I was looking over previous writing that is stashed away in my computer and laughing at myself. But one of the pieces got me to thinking. Enjoy:

“Written by Daniel Defoe in 1719, Robinson Crusoe has fascinated readers for years. The book covers the adventures of a young, headstrong sailor through his journeys and finally the 28 years that he is stranded alone on an island near the mouth of the Orinoco River in the Americas. Themes in Robinson Crusoe include colonization, redemption, and individualism.

Is Robinson Crusoe a lovable character? Some look at the brat that forsook home at a young age. Others see a shiftless sailor who flits from one ship to the next. Still more criticize the domineering master who takes it on himself to civilize a savage. The statue these ideas sculpt is rather on the dislikable side- even repugnant.

Yet there is another side to the character- one found by those who look past the human flaws to the heart of the story. This aspect is the one that has caused Robinson Crusoe to flourish for almost 300 years. The brat disciplines his faulty character, experience balances the shiftless sailor, the teacher eclipses the domineering master. Meet Robinson Crusoe: the rugged lone wolf.

Everybody likes to read about a lone wolf. The character Robinson Crusoe is lovable for three reasons: his rugged individualism, his ability to recover from seemingly impossible situations, and his destiny of adventurous experiences all endear the reader to our protagonist.

What is possibly the greatest thing that reels a reader into the book Robinson Crusoe? It is the fact that he is a lone wolf: a rugged individualist.People love the fact that he figures out how to use the spoils from the shipwreck to build an empire on the island. He depends on no one and survives quite happily on his own.He digs a cave for his own house, domesticates animals for food, sews his own clothes, and grows food out of a couple random seeds that happen to sprout. Who doesn’t absolutely fall in love with a man who can care for himself?

What keeps the reader enthralled with Robinson Crusoe is his ability to escape from crazy situations. He escapes slavery and multiple shipwrecks, saves a man from death by cannibalism while risking his own life. Most would have died in the first shipwreck: nay, most would never have been on the first ship! So they revel in the life of one that cannot seem to die, for all life seems to throw at him.

The experiences of Robinson Crusoe are what make the book what it is. Who else builds up from slavery to plantation owner, then on a journey in which he only survives, to living and learning 28 years on an island, to going back to England with a personal companion to continue adventuring with? All readers love this because it is different, and because he became a self-made man.

Back to the brat, the headstrong sailor that has no fear of his parent’s desires and remonstrances. Give the guy a break, okay? He learned by experience what his father tried to teach him. And he gained more by the experience than he ever could have by simply living the normal life of an English gentleman.

Or, critics may claim that while a lone wolf sounds good, Crusoe was proud and unsociable.Then why has the book lasted for 300 years? Something about individualism endears anyone to that individualist.

In conclusion, why do we love Robinson Crusoe? It is because of his individualism, his narrow escapes, and his life full of adventure.

Everybody loves a lone wolf.”

I still think that everyone loves a good book about an individualist. But if Crusoe lived in our time, many would reject him.

So there is an addition to my essay: Everybody loves a book about a lone wolf. Today, we would drag the man out and call him crazy for his purposeful estrangement from society.

But we still love to read about him. At least, I do.

What are your thoughts? Would Robinson Crusoe survive the critiquing of people today?