There are so many different opinions of what is important in a man’s life. Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe describes the faith of an optimistic, self-reliant man using his intelligence to survive. From the various scenes in the novel, Crusoe stands out to be so celebrated by the readers for displaying courage, perseverance, and intelligence to survive. One such scene is the escape scene, where he rescues a man named Xury and himself from being held against their own will and put into slavery. It was a dangerous decision to make, but his determination to be free steered him to make a move. Crusoe is a courageous man who draws on reserves of bravery to survive the harsh forces of nature and fate.
Reading through the scene between pages 19-22, one gets to appreciate the bravery of this man. Crusoe was born and raised in a middle-class family, and it is safe to say that he lived an easy life. It amazes readers how a man who has never fought with anyone gains the courage to throw someone off the boat. The pirate’s captain, who kept him as a personal slave, never imagined how intelligent he could be to think of freedom. Defoe uses this scene as an opportunity to put a smile on the reader’s face by displaying the high-level intelligence and courage that Crusoe shows. While planning all these in his mind, he puts his calculations right and positions himself at a point behind the captain (Defoe 21). Crusoe is not only intelligent and brave but calculates well and also moves. He stays calm when he makes a move and puts his freedom ahead of the life of this captain, something that anyone in that state would do.
Navigating through this scene makes many readers appreciate the human nature of Crusoe. He is a naturally born intelligent person who desires to achieve; therefore, escaping from slavery was expected of him. However, before this scene, no reader could predict that his escape could come from throwing a man into the water. Being a slave implies experiencing the worst of life, and when one gets an opportunity to escape, he/she does so without hesitation. Readers celebrate his desire and calculated move to escape slavery, but more so congratulate him for saving one more slave with him. He shows skills in handling the gun when he points it at the captain; he doesn’t want to kill the captain after pushing him into the water but directs him to swim to the shore (Defoe 21). This shows that he doesn’t have any ill motives against the captain but only does this to free himself from slavery.
In conclusion, Daniel Defoe presents Robinson Crusoe as a brave hero who conducts his bravery and ingenuity to survive. The escape scene in chapter 3 displays Crusoe as a courageous and intelligent man who calculates his moves well to escape slavery. Many readers navigating through this chapter wonder how a man can be born with a positive attitude about life. Crusoe finds himself in a position that no one would want to be in, but his optimism pushes him toward deciding to escape. Even though the plan is risky, it works for him, and he gains more courage about a better life ahead. One can only conclude that he drew his plan well before the scene. This scene argues for Robinson Crusoe as a celebrated courageous, and intelligent man.
Work Cited
Defoe, Daniel. Robinson Crusoe. RP Books & Audio, 2008.