Robinson Crusoe Emergence of the modern self

In the novel Robinson Crusoe, Defoe illustrates the contradictions that drench the thoughts and actions of man as he strives to reach for God while also forced to face the realization that he must ensure his own safety in the world. Defoe uses Crusoe’s journey on the canoe to exemplify how Crusoe lives in a world where he longs to please and obey God but must also contend with his instinct, which looks to …

…show that Crusoe lives in a world inflicted with contradictions, many of which he does not even know exist. In a one-sentence paragraph, Defoe illustrates this conflict between living life according to the Bible and giving into instinct. Through his reference to the fall of man, he shows that man’s nature is like Crusoe, whose quest for knowledge and ingratitude for what God provides leads to punishment, which eventually leads man back to God.