Reason in Robinson Crusoe

Natasha Mehta

Final Research Proposal

ENG 364

Reason in Robinson Crusoe

For my final research project, I am going to focus on the displays, and lack thereof, of reason and objectivity in Robinson Crusoe. A major theme of this novel is Crusoe’s tendency to act against the voice of reason, which is represented mainly as his father and religion. A lot of Crusoe’s idea of reason comes from religion and he believes going against his father is his original sin, and this leads to him judging his own actions based on his religious beliefs and is displayed through his repentance throughout the novel. This is the basis of his reason, which he does not always act in favor of, thus eventually causing repentance when he is hallucinating and sees the angelic figure saying, “Seeing all these things have not brought thee to repentance, now thou shalt die.”

Robinson Crusoe wonders about the basis of his actions by reason throughout the novel. In the beginning, his father discusses his will to leave, as Crusoe describes, “He asked me what reasons, more than a mere wandering inclination, I had for leaving father’s house and my native country, where I might be well introduced, and had a prospect of raising my fortune by application and industry, with a life of ease and pleasure” (Defoe, 5). Here, his father is clearly showing all very rational reasons for him to stay, yet Robinson still wants to leave. This is an example of him going against reason, which I will compare and contrast with examples of him acting in reasonable ways, and how this affects him and the story.