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Teachers' Resource Web Study Questions on Daniel Defoe Student Questions on Robinson Crusoe 1. What is the relationship between realism and romance in Robinson Crusoe? Is it a realistic novel, a romance, or neither? In other words, why are we reading this adventure story, in a realism and romance class? 2. What effect does Robinson's being the youngest in the family have on his action and mindset? 3. What two foods does Robinson Crusoe make on the island and does not like to eat? 4. I find it interesting that no one/nothing, except Robinson Crusoe, a cat, and a dog survive the shipwreck. What's going on? Further, when he stops writing down dates to signal a new entry in his journal, does that mean he has stopped writing in the journal format altogether? 5. Why doesn't Robinson inherit his father's estate if his first brother has died in a war and no one knows what became of the second brother? Why doesn't he get everything—not that that would have satisfied him anyway? Also, can Robinson Crusoe be interpreted as a terse satire, a mockery, of capitalistic society and its preoccupation with material goods? 6. About the predominance of religion in the novel, I was wondering, was the world or Europe at least going through some religious revival at this time that would have prompted Defoe to write a book such as this? Or was there another tragedy that reminded many of Christianity because looking back through history, times of hardship prompt people to call on God. What was the historical context of the time, and does it shed light on the novel's purpose? 7. I was also wondering why Crusoe is anxious to gather as much as possible but does not really devote a similar effort to return home. Is that realistic; does Defoe think that people will as Robinson does if they are stranded on an island all alone? 8. I also learned in U.S. history that the early Puritans who came to and settled in this country were big supporters of capitalism. Is that the reason that Defoe uses both religion and capitalism in his text? Is there any relationship between the two in Robinson Crusoe? 9. Is it significant that Robinson Crusoe gets shipwrecked on a voyage to buy slaves? Could this coincidence be a comment to the society in which he lived? Does Robinson Crusoe believe that he is being punished for his insatiable appetite for capital, or does he just believe that he is being punished for "disobeying" his parents? What is the view of capitalism/mercantilism during the time in which Defoe wrote? Was it seen negatively, especially with respect to Christianity and the practice of slavery and buying and selling people? 10. If the novel is really a spiritual autobiography tracing one man's rebirth into Christianity, is it really Fate moving Robinson Crusoe to the island and dictating his every move and every detail of his world? Or are they really acts of God intended to teach Crusoe lessons about life? When one refers to God, there is no Fate, everything happens for a reason. So then, if there is no Fate, is Crusoe disobeying God or is he enacting his free will? 11. What role does fate play in Robinson's life? He seems to struggle a lot with it—first with the fate as a middle class lawyer that his father talks about and then the fate he wants; so what is Robinson's definition of and relationship to fate? Further, what does fate have to do with all the "signs" he perceives in his life and environment?
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