Defoe is
particularly interesting in his tracing of 's moral development over his long stay on the
island. Crusoe starts out an unbeliever, but as he survives against all the odds on the deserted
island he comes to see the hand of providence in his life.
At first, he
leaves on his shipboard adventure without telling his parents. He starts off on the wrong
foot:
without asking God's Blessing, or my Father's,
without any Consideration of Circumstances or Consequences and in an ill Hour, God
knows.
His involvement in the shipwreck, by implication,
is his punishment for heading out recklessly on his own. In fact, his father had warned him of
such consequences.
Once on the island, Crusoe keeps a journal and, being
alone, has plenty of time to reflect on what has happened to him and to engage in
self-examination and examination of conscience, both important aspects of Protestantism. At
first, he blames God for his situation. He expects to die soon and wonders what sense it
makes...
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