takes
nature largely for granted. His island home provides everything he could possibly needthe
materials for constructing shelter, fresh water, and an abundant food supply. Nature is an
object for Crusoe; it has no existence in its own right; it is something to be controlled and
exploited for man's benefit. In this sense, Crusoe is very much a man of the Enlightenment.
Under the Enlightenment's prevailing philosophy, the natural world has been robbed of its
sacredness: it is no longer a space in which divine revelation occurs, and it is a resource
which man uses to satisfy his own worldly ends.
Crusoe's attitude changes
dramatically after a terrifying dream in which he is about to be attacked by what appears to be
an angel of death. The nightmare shakes him out of his complacency and arrogance, making him
realize that the bounties of nature of which he makes such prodigal use have been provided for
him by a benevolent, loving God and must never be taken for granted.
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