Theory question 208
Other Set Texts: Non-African ProseLiterature 3, Section B. Daniel Defoe: Robinson Crusoe
Comment on the use of symbols in the novel.
Show the model answer
Model answer
The island: isolation and punishment, but also a place of self-discovery and Crusoe's 'kingdom' (colonial ownership).
The footprint in the sand: fear of the unknown and of other people.
The Bible: faith, conversion and providence.
The money found on the wreck: the uselessness of wealth on the island, yet Crusoe keeps it.
Friday: the 'native' colonised and converted by the European.
Crusoe's journal and calendar: order and reason imposed on nature.
Effect: the symbols carry the themes of survival, religion and colonialism.
Explanation
Explain what each symbol stands for.