鲁滨逊漂流记中的殖民主义

An Analysis of ColonialCulture in Robinson Crusoe and Its Reflectionin RealityI. IntroductionThe Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, a masterpiece of Daniel Defoe, is a pioneer ing English adventure fiction. It mainly tells us a story of the hero Robinso n Crusoe‘s adventure on the sea especially on a deserted island all alone. After a few sails on the sea, he joins an expedition to bring slaves from Africa, but he is shipwrecked in a storm about forty miles out to sea on a deserted island.Robinson Crusoe struggles against hardship, privation, loneliness, and cannibals in his attempt to survive on the deserted island.Finally he succeeds in returning to his hometown England and becomes rich in the end.But according to the criticisms, The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe is a typical colonial literature. As Fang Min wrote in his thesis On The Colonial behaviors in The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, if we analyze The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe under the post-colonialism, we could find that the fiction reflects the colonial culture in some ways (Fang, 2010). By exploring the colonial culture in The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, we can know the thoughts of people in that period and the forms of early colonialism and colonialism.In this thesis, the author would like to lead the readers to take a brief look at of the colonialism in The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, the influence of the colonialism on people today and the reflection of colonial thoughts today.The author will write it in the following five parts.First of all, the author will give a brief introduction of The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, both the fiction and the author Daniel Defoe.Second, the author will give a brief introduction of colonialism and colonialism in The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe and how it is showed in the fiction.Third, the author will list and analyze the reflection of colonialism today.Fourth, the author will have a brief look at of the influence of colonialism both in the history and at present.Fifth, the author will come to a conclusion that we can know a little of colonialism in The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe.II. Brief Introduction of the Adventures of Robinson Crusoe Robinson Crusoe is a novel written by Daniel Defoe and was first published in 1719. The book is a fictional autobiography of the title character—a castaway who spends 28 years on a remote tropical island near Venezuela, encountering Native Americans, captives and mutineers before being rescued. He struggled on the island alone and finally was rescued and went back to England.2.1 Brief Introduction of Daniel DefoeDaniel Defoe (ca. 1659-1661 –24 April 1731), born Daniel Foe, was an English w riter, journalist, and pamphleteer, who gained fame for his novel Robinson Crusoe. Defoe is notable for being one of the earliest proponents of the novel, as he helped to popularize the form in Britain and is among the founders of the English novel. As a prolific and versatile writer, he wrote more than 500 books, pamphlets and journals on various topics (including politics, crime, religion, marriage, psychology and the supernatural).Here is a brief introduction of D aniel Defoe‘s life and the motivation of writing Robinson CrusoeDefoe‘s father was a City tradesman and member of the Butchers‘ Company. James Foe's stubborn Puritanism – The Foes were Dissenters, Protestants who did not belong to the Anglican Church – occasionally comes through Defoe's writing. He studied at Charles Morton's Academy, London. Although his Nonconformist father intended him for the ministry, Defoe plunged into politics and trade, travelling extensively in Europe. Throughout his life, Defoe also wrote about mercantile projects, but his business ventures failed and left him with large debts. But all his experience gave him the life material to complete his works, including his masterpiece Robinson Crusoe.Defoe was one of the first to write stories about believable characters in realistic situations using simple prose. He achieved literary immortality in April 1719 when he published Robinson Crusoe, a travelogue, which was based partly on the memoirs of voyagers and castaways, such as Alexander Selkirk, who spent on his island four years and four months.William Selkirk was the son of a Scottish tanner, who became the master of the Cinque Ports Galley, a privateering ship. Selkirk went to sea in 1704 under William Dampier and was put ashore at his own request (or according to some sources as a punishment of insubordination) on the island of Juan Fernandez in the Pacific, hundreds of miles off the coast of Chile. The island was uninhabited, and he survived there until his rescue in 1709 by Captain Woods Rogers. Selkirk claimed later positively that the experience had made him a "better Christian". As a journalist, Defoe must have heard his story and possibly interviewed him.The account of a shipwrecked sailor was a comment both on the human need for civilized society and the equally powerful necessity for individual freedom. But it also offered a dream of building a private kingdom, a self-made Utopia, and being completely self-sufficient, without any political, social or religious constraints. So it became famous among English and the Europe.2.2 Brief Introduction of Robinson CrusoeAlthough commonly referred to as simply Robinson Crusoe, the book‘s c omplete, original title as it appears on the title page of the first edition is The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe.Pictorial map of Crusoe's island, called "Island of Despair," shows many incidents.Crusoe (the family name corrupted from the German name "Kreutznaer" or "Kreutznär") set sail on a sea voyage in August 1651, against the wishes of his parents, who want him to stay at home and pursue a career, possibly in law. After a tumultuous journey that saw his ship wrecked in a storm, his lust for the sea remained so strong that he set out to sea again. The journey ended in disaster as the ship was taken over by Salépirates and Crusoe became the slave of a Moor. After two years of slavery, he managed toescape in a boat with a boy named Xury; later, Crusoe was rescued and befriended by the Captain of a Portuguese ship off the west coast of Africa. The ship went to Brazil. There, with the help of the captain, Crusoe became the owner of a plantation.Years later, he joined an expedition to bring slaves from Africa but he was shipwrecked in a storm about forty miles out to sea on an island (which he called the Island of Despair) near the mouth of the Orinoco river on September 30, 1659. Surviving alone with three animals, he struggled to survive and feed himself. He had lived on the deserted island alone for twenty-eight years before he discovered natives.Years later, he discovered native cannibals who occasionally visited the island to kill and eat prisoners. At first he planed to kill them for committing an abomination but later realized that he had no right to do so as the cannibals did not knowingly commit a crime. He dreamed of obtaining one or two servants by freeing some prisoners. When they came again to kill and eat the prisoners, a prisoner managed to escape; Crusoe helped him and freed him from being eaten. Then Crusoe named his new companion "Friday" after the day of the week he appeared. Crusoe then taught him English and converted him to Christianity.After another party of natives arrived to partake in a cannibal feast, Crusoe and Friday managed to kill most of the natives and saved two of the prisoners. One was Friday's father and the other was a Spaniard, who informed Crusoe that there were other Spaniards shipwrecked on the mainland. A plan was devised wherein the Spaniard would return with Friday‘s father to the mainland and br ought back the others, built a ship and sailed to a Spanish port.Before the Spaniards returned, an English ship appeared; mutineers had taken control of the ship and intended to maroon their former captain on the island. Crusoe and the ship's captain stroke a deal in which he helped the captain and the loyal sailors retook the ship from the mutineers, whereupon they intended to leave the worst of the mutineers on the island. Before they left for England, Crusoe showed the former mutineers how he lived on the island and states that there would be more men coming. Crusoe left the island on December 19, 1686 and arrived in England on June 11, 1687. He learned that his familybelieved him dead and there was nothing in his father's will for him. Crusoe departed for Lisbon to reclaim the profits of his estate in Brazil, which had granted him a large amount of wealth. In conclusion, he took his wealth overland to England to avoid traveling at sea. Friday came with him and along the way they endured one last adventure together as they fought off hundreds of famished wolves while crossing the Pyrenees.III. Colonialism in Robinson CrusoeAs novelist James Joyce noted that the true symbol of the British conquest is Robinson Crusoe: "He is the true prototype of the British colonist. … The whole Anglo-Saxon spirit is in Crusoe: the manly independence, the unconscious cruelty, the persistence, the slow yet efficient intelligence, the sexual apathy, the calculating taciturnity."3.1 Brief Introduction of Colonialism3.1.1 Definition of ColonialismWhat is colonialism? It refers to a kind of invasion policy that a greater power takes some military, political and economic measures to occupy, collocate and exploit other weak and little countries, nationalities and districts which are falling behind other countries so that they can make them colonies or semi-colonies.3.1.2 Brief Introduction of Different Forms of ColonialismAs Chen Lan wrote in the thesis Robinson Crusoe and Post-colonialism, ―European colonialism began when Colombia found American continent in 1492. Traditionally, people s ee Colombia as a national hero from the European colonialists‘ stand. But since 1990s, more and more scholars in the west have seen the negative aspects of Colombia‘s voyages from the point of the Indian‘s. They think that Colombia and European colonialists bring destruction to the American Indians.‖(Chen Lan, 2004) So Colombia is a colonialist in the eyes of post-colonialism instead of a national hero.In different periods, the forms of colonialism change.During the period of original capital accumulation, most of the colonists use violentmeasures towards the target countries, such as occupation with arms, immigration overseas, plundering like pirates, cheated trade, trade of slaves and so on. During the period of free capitalism, mainly by ―free trade‖,the colonists turn underdeveloped countries nationalities and districts into their own markets, origination of materials, investment location, and origination of cheap labors.During the period of imperialism, apart from the measures above, capital output becomes the main means of exploiting.After the Second World War, national independent movements in colonies and semi-colonies begin to sour. Many Asian and African countries become independent, thus destroy the colonial system of imperialism. Countries supporting colonial policy turn to use some indirect means to protect and get colonial profit. Politically, on the one hand, they permit and admit the independence of colonies and semi-colonies. On the other hand, they control those countries by training ag ents. Economically, they control those countries‘ economy thus exploit them by offering ―help‖ with some extra loans under harsh items, unfair trades and organizing international corporations. Politically, they reach their military occupation by offering m ilitary ―help‖ with establishing military base, sending military troop and so on. These are new colonialism.3.2 Colonialism in Robinson CrusoeIn many ways, Robinson Crusoe has the similar experience with Colombia and has the features of early colonialists. Actually, there are many signs in Robinson Crusoe. Crusoe sailed to other places on a ship. He joined the expedition to bring slaves from Africa. He also ran his farm. After he saved Friday, Crusoe enslaved him. He had a strong feeling of owning the island he stayed alone for twenty-eight years. He felt that he was the king of the deserted island. Thus, the novel Robinson Crusoe reveals some colonialism for us to get to know the work and the colonialism better.Some brief analyses of colonialism in Robinson Crusoe will be done from the following aspects. First of all, the novel shows colonialism by creating Robinson Crusoe with the adventures and the changing of his identity. Second, the colonialism is showed in the process of the exploration of the deserted island and the relationship between the islandand himself. Third, colonialism can be seen during the process that Crusoe cultivates Friday after he saves him. Last but not least, the trade of slaves from Africa shows us the evil side of colonialism.3.2.1 Colonialism Reflected With the Change of the IdentityCrusoe was born in a well-being family in England. But as he says, ‖…I would be satisfied with nothing but go to Sea, and my inclination to this led me so strongly against the Will, nay the Commands of my Father, and against all the Entreaties and persuasions of my Mother and other Friends, that there seemed to be something fatal in propension of Nature…‖(Defoe, 2008: 5). He had the passion to take adventure on the sea as many other colonists had. This is the first and foremost common spirit early colonists share. Finally, Crusoe made the decision to disobey his parents‘ will and went to the sea. However, he became a slave of Moors and after about two years later, he managed to escape with Xury who was enslaved to Crusoe under the threat of being thrown into the sea. He promised Xury that he would take him. But after they were saved on the sea, Crusoe sold Xury to the Captain who saved them. This is what colonists usually do and makes Crusoe a colonist to some extent. After a few years, he begins to run his plantation in Lisbon, and of course, he is the owner. Surviving alone after the shipwreck on the expedition to bring slaves from Africa, Crusoe began to live on the island by himself. He made himself somewhere to hide. He hunted and later he trained and fed goats, drinking their milk. He cultivated the land and grew corns. He also dried some grapes to eat. He lived on the island for thirty years. He saw the whole island as his own property.After twenty-eight years of living on the island alone, Crusoe saved a prisoner from being eaten by Cannibals and made him a slave of him and named the prisoner ―Friday‖. He became the master of Friday. A few years later, he, along with Friday, saved a captain of a ship and got the ship back. Everyone on the ship except the traitors expected him and listened to his order after they got their ship again. Finally, he ended his life on the island and came back to England. Owing to the plantation he owned before he joined the expedition to bring slaves from Africa, he became rich. At Crusoe‘s late years, he went in his nephew‘s ship as a private trader to the East Indies. As Daniel wrote in the novel, ―Inthis voyage I visited my new colony in the island, saw my succes sors the Spaniards,…Here I stayed about 20days, left them supplies of all necessary things,…Besides this, I shared the island into parts with them, reserved to my self the property of the whole, but gave them such parts respectively as they agreed on; and having settled all things with them, and engaged them not to leave the place, I left them there.…‖(Defoe, 2008: 319). He became the owner and distributor of the island.By looking at the shift of Robinson Crusoe‘s identity, we can see that Crusoe is a passionate representative of the early colonists. It shows us the process of how a passionate young man becomes a successful colonist.3.2.2 The Colonialism Showed between Robinson Crusoe and the IslandColonialism is showed during the years Robinson explores the island and tries to feed himself and showed in the relationship between Crusoe and the deserted island.After the shipwreck which Crusoe was on to bring slaves from Africa, he survived alone and got on the island. That began his life on the island alone. Although the island was a deserted island, there were animals like goats and birds lived on it. He began to change the natural scenery on the island with his own will. He brought guns, powders, gets other things from a shipwrecked ship. He lived on it and got to know it little by little. Then, within his capability, he hunted birds and goats for food. After he found the corns, he began to grow corns on the island all by himself. He made some tools to help him with the farming. He also picked some grapes, dried them up and ate them everyday. Of course he fed himself well on the island thus create a new world of himself, however, in some degree, he destroyed the ancient beauty of the island. To some extent, Crusoe‘s behavior is the land colonialism.In a sense Crusoe attempts to replicate his society on the island. This is achieved through the use of European technology, agriculture and even a rudimentary political hierarchy. Several times in the novel Crusoe refers to himself as the 'king' of the island, whilst the captain describes him as the 'governor' to the mutineers. ―Atkins was the first man that laid hold of the Captain, when they first mutinied, and giving him injurious language. However, the Captain told him he must lay down his arms at discretion, and trustto the governor‘s mercy, by which he meant me; for they all called me governor.‖ (Defoe, 2008: 280) At the very end of the novel the island is explicitly referred to as a 'colony'. ―In this voyage I visited my new colony in the island,…‖(Defoe, 2008: 319).3.2.3 Colonialism Reflected on the Process of Cultivating FridayWith the rising of Britain Empire, British people were confident in their race and culture. (Chen Bin, 2006: 71) They believed that they were superior to ‗the other s‘. W hat Robinson Crusoe does to the savage—Friday is typically what colonists do to people in the colonies. After they conquer a place and turn it into a colony, they pay attention to economic and political colonialism. Once they finish colonialism from these two aspects, they would begin to colonize people in the colony culturally thus realize colonialism spiritually. The way Crusoe enslaves Friday is a miniature of the way European colonialists enslave people in the colonists.First of all, Robinson enslaved Friday culturally. Land colonialism is the first step colonialists do to realize their colonial dram. What they would do next is the culture colonialism. They would teach people in the colonies to learn their culture and to believe what they believe.The first thing Crusoe told Friday about him is ―Master‖ which showed the intention of Crusoe to change Friday into his loyal slave. As Daniel Defoe wrote in his novel Robinson Crusoe, ―…in a little time I began to speak to him, and teach him to speak to me; and first, I made him know his name should be Friday, which was the day I saved his life; I called him so for the memory of the time; I likewise taught him to say Master, and then let him know, that was to be my name;‖(Defoe, 2008: 216-217). Besides, Crusoe told Friday that his culture was underdeveloped as they did things like savages, such as eating prisoners after a fight. Crusoe made Friday accept his own food and the way he ate.Secondly, Crusoe cultivated Friday into a Christian within three years. ―The savage was now a good Christian, a much better than I; though I have reason to hope, and comforted restored penitents; we had here the word of god to read, and no farther off from his spirit to instruct, than if we had been in England.‖(Defoe, 2008: 231)Further more, technically, Crusoe taught Friday how to use tools to plant corns andhow to use a gun to shoot and hunt. With these technologies, Crusoe established his honorable and admirable impression in Friday‘s mind. At first, Friday was frightened by the gun. But later, he learned how to use it and was skilled in shooting.We cannot deny that Crusoe saved Friday‘s life. But Crusoe didn‘t release F riday from disaster but had him into another one: losing liberty and longing for relatives. Their lives never turned out to be easier when they change into the slaves of the westerners and Christians; instead, they are reduced to much worse conditions since the colonists never plan to bring bless to them but for their own interests. They were sheer merchants only concerning more about profits. When it turned to the history, we would found that the evil practices of slave deal were proved pretty well. In a word, Robinson Crusoe enslaves Friday spiritually with his gun, powder and The Bible.3.2.4 Slave Deals in Robinson CrusoeBesides the two slaves Robinson Crusoe had owned during the adventure, Xury and Friday, there is another colonialism reflected in the novel, the slave deals written in Robinson Crusoe.After the Captain saves Robinson Crusoe and Xury, Crusoe sold Xury to the Captain. This is a small and private trading of slaves. When Robinson Crusoe joined the expedition to bring slaves from Africa was actually what European colonists did.IV. Reflection of Colonialism Today and the Influences4.1 Reflection of Colonialism TodayAfter the Second World War, national independent movements in colonies and semi-colonies, thus destroy the colonial system of imperialism. Although, after the Second World War, colonialism ends with the development of the society, colonialism still exists in the mind of many Europeans. Empires, such as Britain used to be empires setting colonies in other countries, don‘t want to admit that their power in the colonies has been decreased. Although they cannot do what they did before and cannot do whatever they want to do, they try everything to hold their status in the countries where used to be colonies. Countries supporting colonial policy turn to use some indirect means to getcolonial profit.Politically, they believe that their policy is superior to the others. Particularly, they think their capitalism is superior to socialism. Militarily, they reach their military occupation by offering military ―help‖ with establishing military base, sending military troop and so on.Most important of all, as countries in the east are rising, westerners are concerning about it, and westerners think that their race and religion are superior to others. They have the sense that their culture is the core of all cultures. They do something necessary to keep their status in people‘s mind. It is reflected in many ways. If a product wants to go into the market in the west, it has to fit the cultural standards in their mind. In European movies, they always present the theme that European is the economic and cultural center of the world. The movies fit the value and the standard of the westerners rather than the easterners.4.2 The Influence of the ColonialismAs colonialism has exists in some countries for a long time, the colonies have been affected to some extent. In the history, the colonialists brought great pain and miser to the people in the colonies. People in the colonies suffered from losing their land and losing their own culture. As written in Robinson Crusoe, people in colonies also suffer from losing their own language. Some even lost their freedom such as the slaves from Africa.Besides the influence in the history, there are also some influences on people today. Here is a brief look at the influence of colonialism on people today. Politically, some empires still have the power to get involved in some countries which are used to be their colonies. Take Britain as an example, it still has the power to decide who would be the governor of a country in some certain countries, such as Australia. Economically, they are closely connected. Culturally, the colonies are greatly influenced. To some degree, people in the countries where used to be colonies admire the countries where used to be the countries of the colonists. People usually imitate what they do.V. ConclusionTo sum up, by analyzing colonialism in Robinson Crusoe, we know that Robinson Crusoe is not merely a simple adventure fiction but also a novel with colonialism in it and it is also a speaker of beautifying colonization and cultural colonization. Colonialism in Robinson Crusoe is reflected in many ways.Firstly, the colonialism is reflected in the novel as the identity changes in his adventure. Secondly, as Robinson Crusoe‘s life on the island proceeds, colonialism is reflected in the behavior and thoughts of him. Thirdly, colonialism can be seen between the master Crusoe and the servant Friday. Robinson Crusoe enslaves Friday both physically and culturally. Lastly, the evil doing of slave deals expose colonialism of that period.Most important of all, as analyzed above, colonialists mainly colonize people culturally. They enforce people in the colonies to believe what they believe, to speak the language they speak. They want to make people in the colonies to believe the same culture as they believe.Colonialism not only had influence in the history, but also has influence on people‘s way of thinking today. By analyzing and learning the colonialism through Daniel Defoe‘s great fiction, we can better know colonialism and to prevent the colonialism existing in our own country as well as in today‘s society. Especially nowadays, culture exchange and communication are prevailing. New colonialism tends to be culture colonization as globalization is popular. So, whether our country has been a colony or not, we should realize that we shouldn‘t maintain their dominant culture. We should keep the balance of absorbing the best and weed out the obsolete and worthless to strengthen our culture. Only by doing so can we prevent the influence of colonialism today.REFERENCES1. Defoe, Daniel. The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe. 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