The Tale Of A Fateful Trip

8/11/2019 The Tale Of A Fateful Trip

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!ontents

Dedication 4

Ac0no5led(ements 6

Introduction 7

!hapter $ne:Robinson Crusoe 3

!hapter T5o:Friday 89

!hapter Three:Foe 41

!hapter Four: The Female American 63

!hapter Five: !onclusions 7

;or0s !ited 73

Appendi


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Dedication

To *im

;ithout you) this 5ouldn=t have been possible'>ou are my li(ht'

?"ell is other people'@

*ean-aul %artre)No Exit

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Ac0no5led(ements

Than0 you) ernie) *amie) and %am) for believin( I could do it'

Than0 you) +i0ey) %ean) *im) #ric) and %adie) for editorial assistance'

Than0 you) *oli) Amber) %hanie) #ric) Dave) *a0e) Tom) and %ara) for remindin( me 5hy'

Than0 you) *a0e) for remindin( me that the door 5as still there'

Than0 you) +om and Dad) for the first three years'

Than0 you) all of the above and more) for your love) support) trust) encoura(ement) patience)

and llamas'

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Introduction

;hile not the first story in the casta5ay (enre) Robinson Crusoe B8C89 is by far the

most famous8

' ;ithout doubt it is also the most successful) and unquestionably transformed

Daniel Defoe/s historical reputation from that of a barelymemorable pamphleteer to one of

the fathers of the #n(lish novel'

Crusoe5as a decided chan(e of direction for Defoe) as almost all of his attributed

5ritin(s before it 5ere political' These political 5ritin(s earned him a spell in Ne5(ate

-rison) as 5ell as time in the stoc0s' Indubitably inspired by the stories of reallife casta5ays

such as Ale


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on a (uess Defoe denied his involvement 5ith the novel for quite some time after its initial

publication' In #urope) the reaction 5as considerably more positive BNova0) Fisher


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"uman identity is ine


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%ome of !rusoe=s e


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others' efore they return) a ship) 5hose mutinous cre5 intends to abandon their captain)

comes to the island' !rusoe rescues the captain and reta0es the ship' "e then convinces the

captain of the 5isdom of mercy) and they leave three of the mutineers on the island) to tell

the %paniards 5hat has occurred and to attempt to form a proper colony on the island'

After t5enty ei(ht years) t5o months) and nineteen days) !rusoe leaves the island and

sails for #n(land ta0in( Friday 5ith him) to act as his manservant and body(uard'' "e

discovers that all of the family that he had 0no5n is dead) but several sisters and nieces or

nephe5s Bthe te


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decadent and rich livin() this lends further 5ei(ht to an ima(e of !rusoe/s father as

dissipated' Apart from these fe5 pa(es) 5e (et no idea of his childhood) or any other hint as

to 5hat forces molded him into the man 5ho 5ould eventually be able to cope 5ith bein(

marooned on the island for so lon('

In !rusoe/s description) his mother fares little better' Approachin( her at a time 5hen

she seemed Ea little pleasanter than ordinaryE BR!) he attempts to ma0e a case for 5hy he

should be allo5ed to ta0e to ship' "e is rebuffed and told that neither parent 5ill raise a hand

in blessin( for his attempted ne5 course in life' This is the last 5e hear of her until he

reports her death on his return to #n(land) t5entyei(ht years and hundreds of pa(es later'

The only other female character in the novel is the 5ido5 of one of his business

associates' %he is never even named) merely referred to by her current state in lifeshe has

no identity once her husband is dead' %he is a placeholder) a narrative device) never

spea0in(' ;e only e


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literally o5es his life to him in one 5ay or another' !rusoe could also 5ear the hat of

minister) but he is hi(hly distrustful of priests and their craft'

To contemporary sensibilities) one of !rusoe/s most disturbin( masculine roles is that

of master or slaveo5ner' *ohn arbaret reminds us that !rusoe/s hu(e store of supplies on

the unnamed) 5rec0ed ship 5as only available because the vessel 5as essentially a slaver

5ellstoc0ed since he 5as overseein( an e


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creatures can be his pro(eny) but as "a((erty points out) they nonetheless function as a

(hastly parody of the family he had left behind B38' The cats and do(s cannot spea0) and the

parrot is only capable of repeatin( 5hat he tells it' The do( is favored for its usefulness) and

5hen the cats breed themselves out of his ability to control them) he see0s to destroy them'

That he also requires the empty sho5 of po5er represented by ta0in( on the mantle of in(

is nothin( more than a sad e


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he disavo5s priestcraft) as distin(uished from piety) !rusoe feels a real responsibility for

Friday/s spiritual 5ellbein() and from a !hristian point of vie5 does the ri(ht thin( in

educatin( him about *esus' This 5ay) !rusoe can metaphorically claim credit for the

salvation of Friday/s soul) and also ta0e control in yet another realm of life on the island'

B"o5ever) !rusoe does deserve credit for bein( secure enou(h in his faith to not attempt to

convert the %paniard he rescues from the cannibals) despite his status as a -apist In

addition) as 5e shall see) !rusoe/s e


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escapin( from slavery) but that of this innocent boy) as 5ell' Mury/s Africanness accentuates

this by providin( !rusoe 5ith cultural) as 5ell as (ender) superiority'

!rusoe/s relationship 5ith Friday is frau(ht 5ith the lan(ua(e of male dominance and

submission' After !rusoe saves his life) Friday lies on the (round in front of !rusoe and

places the 5hite man/s foot upon his head' ;hen !rusoe teaches Friday #n(lish) one of the

first 5ords Friday learns is +aster) 5hich !rusoe teaches as the proper address for himself'

There is no indication that !rusoe 5ould ever let) or even consider lettin() Friday address

him by name' The use of names implies a ri(ht of address) and Friday) of course) has only

the ri(hts that !rusoe (ives him' %hortly thereafter) !rusoe demonstrates for Friday the

po5er of his firearmshe 0ills first a (oat and then a bird' The choice of bird is an

interestin( onerather than a ha50 or vulture Ba carnivore) !rusoe 0ills a 5ild parrot 5ith a

sin(le shot' This indicates to Friday that !rusoe is master of life and death over everythin(

on the island' A beautiful) inoffensive bird can be 0illed 5ith one movement of !rusoe/s

fin(er) and Friday had best not for(et it' In this version of the story) Friday is an able and

5illin( servant) and !rusoe bears the 5hite man/s burden 5ith ease' Friday never challen(es

!rusoe/s leadership) but al5ays attempts to help him) even en(a(in( a bear in combat after

their return to #urope' ;hile Friday possesses lan(ua(e) he never tal0s bac0 or questions his

master' "e is symbolically emasculated) not 5orthy of bein( a man' BLater) 5e 5ill see

more literal e


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po5erless or unable to truly e


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!hapter T5o:Friday

In contrast to Crusoe$ Tournier/sFridaybe(ins in media res) 5ith !rusoe already on a

vessel) in a stormtossed sea' "e is seated 5ith the captain of the ship as the captain reads his

future usin( a rather e


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stores) builds a home) dra5s a map) and realiHes that the shape of the island resembles that of

a headless female torso' Noticin( this shape) and reflectin( his attempts to build a life there)

he names it) EherE) %peranHaItalian for hope'' "e also 0eeps a ,ournal) 5here he records

his constant stru((le a(ainst the temptation to abandon his reason once a(ain and return to

the mire'

As time passes) he constructs more and more of the trappin(s of civiliHation)

includin( a museum of 5ei(hts and measures) and a charter and penal code for the island'

"e constructs a 5ater cloc0) 5hich becomes a deep si(nifier of the presence of a #uropean

mindset) of #uropean civiliHation) on the island' "e starts it and stops it as his needs

indicate) 5hen he must escape the constant pressures to remain EproperE and upri(ht) morally

and fi(uratively' After 5itnessin( a visitation by cannibals) he ta0es on the title of General as

5ell as Governor and builds fortifications'

!rusoe increasin(ly comes to see the island as overtly feminine) and cra5ls deep into

a cave) 5here he spends some time lost in the memory of his o5n mother' "e forces himself

from the cave) in lan(ua(e richly evocative of the emer(ence from the 5omb) only to find

that %peranHa/s heretoforerich bounty is dryin( upforced to nurture his mind and spirit) the

island cannot support his body' "e becomes determined to drain the s5amp that so occupied

his life for a time) both to use it as a source of food and to eliminate it as a temptation to

a(ain abandon his reason and his #uropean descent'

Noticin( the matin( habits of the creatures of the island) !rusoe becomes acutely

a5are of his o5n lac0 of a se


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on the penis by a spider' This ma0es him remember 5arnin(s a(ainst the EFrench sic0nessE

from his school days' "is ve(etable love can be no more'

"e completes his pro,ect of drainin( the s5amp to create rice paddies) and finds) in a

cleft in the hills) a ne5 sort of paradise' There he discovers patches of soft) pin0 (rass) and

be(ins to plo5 the earth 5ith his penis) so5in( his semen and ma0in( love to the island'

%peranHa has become his lover rather than his mother' In response) ho5ever) the plants that

had been (ro5in( in that place die) 5ith mandra0e roots sproutin( in their 5a0e'

;hile inscribin( an aphorism from 4oor Richard3s Almanacon a cliffside) !rusoe

notes another visit from the cannibals' This time he intervenes) and 5e meet the titular

Friday) 5hom !rusoe ta0es as a slave' "o5ever) the addition of a sub,ect to !rusoe/s

dominion does not ma0e for a happy Governor' Tournier/s Friday is an indolent servant)

prone to inappropriate lau(hter) and is not particularly interested in conversion to

!hristianity' "e steals clothes and puts them on cacti) fails to properly tend to the rice

paddies and) to !rusoe/s mountin( horror) apparently visits the mandra0e (rove) resultin( in

the emer(ence of several literally striped fruit'

Friday/s trans(ressions are briefly for(otten in a flurry of activity) and as a hobby

Friday adopts a fled(in( vulture) part of the floc0 that has shado5ed !rusoe since his first

day on the island' ;hen !rusoe catches Friday in the act of fornicatin( 5ith the island) he

beats the youth) until he turns to the ible for (uidance' There !rusoe finds passa(es 5hich

he interprets as indicatin( %peranHa is at fault for seducin( the Ne(ro) and feels remorse'

;hile snea0in( use of a pipe and !rusoe/s d5indlin( tobacco store) Friday

accidentally sets off an e


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idleness) 5ith Friday indul(in( in such pursuits as 5restlin( 5ith the island/s (oats and

craftin( bo5s and arro5s' Friday 0ills the oldest) lar(est) nastiest (oat) then he ma0es a 0ite

out of the s0in and head of the alpha buc0) and 0eeps it aloft for days at a time' "e also

constructs an Aeolian harp out of the (oat/s carcass'

$ver t5entyei(ht years after !rusoe/s initial ship5rec0) Friday spies a sail on the

horiHon' It is an #n(lish merchantman) landin( to ta0e on 5ater' !rusoe meets the ship/s

cre5 at the beach) and eventually boards the ship to return to #urope' "o5ever) he

reconsiders) and casts himself overboard to return to the island and live out the rest of his life

in solitude' !rusoe leaves Friday behind) since he seemed to immediately adapt to ship life)

and 5ould not miss the island' Opon reachin( shore) !rusoe discovers that the cabin boy) ill

suited to a life at sea) has ,oined him) and !rusoe dubs him %unday'

;hile the plot ofFriday is) in broad stro0es) very similar to that ofRobinson Crusoe)

in most other respects the novels could not be more different' Friday is steeped in

psycholo(y) althou(h not necessarily psycholo(ical realism' ;hile there are no actual

5omen present any5here in the tale) !rusoe does have a se< drive) albeit one 5ith unusual

outlets at times' !rusoe is not presented as a coherent 5hole) but a man 5ith doubts) 5ith

inner conflicts) 5ith drives that he cannot easily reconcile' "e has many inner tensions)

especially bet5een bestial) mindless nature and a more EciviliHedE mode of life' This conflict

is present from the openin( of the novel) 5hen the Dutch ship captain is referred to as

%ilenus' In Gree0 mytholo(y) %ilenus 5as a teacher) and the faithful companion of Dionysus'

This is of special note because %ilenus 5as supposed to have the (ift of prophecy) especially

5hile into


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contrasts 5ith the Apollonian desires !rusoe later feels for such social niceties as the rule of

la5) and social institutions such as the church and museums'

The lac0 of human feminine characters does not mean our story is 5ithout feminine

influences' The island itself) 5hich !rusoe dubs %peranHa) is shaped li0e a headless female

torso) seated) 5ith her le(s dra5n up Ein an attitude 5herein submission) fear) and simple

abandonment 5ere ine


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(ro5 no5here else' "e re(ards these plants as his children 5ith %peranHa) and is e


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!rusoe dra5s up a formal !harter) in his best clothin( on his 8)222th day on the island) usin(

the sea5ashed boo0s salva(ed from the 5rec0' "e dubs himself Governor) a loyal sub,ect

of in( Geor(e II) and establishes days of fastin( and rest) and restrictions on the use of

tobacco and) perhaps most interestin(ly) requires that all thou(hts be uttered aloud) so as to

not lose the 0nac0 of speech' This re(ulation most clearly sho5s !rusoe/s concern 5ith

losin( the fundamentals of civiliHation) not ,ust the (race notes' ;hile he 5allo5ed in the

mire) !rusoe had no speech) ,ust as he had no thou(ht' "e) for a time) abandoned everythin(

that made him civiliHed) that made him ;estern) and he is determined never to do so a(ain'

"is creation of the !harter sho5s his dedication to the maintenance of all that Fate) and by

e


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as it has no function' It is in the hottest part of the island) under the brutal tropical sun for

hours a day' As !rusoe remar0s in a (loss on the penal code) the ditch then becomes the

antithesis to the mire) althou(h the relationship is more subtle than that' oth are depressions

in the earth) both are associated 5ith 5ater) and both are fundamentally mindless' Ditch

di((in() or) even 5orse) ditch di((in( then refillin() is the classic busy5or0 or ma0e5or0

penalty' It serves no purpose other than punishment' As 5allo5in( in the mire represents the

bi((est abandonment of civiliHation possible) it deserves one of the 5orst possible

punishments'

The Time and +easures eeper is closely lin0ed to the La5ma0er' ;hile there are

no mentions of time or measurements in the !harter) it is another of !rusoe/s cornerstone

institutions' No direct description of the artifacts in the -avilion of ;ei(hts and +easures is

made) but the 5ater cloc0 is one of the most po5erful symbols in the novel' !rusoe creates

it) then maintains it in his residence' It acts as an indicator of 5hose influence is more

dominant in his life) Apollo or Dionysus' ;hen the cloc0 Eruns)E its steady drip is a ;estern

metronome) drivin( his life for5ard under a re(ular schedule' ;hen he stops it) this in effect

(ives him permission to put the strictures he places on himself aside for a short 5hile' It also

acts as a si(nifier for his attitudes to5ards the island' ;hen the cloc0 runs) !rusoe considers

the island his property) a place to be sub,u(ated) tamed) and made to be productive accordin(

to his definitions) needs) and schedules' "e is then a proper colonialist' ;hen the cloc0 is

silent) he thin0s of %peranHa as a partner) a lover) another entity 5ith thou(hts and feelin(s) to

be 5ooed and ca,oled) and loved' ;hen !rusoe stops the cloc0) Friday interprets this as a

si(nal that his re(ular 5or0 can be) has been) suspended) and that he is free to pursue his o5n

1


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aims' In fact) it is incomprehensible to Friday that he even could continue his re(ular duties

5ith the cloc0) the arbiter of civiliHation) silenced'

!rusoe/s thou(hts of himself as a farmer are very similar to those of Defoe/s !rusoe)

5ith the obvious e


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disruptive to5ards !rusoe) and so !rusoe attempts to inculcate proper !hristian values into

the Esava(eE in an attempt to rein in his behavior' Friday is the tar(et of sermons on Esin)

salvation) and hellfireE B868) but they do no (ood' "e continues in his blissful pa(an 5ays)

heedless of any hi(her po5er' In his o5n affairs) !rusoe does little better' ;hile he is able)

throu(h constant effort on his part) to avoid the temptations of the mire) there is little effort at

any serious spiritual development' "e is) at best) only a middlin( success as pastor'

This !rusoe/s role as +aster is a very studied contrast to Robinson Crusoe' In the

ori(inal novel) !rusoe simply acts as Friday/s master and o5ner) and never considers any

other possibility' It is part of the natural state of thin(s) as he is #uropean and Friday is not'

InFriday) !rusoe is still Friday/s +aster) at least in theory) but as befits a more modern novel

he is far more mindful of his actions' "e also e


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a turn of events laden 5ith irony) Friday ta0es control of events on the island' "e fi(hts 5ith

the island/s (oats) defeatin( the alpha buc0) and reduces his corpse to a pair of implements

a 0ite and an Aeolian harp' Their lives are even diver(ent for a time) 5ith each pursuin( his

o5n desires) until the arrival of the )hitebird) 5hich ta0es Friday a5ay from the island' In

this last phase of their relationship on the island) it is hard to say if Friday is the master) or if

he has simply) Emerely)E bro0en his bonds of servitude to !rusoe and become a man in his

o5n ri(ht) albeit one unreco(niHable to !rusoe/s #n(lish eyes'

!rusoe obviously never identifies himself as colonialist) only as a colonist'

Nevertheless) there are times 5hen he is more or less e


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that the soul she has) the 5ild) uncoloniHed) uneducated) un;esterniHed soul) is completely

unacceptable' To truly ma0e %peranHa his bride) !rusoe must ma0e her a lady'

Finally) !rusoe is an $utcast' ;hen the cre5 of the )hitebird comes) !rusoe is

over,oyed at the thou(ht of leavin( %peranHa) but quic0ly sours on their society) of ne5s of

the 5orld outside) of revolutions and battles and royalty) and of their times' "e did not

realiHe ho5 little he minded bein( left out of the march of history' !rusoe feels that %peranHa

has 0ept him youn() fit and hale) and that he is a better person for his time on the island than

he 5ould have been had he never set foot on its shores' Oltimately he should not) cannot)

leave the only true mate he 5ill ever 0no5' "e and Friday return to the island) but the ne


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landscapes alter as needed) to remind !rusoe of his successes and failures) especially the ruin

of theEscape) the canoe built too lar(e to ever reach the sea'

In this version of the story) 5e have very little idea as to !rusoe/s physical or

emotional health before he arrives on the island' ;e can only 5atch as he chan(es and

(ro5s) or devolves) in response to the pressures of the island' "e surmounts incredible

challen(es to survive) but is fundamentally unable to overcome his cultural bac0(round and

relate to %peranHa or Friday in a 5ay that isn/t se


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!hapter Three:Foe

In Foe) 5e once a(ain be(in in media res' $ur narrator) as yet unnamed) has been

ro5in( a boat and can do so no lon(er' #


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At a loss for any further ideas) %usan tries to manumit Friday) even thou(h she does

not consider him to be her slave) and so ta0es him to ristol' %he 5rites a document (rantin(

him his freedom) si(ns !rusoe/s name to it) and puts it in a pouch hun( around his nec0' At

the port) she attempts to put him on a ship bound for Africa) but 5hen she suspects that the

captain plans to sell Friday into slavery) she returns 5ith Friday to London' %he is unable to

bear the thou(ht of Friday bein( sold into the hands of another) crueler) master'

Finally) %usan finds Foe in his ne5 quarters) and (oes to him) pressin( for ans5ers'

Foe and %usan debate the proper structure of her story) the role of each character) elements

that may or may not need to be included in the story to ma0e it interestin(' %usan vi(orously

defends her ri(ht to tell her story as she e


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of) men' %usan has her o5n voice) but it is circumscribed by the men around her) as are the

roles she is allo5ed to occupy'

;e are also) in this novel) presented 5ith a stri0in(ly different portrait of life on the

island) as 5ell as a ne5 ta0e on !rusoe himself' !oetHee/s !rusoe is a hollo5) bro0en shell

of a man) 5ho achieves nothin( (reater than mere) mean survival' There are no tended

fields) no husbanded beasts) not a rice paddy or a hint of civiliHation in si(ht' The only tas0

he and Friday occupy themselves 5ith is the construction of a net5or0 of terraced fields) but

he does not have a thin( to plo5' The terraces are his posterity) the only tan(ible record he

5ill leave that he e


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maintain the fiction that the 5orld stopped ,ust beyond 5here the island meets the sea) and

that nothin( more or less e


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Friday/s persona in the novel is e


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rest of her life' The child 5ould be a shield a(ainst madness and isolation) as !rusoe/s death

5ould render her left in silence 5ith only Friday for company' %he also sleeps 5ith Foe)

tellin( Friday not to mind any noises they ma0e) as it is all to the (ood' In this case) her

motives are sli(htly more opaque' %he is not havin( se< 5ith Foe out of pity) but out of a

desire to increase his attachment to her) and consequently increase the chances that he 5ill

provide security for her and Friday'

%usan is the character in the novel 5ho 5ears the most mas0s) 5ho is forced to

occupy the (reatest number of psycholo(ical spaces' %he is an On5illin( !olonist) a Lover)

a +use) a !areta0er) an #mancipator) an #ducator) a +other) a fau< ;ife) a Narrator) and)

finally) the %ub,ect'

%usan never as0ed to be on the island any more than any incarnation of Robinson

!rusoe or other casta5ay that 5e have seen) but she appears to adapt to her situation very

badly' %he can find nothin( to do on the island) she can find no useful purpose' There is no

a(riculture) no husbandry) nothin( e


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the idea that if she bears a child it 5ill pull !rusoe out of his seemin(ly bottomless ennui and

spar0 an interest in life (oin( beyond rude survival' There is never any spar0 of interest

bet5een %usan and Friday) and doubtless she 5ould find the idea beyond ridiculous' %he is

propositioned once by the captain of the *ohn "obart) but he is a (entleman) and does not as0

a(ain 5hen she declines' There is never any real reference to the man 5ho) if not her

husband) 5as at least the father of her missin( dau(hter) but she is obviously not a blushin(

maiden by any stretch'

There is no overt se


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end) she cannot save himhe dies before reachin( #n(land) and is buried at sea bet5een the

unnamed island and #n(landa fittin( restin( place'

;hen carin( for Friday) %usan/s tas0 is much more difficult' ;hen not ill) !rusoe is

if not entirely sensible at least responsive and able to communicate' Friday cannot ma0e his

needs or 5ants 0no5n to her in any meanin(ful 5ay) and she has to (uess at 5hat may be

best for him' %he is able to provide for his material needs) but is utterly at a loss 5hen

attemptin( to teach him a trade or even offer him some 5ay to communicate' Any

enrichment of his inner life) as much as he could be said to have one) is impossible' "is

behavior as presented) and her inability to communicate 5ith him in any real 5ay) renders

him almost autistic) in modern terms'

%usan/s desire to emancipate Friday is entirely laudable) albeit mis(uided' Friday

hardly seems a5are that he is a slave much less does he ob,ect to this fact' ;hile it is

admirable to attempt to free Friday) if he 5ere not in someone/s service) 5hat 5ould he do

It is possible that should he be returned to the island) or another 5ilderness area) he mi(ht be

able to survive) but any5here in #n(land he 5ould most li0ely die or be forced into servitude

for someone else/s benefit' %he correctly intuits that the sailors she attempts to hire to return

Friday to Africa have less than honorable intentions) and so is forced to abandon her hopes of

sendin( Friday someplace more comprehensible to him' It is also possible that on some level

%usan 5ished to relieve herself of the burden of carin( for Friday) but she never e


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attempts to teach him to 5rite are) by the end of the novel) entirely in vain' "e learns to dra5

the shapes of the letters of the #n(lish alphabet) but apparently is incapable of the conceptual

leap that leads) in the end) to literacy' Foe attempts to teach Friday) but his efforts) too) (o

no5here' Friday/s inner 5orld 5ill forever remain closed off and inaccessible'

The path that first leads %usan to the island) then to the company of Foe) be(an as a

mother=s search for her dau(hter' %usan tells us that she set off to rescue her dau(hter) 5hom

she herself never directly names) 5hen she 5as 0idnapped by an #n(lishman and ta0en to the

Ne5 ;orld' After searchin( in ahia) a state in raHil) and findin( nothin() she attempted to

return to #n(land only to end up abandoned off the unnamed island' Later in the story) 5hen

the 5oman presents herself to %usan) claimin( to be her dau(hter) %usan does not reco(niHe

her and refuses to ac0no5led(e her as her offsprin(' The 5oman) 5ho claims her name is

also %usan arton) offers a bio(raphy that the elder %usan does not reco(niHe in any 5ay) and

even has physical features mar0edly different from her alle(ed mother/s' $bviously) one of

them is either severely mista0en or perhaps mentally ill' "o5ever) the youn(er %usan 5ill

not leave) and the elder 5ill not force her' They set up an odd 0ind of household 5ith Friday)

for a time' "o5ever) %usan cannot continue to tolerate the presence of this pseudodau(hter

and) ta0in( a pa(e from the fairy tales of 5ic0ed stepmothers) abandons her in a forest)

sendin( her a5ay to try to find her true family' $nce %usan has found Foe a(ain) the youn(er

arton appears there) perhaps at Foe=s invitation' %he brin(s 5ith her a 5oman she claims is

her nursemaid) Amy) 5ho vouches for her story' "o5ever) %usan does not reco(niHe Amy)

either' %he feels both of these 5omen are fools) but finally out of pity claims to reco(niHe

Eher dau(hter'@ Foe sits by and offers a nonsensical) to %usan) e


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Foe is a very dense) comple< novel) 5ith layers of meanin( and concern' %usan

arton) 5hile not the most sympathetic of characters) is obsessed 5ith ideas that all of us can

relate to J identity) the o5nership of her story and her body) and 5hat the future 5ill hold for

her' As befits a modern story) there are no certainties) and the lines bet5een reality and

fiction are blurred at best) if not completely none


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After about a month/s time) she falls ill 5ith a fever' Opon recoverin() she reads

more of the manuscript) then discovers that the hermita(e is actually part of a lar(e temple to

the %un God' The manuscript also details the yearly visits to the temple by natives livin( on

a nearby island' Onca e


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5ith her cousin under her spell) and forces the captain to sail for #urope 5ithout them' The

captain promises to return in about a year/s time) and 5hen he returns he 5ill erect a pole on

the island) so they 5ill 0no5 he is 5aitin( offshore'

Onca and her cousin return to the other island) and he relates the convoluted tale of

ho5 5ord of her abandonment reached her family in #n(land' In time) they marry and they

live in happiness 5ith the natives he ta0es over the tas0 of ministerin( to the Indians) 5ith

Onca as his helpmeet' The captain returns and ta0es her cousinPhusband to #n(land 5here he

settles their affairs before returnin( to the island to live out the rest of their days to(ether) in

harmony 5ith the ne5ly !hristianiHed Indians'

The Female Americanstands out amon( the novels revie5ed here on several fronts'

First) there is no !rusoe) no Friday) no a(riculture or animal husbandry' It is missin( all of

the usual trappin(s of the casta5ay tale as 5e have become familiar 5ith it' $ur casta5ay)

Onca #liHa ;in0field) is only alone on the island for a short time) and there is very little

5or0 that she must do for herself' Additionally) it is the first of these novels 5here race plays

any 0ind of distin(uishin( factor for the narrator'

Throu(hout the entire narrative) Onca has very little true a(ency' +ost of her actions

are in direct response to the actions of others) 5ith very little activity be(un entirely on her

o5n' %he travels bet5een #n(land and the Americas at the behest of her father) then is

abandoned on the island due to the perfidy of an unscrupulous sea captain) 5ho 5ishes her to

marry his son' ;hen she refuses) she is cast off' %he does not even need to provide thou(ht

or effort for her o5n food or shelter once on the islandthe hermit and his manuscript (ive

her a home and all the instruction she needs to survive' After the conversion of the Indians)

they feed her and provide her 5ith shelter' ;hen her cousin arrives) he ta0es over the tas0 of

72


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;or0s !ited

Austin) +ichael' E*estin( 5ith the Truth: Fi(ura) Trace) and the oundaries of Fiction in

Robinson Crusoeand its %equels'E The Eighteenth#Century Novel' 7 vols' Ne5 >or0:

A+% -ress) 122

arbaret) *ohn' E+essa(es In ottlesA !omparative Formal Approach to !asta5ay

Narratives'E In +aor0: The +odern Lan(ua(e Assoc' of America)1227

ell) Ian' "efoe3s Fiction' Diss' Oniversity !olle(e of ;ales) Aberyst5yth) 8937

!oatHee) *'+'Foe' Ne5 >or0: -en(uin oo0s) 893

DeFoe) Daniel' Robinson Crusoe' #d' +ichael %hina(el' Norton !ritical #dition' Ne5>or0: Norton)8996

"a((erty) Geor(e #' EThan0 God It/s Friday: The !onstruction of +asculinity inRobinsonCrusoe'E In +aor0: The +odern Lan(ua(e Assoc' of America)1227

uhlman) eely %usan' Transatlantic Travel and Cultural Exchange .n The Early ColonialEra( The 'ybrid American Female And 'er Ne/ )orld Colony' Diss' ;ashin(ton%tate O') 122'

+arshall) David' EFriday/s ;ritin( Lesson: Readin(Foe'E'istorical ,oundaries$ NarrativeForms( Essays 6n ,ritish Literature in the Long Eighteenth Century .n 'onor ofEverett 7immerman' !ranbury) N*: Oniversity of Dela5are -ress) 122C

Nova0) +aor0: The +odern Lan(ua(e Assoc' of America) 1227

E%el0ir0) Ale


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;in0field) Onca #liHa' The Female American' #d' +ichelle urnham' -eterborou(h)$ntario) !anada: roadvie5 Literary Te


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Robinson Crusoe and SonB8941Robinson Crusoe on !arsB896Lt& Robin Crusoe$ 1&S&N&B892illigan3s .slandB89689C!an FridayB89C7

Star Tre0 8oyagerB89971228Cast A/ayB1222SurvivorB1222presentLostB1226present

The Tale Of A Fateful Trip

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