The Portland daily press., 1875-08-06
An Analysis Of Robinson Crusoe.

1t would, indeed, be easy to show that the
story, though in one sense marvelously like
truth, is singularly wanting as psychological
study. Friday is no real savage, bnt a good
E0glish servant without plush. He says
"muchee" and "speakee," but he becomes
at once a civilized being, and in his first con
versaton puzzles Crusoe terribly by that
awkward theological question, why God did
not kill the devil-ior Enthusiastically
enough, Crusoe's first lesson includes little
instruction upon the enemy of mankind. He
found, however, that it was mot so easy to
imprint right notions in Fridays mind about
the devil as it was about the being of God"
This is comparatively trifie: but Crusoe him
self is all but Impossible. Steele, indeed,
gives an account of Selkirk, from which be
infers that "this plain mans story is memo
rable example that he is happiest who confines
his wants to natural nece essi.ies;" but the facts
do not warrant this pet doctrine of an old-fash-
ioned school, Selkirk's state of mind may be
inferred from two or three facts. He had
almost forgotten to talk; he had learned to
catch goats by running on foot, and he had
acquired the exceedingly difficult art of maxi
ing fire by rubbing two sticks. In other words,
bis whole mind was absorbed in providing
few physical necessities, and he was rapidly
becoming a sayage-for a man who can't
speak and car make fire is very. near the
auSbTdlidus we may luIeT, PAOuduiO
from other cases, that man living fifteen
years by himself, like Crusce, would either go
mad or sink into the semi savage state. Do
Foe really describes man in prison, not in
solitary confinement. We should not be so
pedantic as to call for accuracy in such mat
ters: but the difference between the fiction
and what we believe would have been the
reality is significant De Foe, even in Rob
ins on Crusoe, gives very inadequate picture
of the mental tormenss to which his hero is
exposed. He is frightened by a parrot call
ing him by name, and by the strange, pictur-
esque incident of the footmsrk on the sand;
but, on the whole, he takes his imprison-
ment with perternatural stoldity. His stay
on the island produces the same state
of mind as might be due to a dull Sunday in
Scotland. For this reason-the want OF
power in describing emotion as compared with
the amazing power OF describing faets-"Kob-
inson Crusoe" book for boys rather than
men. and, as Lamb says, for the kitchen
rather than for higher circles. 1t falls short
of any high intellectual interest When we
leave the striking situation and get TO the
second part. with the Spaniards and Will At.
kins talking natural theology to his wife, ii
sinks to the level of the secondary stories
But for people who are not too proud to take
| a rather low order of amusement Robinson
Crusoe' will always be one OF the most charm
ing of books. We have the romantic and ad-
venturous incidents upon which the most un-
| fiinching realism can be set to work without
| danger of vulgarity. Here is precisely the
story suited to De Foes strength and weak
| ness. He is forced to be artistic IN spite OF
| himself. He cannot lose the thread or the
narrative and break it into disjointed frag-
ments, for the limits of the island confine him
| as well as his hero. He cannot tire rs with
details, for all the details Of such story are
| interesting; it is made up of petty incidents,
as much as the life of prisoner reduced to
tanning flies, or making saws out Of penknives.
The island does as we'll as the Bastile for max
ing trifles valuable to the sufferer and to us.
The facts tell the story themselves without
any demand for romantic power to press them
home to us; and the efforts to give an sir OF
authenticity to the story, which sometimes
makes us smile, and sometimes rather bores us
in other novels, are all to the purpose; for
there is real point in putting such story
in the mouth of the sufferer, and in giving Us
for the time an illusory belief in his reality.
1t is one of the exceptional cases in which the
poetioal aspect of a position is brought out best
by the most prosaic accuracy of detail; and we
imagine that Robinson Crusoe's island, with
all his small household torments, will always
be more impressive than the more gorgeously
colored island of Enoch Arden.-Hours IN a
Librdry.-LeStie Stephen.