Student Question
Does the protagonist's lack of personal emotion limit the value of Robinson Crusoe as a novel?
Quick answer:
The protagonist's lack of personal emotion in Robinson Crusoe may enhance rather than limit the novel's value. Crusoe's stoic and matter-of-fact storytelling invites readers to consider their own survival skills and personal growth in similar circumstances. His focus on events and learning from mistakes appeals to reason rather than emotion, transforming the narrative into an adventure and self-improvement tale, which arguably increases its value.
Actually, the lack of emotional expression from the title character in Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe may actually enhance the novel rather than hinder it, for Crusoe presents a stoicism that makes readers wonder how they would survive if they found themselves in like circumstances.
Crusoe takes a matter-of-fact tone as he presents his tale to readers in the first person. He explains each event as it happens, in full detail and with a calm acceptance. Crusoe admits his mistakes and misfortunes and bad decisions, but he does not spend much time lamenting over them. He is more concerned about what happened because of them and how he grew as a person through them. His purpose is not to touch his reader's emotions and make them feel sorry for him but rather to appeal to their reason and implicitly encourage them to learn from their own misadventures.
Think about how the novel would have been different if Crusoe had discussed his personal emotions in detail. It may have turned into a horror story or a maudlin tale of woe. But because of Crusoe's reasonable tone, it becomes a tale of adventure and personal growth, and this makes it more valuable as a novel.
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