Analysis of Characters in Robinson Crusoe in High School English Classroom Teaching

李嘉业

Robinson Crusoe is the most famous novel of the famous British writer Defoe. This work tells the story of the heroine Robinson living alone on the desert island for 28 years. In the face of setbacks， Robinson is very brave and insists on not giving up， but there are still many deficiencies in him. This article attempts to explore Robinsons character from the perspective of character analysis.

Chapter 1 The Positive Aspects of the Character of Robinson Crusoe

Robinson is a great man， a firm man， an optimist， an industrious man， a man full of enthusiasm， a man who does not yield to his fate without suffering. He lives alone on this uninhabited island for 27 years. In the face of the plight of life， Robinsons actions show a mans perseverance and heroic nature. He embodies the creative spirit and pioneering spirit of the bourgeois during the capitalism rising period. He dares to fight against the bad environment. At the same time， he has the firm will and perseverance and the confidence to change everything. He believes that heaven will not fall down.

Robinson is hardworking， brave and witty. On the second voyage， he learned the knowledge of mathematics and the rules of navigation， and learned how to observe everything at sea. In short， he learned all the necessary knowledge that the sailor should have. When he first came to Brazil plantation， he knew nothing about planting. After observing for a while， he began to build his own plantation. Because of proper management， the plantation has developed very well. In the early days of life on the island he got food by hunting， and then fed on stocked livestock and sowing corn； he set up two houses for himself； he made clothes for himself with the fur of his prey； he also built ships in addition to all the necessities. His extraordinary ability to work not only reflects his firm willpower， strong physique and amazing perseverance. Robinson was calm， resourceful and decisive.

Chapter 2 Robinsons Negative Qualities

Robinson never seems to care about his parents. When he returned to England， his parents both died. In Robinsons mind， women are goods， property and reproductive tools to inherit their blood. These are all manifestations of his indifference to family. As a son， he is not filial piety， as a husband， he doesnt care about his wife， and as a father， he fails to fulfill his fathers obligation.

Robinson also has a lot of shortcomings， such as his fragility and vanity in the face of difficulties. As he has often observed： “how incongruous and irrational the common temper of mankind is， especially of youth， to that reason which ought to guide them in such cases. That they are not ashamed to sin， and yet are ashamed to repent； not ashamed of the action for which they ought justly to be esteemed fools， but are ashamed of the returning， which only can make them be esteemed wise men.” After the failure of the first maritime voyage， Robinson began to consider the path of life： whether he should go home or go out to sea. After careful consideration， he chose the latter. Although he also wanted to go home， his inner pride stopped him.

Under the temptation of money， Robinson was uneasy about the mediocre life of the middle-class family， and went out to sea four times regardless of his parents objection. Later， he managed to escape to Brazil and set up his own plantation there. It could have been done here， but he was insatiable， gave up his comfortable life， went into partnership with others and risked a greater risk to Africa for the slave trade. But it turned out that the slaves did not get it， and their ships were killed. He left alone on a deserted island. On the desert island， Robinson conquered the native Indians with the firearms and Christianity representing the capitalist civilization and brought the relationship between the capital owners and the people on the island. In this sense， all his adventures are aimed at possessing more wealth.

Conclusion

Robinson not only has a distinct personality， but is brave， strong， intelligent and hard-working. Robinson Crusoe once again brought human nature to the most basic primitive era， allowing people to see nature and desire. The lives of desert islands make people see that everyone seems to enjoy loneliness. Therefore， we must respect nature， communicate with nature， and understand the true principles of communication between people.

References

[1] Daniel Defoe. Robinson Crusoe [M]. Shanghai： Shanghai World Book Publishing Company， 2003.

[2] Green， Martin. Dreams of Adventure[M]. London： Loutless Press， 1980. Language Teaching and Research Press， 1988.

[3] Wu Weiren. History and Anthology of English Literature[M]. Beijing： Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press， 1988.

（作者單位：山东青岛市实验高级中学）