Robinson Crusoe
A review by Ekwueme Somtochukwu Michael
Chapter 1
This chapter starts off with our introduction to the novel persona who narrates, in first person, his family background, introducing the readers to his father, mother, and two elder brothers, the first of whom is deceased.
From this introduction, we notice the pre-dominance of English as a language as well as its place in the civilization of the time, particularly where the persona makes reference to the conversion of his family name from Kreutznaer to Crusoe and his deceased brother’s position as lieutenant-colonel of the English regiment of foot in Flanders.
The persona proceeds to engage us with a situation involving him and his parents, one which pertains to his desire to voyage and travel abroad. We see that in discourse with his father, the idea is dismissed and in the discourse that follows, the philosophies of social strata take centre stage. The persona describes his father’s leaning towards a life of simplicity and his seeming complacency with middle class living. The disparity we are faced with at this time is exemplified in the discourse between the persona and his father. He urges the persona to desist from the “calamities” of the bourgeoisie and proletariats. Towards the end of this discourse, the persona narrates how his father sobers into a sorrowful state while recounting among other things, the sorrow that befell the family upon the death of the persona’s elder brother (earlier mentioned). The persona describes this moment in the discourse as “prophetic”. This discourse seems to have an effect on the persona’s resolve to leave for some time, after which he proceeds to beseech his mother with his aspirations. The response is the same and his mother reproaches him for still harbouring said aspirations after the discourse with his father. The persona notes that when his mother reports the discourse to his father, he further condemns the idea.
A year passes and the persona gathers enough courage and finds the opportunity to voyage, during which time he adamantly refuses all proposals regarding settling into business. The persona narrates how when he visits Hull, a place he usually frequents, his companion makes him aware of his setting sail to London on his father’s ship and proceeds to urge the persona to join them in their seafaring journey, promising to settle the costs. Note that prior to this time, we are given no proper account of the time in which this is set nor a certain location. The persona gives an account of the date he sets forth on voyage to London. The date is the 1st of September 1651. The persona narrates how upon setting sail from an estuary in north-eastern England known as the Humber, the wind began to blow and the sea rose in a frightful manner. This, the persona narrates, makes him recall his earlier oversight in discourse with his parents, recounting in agony their admonishments. The situation worsens and the persona narrates being deeply taken aback by the frightful sea. We are again reminded that the persona is a young sailor, only having been at sea a few hours, hence his deep trepidation. The storm continues into the night and carries on till the next day with the persona in sober and reflective dread.
The next day, the storm clears off and the seas become calm. The persona narrates his cheerfulness and awe at the wonder of the sea, once trepid and now calm. At this point, the persona’s companion approaches him and chides him for his fearfulness of what is merely “nothing at all”. One thing to note is that during this conversation, the companion refers to the novel persona as ‘Bob’. The companion then invites Bob to make some punch which he obliges. Bob narrates later getting half-drunk off the punch. On the sixth day of the voyage, Bob narrates how the men, on coming to Yarmouth Roads, were obliged to anchor their ship and rest along with other shippers from Newcastle.
Complacency on the part of the crewmen resulted in failure to apprehend the dangers of the sea that awaited Bob and the crew. This can significantly be likened to the infamous saying, “the calm before the storm”. Bob narrates how the sea went very high at noon and the master of the ship opted to ride with two anchors ahead and the cables veered out to the deeper end. At this time, the storm becomes terrible and the crewmen become distraught. Bob notices the master’s silent terror when he (the master) says, “Lord be merciful to us, we shall be all lost, we shall be all undone”.
Across the sea, some other ships are also in dismay and the crewmen cry out that a ship in front has foundered. Bob’s terror is heightened by the frightful sight of the sea, which he describes as running mountain high and breaking upon them every three or four minutes. After consultation with the master, the mate and the boatswain, the crew agreed to cut the fore-mast and finally, the main-mast.
Bob being but a young sailor and having never visited the sea in voyage nor seen the sea in a such a frightful tempest, is utterly overwhelmed. As the storm continues, Bob narrates how the older seamen acknowledge that they have never seen a worse storm than the present one. During this time, a lot of the seamen cry out that the ship, being deep laden and wallowed in the sea would no doubt founder. Interestingly, the persona (Bob) is oblivious to the meaning of the word founder at this time. Bob notes also, how the master of the ship, the boatswain and a few members of the crew who he describes as ‘sensible’ at their prayers. This is a most unusual occurrence, Bob notes.
Later that night, Bob narrates how one of the crewmen, having gone down to the depths to observe the condition of the ship, returns with the most ominous account that the ship has sprung a leak. This account terrifies Bob who sits in his cabin awaiting his imminent demise. At this time, crewmembers are called upon to labour at the pumps, in removing the water. Bob is bestirred and spurred to join the men at the pumps and he obliges, noting that he joins very heartily in the labour. The master of the ship notices a light collier close by and signals the crew to fire a signal of distress. Bob perceives this as a signal indicating that the ship has broken down and something dreadful was imminent. He is greatly stricken and falls down in a swoon but due to the pre-occupation of everyone with their own desperate struggles, no one pays him any attention save one crewman who pushes him aside in order to assist at the pumps. Some time goes by before he recovers from his delirious state. Despite the labour of the crew, it becomes evident that the ship will founder before getting to an emergency port. The master of the ship frantically intensifies his efforts at signalling passing ships and soon a light ship sees them and sends a boat out to help. After much difficulty, the boat reaches their ship and all members of the crew are soon on the boat. Then, almost unanimously, the master and the crew decide to head for the shore rather than the light ship, he (the master) promising that if the boat reaches shore safely, he will repay the light ship master’s favour. Hence, the boat, bearing Bob and the rest of the crew, went away northward, almost as far as Winterton Ness.
Bob then narrates how not much more than a quarter of an hour later, he and the other crewmembers see their ship sink. Bob describes his heart as dead from fright and horror from the time he left the ship. He barely looks up when he is told of the ship’s foundering. As they near the shore, Bob notices people running along the strand in a bid to help them when they would draw near. These efforts prove rather passivist as they do not near the shore until they were past the lighthouse at Winterton nearing the westward fall of the shore towards Cromer. Upon reaching shore, he narrates how the men, him included, walk on foot to Yarmouth where he mentions that they were treated with humanity by the magistrates of the town and merchants in cash and in kind. Bob describes how at this time, rather than let his fear drive him back to London where he had been admonished against the voyage, he decides to go further in his seafaring adventures. In this description, he highlights his urgings for seafaring as an ill fate driving him to destruction by his own hands. He narrates how his friend who had earlier chided him when they left London had become reserved and melancholic, with a slightly altered voice. This man informs his father of Bob and his seafaring ambitions to which the man, turning to Bob admonishes him to take the recent events as a visible token against his becoming a seafaring sailor. When Bob in turn asks to know the reason for this reproachful advice, citing the man’s profession as a seafarer, the man explains that he is a sailor and therefore bound by duty to be at sea as opposed to Bob who ventured on the unfortunate voyage as a trial. He (the man) likens their travails to the Biblical story of Jonah, blaming the persona in a rather suggestive manner for the unfortunate events. He interrogates Bob on his reasons for venturing out to sea to which the latter narrates the events earlier accounted in this chapter. Upon hearing this, the man, moved with passion, states that he will never set foot in the same ship with Bob again not even for a thousand pounds and gravely admonishes him (Bob) afterwards to go back to his father or risk tempting Providence. Another interesting note here is the manner in which providence is personified as though a deity of chance and fated destiny. He (the man) adds that should Bob decide against heeding his father’s admonishments which were espoused by him (the man), he will be met with disasters and disappointments in fulfilment of his father’s words. Bob narrates how, engaging this man little or no further, they part ways. Bob returns to London by land but still faces the question of heeding reason and returning home or heeding ‘ill fate’ and venture out into the sea again. After some thought, Bob decides against the idea of going home, seeing as in the manner of an inexperienced youth and having acted out of his wits, his return would be met with some form of shame. He then spirals into a thought discourse in which he reflects on the irrational common temper of man, particularly youths, in making hasty and sometimes debilitating decisions which are judged by reasonable people as being foolish, and failing afterwards to heed reason and return home, such as is his (Bob’s) case. He remains in this reflective state for a short time unsure what his next action(s) should be. During this time, his reluctance to go home remains until at last, forgetting his early misfortunes, he looks out for a voyage.
