificanceofthenovel“RobinsonCrusoe”lRobinsonCrusoesingsasongoflabor,presentingitasthesourceofhumanprideandhappinessaswellasameanstochangeman’slivingconditionsfromdesperationtoprosperity.It’sasloganwhichthebourgeoisieusedtojustifytheiraccumulationofwealth.lItisanartisticprojectionofcolonialexpansion.(thecivilizedvs.thesavage)lThethemeof“backtonature”andreligiousdevotion.Onthewhole,RobinsonCrusoeissignificantasthefirstEnglishnovelwhichglorifiestheindividualexperienceofordinarypeopleinplainandsimplelanguage,andalsoasavividandpositiveportrayoftheEnglishbourgeoisieattheearlierstagesofitsdevelopment.2.TheimageofRobinsonCrusoeRobinsonCrusoeisportrayedasaheroofthecommonstock,anindividualist---aself-mademan,whoshowsmarvelouscapacityforwork,boundlesscourageandenergyinovercomingobstaclesandashrewdnessinaccumulatingwealthandgainingprofits.
ThecharacterofRobinsonCrusoeisrepresentativeoftherisingEnglishbourgeoisie.Heismostpracticalanddiligent,alwaysreligiousandatthesametimemindfulofhisownprofit.ModernnovelistJamesJoyceeloquentlynotedthatthetruesymboloftheBritishconquestisRobinsonCrusoe.“HeisthetrueprototypeoftheBritishcolonist.ThewholeAnglo-SaxonspiritisinCrusoe:themanlyindependence,theunconsciouscruelty,thepersistence,theslowyetefficientintelligence,thesexualapathy,thecalculatingtaciturnity.”Inthisnovel,Defoecreatedtheimageofatrueempire-builder,acolonizerandaforeigntrader,whohasthecourageandwilltofacehardships,andwhohasdeterminationtopreservehimselfandimprovehislivelihoodbystrugglingagainstnatureandfate.3.ThefeaturesofDefoe’snovelsAsawriteroftheEnlightenment,Defoeattachedgreatimportancetothemouldingofcharacterandtotheeducationthroughtheinfluenceofvariedenvironment.Forexample,DefoetracesthedevelopmentofRobinsonCrusoefromanaiveandtactlessyouthintoacleverandhardenedman,temperedandtriedbynumeroustrialsinhiseventfullife,especiallyhisstruggleagainstnatureontheisland.
Defoe’sintentionisthatthereadersshouldregardhisnovelsastruestories.Forthatreason,hedeliberatelyavoidsallart;allfinewriting,sothatthereadershouldconcentrateonlyonaseriesofplausibleevents.Defoe’snovelstaketheformofmemoriesorpretendedhistoricalnarratives;everythinginthemgivestheimpressionofreality.