Robinson Crusoe Was Real(ly Stubborn)
There are some story archetypes that stand the test of time. You only need to dim the lights, hand me a tub of popcorn and plop me down in front of a good prison escape or road trip film and I’ll be happier than a lazy cat in the hot sun. It doesn’t matter that the characters will be played out, or the story beats more predictable than the alphabet, some story templates are simply so enjoyable it doesn’t matter.
Shipwreck stories are just one such classic archetype that bring audiences in year after year, and one of the most influential is the 1719 classic Robinson Crusoe.
Telling a thrilling tale of one man fighting hunger, the elements and eventually cannibals on a desert island, its release was a landmark moment in the development of English literature, serving as the inspiration for modern stories like Lord of the Flies, Cast Away and countless others.
Will the Real Crusoe Please Stand Up?
So Robinson Crusoe was a pretty darn good adventure story, but that isn’t all it was. There remains a little-known biographical component to the centuries-old tale of survival and adventure.
Mr Crusoe was based on a real person, a Scotsman named Alexander Selkirk (also known as Selcraig). The book’s author, Daniel Defoe, was enamoured by the man’s story, and his own fictional tale bears striking resemblance to the challenges Selkirk weathered on his voyages in the early 1700s. Let’s have a look at the man himself; he certainly lived a life worth remembering.
Born in 1676, Selkirk grew up eerily similar to Crusoe — cocksure, antagonised by his father and with a thirst for seafaring adventure. Records exist of him fighting with friends and family; arguing with everyone and…um, fornicating at the worst of times.
His mother saw greatness in him, looking past the misbehaviour and seeing a soul that was destined to venture out to sea.
His father probably wasn’t so affectionate, particularly considering the younger Selkirk’s refusal to work in the family tannery.
The Expedition of a Lifetime
Fed up of life in Scotland, and with a minor seafaring expedition or two under his belt, Selkirk joined famed pirate, explorer and privateer (funny how those titles often overlap) William Dampier on a voyage to South America in 1703.
Now Selkirk was well and truly living the rum-drinking, shanty-singing pirate lifestyle in style. Did I say “in style” there? I take that back: it very much was not a stylish way to exist, unless your idea of stylish involves stale ocean rations, cramped living quarters and a proximity to bodily fluids that would make a surgeon gag.
Needless to say, the expedition was going exceedingly poorly. By the time early 1704 came around, the ship was beset with infighting, disease and even the death of its captain. Even with all the looting and plundering there was to enjoy, the crew wanted respite, and Selkirk did too.
Not helping matters was the fact that the new captain, a gentleman named Thomas Stradling, was reviled among the crew; our Selkirk didn’t love the guy either.
Thankfully, they found sanctuary on a small, idyllic island west of Chile. It was just what the crew needed to avoid complete ruin, some good old R&R. Not so thankfully, that same ruin came creeping in again more or less immediately after they departed to continue their expedition. So, with their sails between their legs, they made a hasty retreat back to the safety of the island.
Cue one more much-needed period of R&R and Captain Stradling reckoned they were good to set off again.
This time, however, Selkirk wanted no part of it. He refused to embark on what he thought was a doomed voyage, and he urged his remaining crew-mates to join him in rebellion. It seems they weren’t feeling so rebellious, though, and Selkirk was left alone on the island with nothing but basic tools and provisions to keep him company.
Just Survivin’
What would you do in a situation like this? Pivot into a full blown Gear Grylls survival mode, gathering resources and building the foundations for your newly-chosen desert island life? Nah, me neither. I’d probably spend at least two whole days in the foetal position before pulling myself together, venturing into the nearest cave and breaking my ankle on an uneven rock. Luckily for Selkirk, he was made of hardier stuff than you or I, surviving for over four years on the island before his ultimate rescue.
Alright, it may be a little inaccurate to describe Selkirk’s response as an instant transformation into a true-born survivalist. For the first few months of his exile, the hotheaded navigator was utterly devoid of hope and constantly hungry. Four days seemed like a stretch for his survival, let alone four years. Fortified by stories of others who had survived periods of years on the same island, Selkirk eventually mustered the courage to get surviving, and that’s exactly what he did.
He learned to catch, prepare and cook the fish that swam aplenty around the island; he domesticated cats to ward off the bitey rats that swarmed at night; he grew skilled at traversing the island’s terrain deftly, developing thick calluses on his feet from the tough rocks and rough woods; he hid to avoid the patrolling Spanish ships that, should they find him, would have tortured and enslaved him. Eventually, Selkirk grew to like life on the island. It cleared his mind, gave him a singular purpose and presented him with nobody to argue with. Still, when his time wasn’t being swallowed up by the pursuit of survival, Selkirk watched the waves. He wanted rescue above all else. At least, he thought he did…
Off the Island, Into Misery
When, in February 1709, Selkirk’s salvation came in the form of Woodes Rogers, another famed privateer of the time (also a slave trader and later the First Royal Governor of the Bahamas), he couldn’t have known that he was about to abandon the happiest period of his life.
Upon rescue on Woodes’s ship The Duke, Selkirk joined the crew for two years of fighting and robbing the Spanish, after which he returned to London. At first, he relished his newfound lifestyle as a celebrity, a survivor who bested the odds and returned home with a head full of stories and well-accomplished hands. Before long, he returned to a state of irritability and aggression that his friends and family would have recognised in his younger years. Selkirk craved the peace and solitude of his island, and he withdrew from public life.
Around the late 1710s, Daniel Defoe took an interest in Selkirk’s story, writing Robinson Crusoe, immortalising Selkirk and changing the face of English literature forever. The book was published in 1719, and it seems no coincidence that Selkirk took the final step towards abandoning ‘typical’ life just a year later.
The Final Chapter
In 1720, Selkirk signed up to join the crew of a pirate-hunting warship, unable to stomach the life he craved all those years on the island. Unfortunately, the nature of ocean faring travel in that era was fraught with danger. Just like the expedition that saw Selkirk alone on his island for years, this new ship was riddled with disease and danger.
Dozens died; among them was Selkirk. He was was 45 when he passed away, likely frail and vomiting from yellow fever.
The sailor’s body may have been thrown overboard just off the coast of West Africa, but his story, or at least DeFoe’s inspired take of it, has never stopped travelling the world. Robinson Crusoe became a touchstone of English literature and a lasting piece of pop culture in its own right. In 1885, over 150 years after his death, Selkirk’s birthplace of Lower Lago, in Scotland, paid tribute to him. Unveiled by Lord and Lady Aberdeen, the statue still stands today. More recently in 1966, clearly not wanting to miss out on that sweet, sweet tourism potential, the Chilean president renamed the two main islands where Selkirk was stranded. One was named ‘Alexander Selkirk’, the other ‘Robinson Crusoe’.
Not a bad legacy for an irate pirate with a chip on his shoulder. And if nothing else, he’s proved to us all today that it is possible to run away from the modern world and survive on a deserted island. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to sharpen my multi-tool and figure out what sandals work best with my loincloth.