鲁滨逊漂流记中的殖民主义.doc

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1、 AnAnalysisofColonial CultureinRobinsonCrusoeandItsReflectioninRealityI. IntroductionThe Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, a masterpiece of Daniel Defoe, is a pioneer ing English adventure fiction. It mainly tells us a story of the hero Robinson Crusoes adventure on the sea especially on a deserted isl

2、and all alone. After a few sails on the sea, he joins an expedition to bring slaves from Africa, but he is shipwrecked in a storm about forty miles out to sea on a deserted island. Robinson Crusoe struggles against hardship, privation, loneliness, and cannibals in his attempt to survive on the deser

3、ted island. Finally he succeeds in returning to his hometown England and becomes rich in the end.But according to the criticisms, The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe is a typical colonial literature. As Fang Min wrote in his thesis On The Colonial behaviors in The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, if we

4、analyze The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe under the post-colonialism, we could find that the fiction reflects the colonial culture in some ways (Fang, 2010). By exploring the colonial culture in The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, we can know the thoughts of people in that period and the forms of ear

5、ly colonialism and colonialism. In this thesis, the author would like to lead the readers to take a brief look at of the colonialism in The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, the influence of the colonialism on people today and the reflection of colonial thoughts today. The author will write it in the f

6、ollowing five parts.First of all, the author will give a brief introduction of The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, both the fiction and the author Daniel Defoe.Second, the author will give a brief introduction of colonialism and colonialism in The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe and how it is showed in

7、 the fiction.Third, the author will list and analyze the reflection of colonialism today.Fourth, the author will have a brief look at of the influence of colonialism both in the history and at present.Fifth, the author will come to a conclusion that we can know a little of colonialism in The Adventu

8、res of Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe.II. Brief Introduction of the Adventures of Robinson CrusoeRobinson Crusoe is a novel written by Daniel Defoe and was first published in 1719. The book is a fictional autobiography of the title charactera castaway who spends 28 years on a remote tropical island

9、 near Venezuela, encountering Native Americans, captives and mutineers before being rescued. He struggled on the island alone and finally was rescued and went back to England.2.1 Brief Introduction of Daniel DefoeDaniel Defoe (ca. 1659-1661 24 April 1731), born Daniel Foe, was an English writer, jou

10、rnalist, and pamphleteer, who gained fame for his novel Robinson Crusoe. Defoe is notable for being one of the earliest proponents of the novel, as he helped to popularize the form in Britain and is among the founders of the English novel. As a prolific and versatile writer, he wrote more than 500 b

11、ooks, pamphlets and journals on various topics (including politics, crime, religion, marriage, psychology and the supernatural). Here is a brief introduction of Daniel Defoes life and the motivation of writing Robinson Crusoe Defoes father was a City tradesman and member of the Butchers Company. Jam

12、es Foes stubborn Puritanism The Foes were Dissenters, Protestants who did not belong to the Anglican Church occasionally comes through Defoes writing. He studied at Charles Mortons Academy, London. Although his Nonconformist father intended him for the ministry, Defoe plunged into politics and trade

13、, travelling extensively in Europe. Throughout his life, Defoe also wrote about mercantile projects, but his business ventures failed and left him with large debts. But all his experience gave him the life material to complete his works, including his masterpiece Robinson Crusoe.Defoe was one of the

14、 first to write stories about believable characters in realistic situations using simple prose. He achieved literary immortality in April 1719 when he published Robinson Crusoe, a travelogue, which was based partly on the memoirs of voyagers and castaways, such as Alexander Selkirk, who spent on his

15、 island four years and four months.William Selkirk was the son of a Scottish tanner, who became the master of the Cinque Ports Galley, a privateering ship. Selkirk went to sea in 1704 under William Dampier and was put ashore at his own request (or according to some sources as a punishment of insubor

16、dination) on the island of Juan Fernandez in the Pacific, hundreds of miles off the coast of Chile. The island was uninhabited, and he survived there until his rescue in 1709 by Captain Woods Rogers. Selkirk claimed later positively that the experience had made him a better Christian. As a journalis

17、t, Defoe must have heard his story and possibly interviewed him.The account of a shipwrecked sailor was a comment both on the human need for civilized society and the equally powerful necessity for individual freedom. But it also offered a dream of building a private kingdom, a self-made Utopia, and

18、 being completely self-sufficient, without any political, social or religious constraints. So it became famous among English and the Europe.2.2 Brief Introduction of Robinson CrusoeAlthough commonly referred to as simply Robinson Crusoe, the books complete, original title as it appears on the title

19、page of the first edition is The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe.Pictorial map of Crusoes island, called Island of Despair, shows many incidents.Crusoe (the family name corrupted from the German name Kreutznaer or Kreutznr) set sail on a sea voyage in August 1651, against t

20、he wishes of his parents, who want him to stay at home and pursue a career, possibly in law. After a tumultuous journey that saw his ship wrecked in a storm, his lust for the sea remained so strong that he set out to sea again. The journey ended in disaster as the ship was taken over by Sal pirates

21、and Crusoe became the slave of a Moor. After two years of slavery, he managed to escape in a boat with a boy named Xury; later, Crusoe was rescued and befriended by the Captain of a Portuguese ship off the west coast of Africa. The ship went to Brazil. There, with the help of the captain, Crusoe bec

22、ame the owner of a plantation.Years later, he joined an expedition to bring slaves from Africa but he was shipwrecked in a storm about forty miles out to sea on an island (which he called the Island of Despair) near the mouth of the Orinoco river on September 30, 1659. Surviving alone with three ani

23、mals, he struggled to survive and feed himself. He had lived on the deserted island alone for twenty-eight years before he discovered natives.Years later, he discovered native cannibals who occasionally visited the island to kill and eat prisoners. At first he planed to kill them for committing an a

24、bomination but later realized that he had no right to do so as the cannibals did not knowingly commit a crime. He dreamed of obtaining one or two servants by freeing some prisoners. When they came again to kill and eat the prisoners, a prisoner managed to escape; Crusoe helped him and freed him from

25、 being eaten. Then Crusoe named his new companion Friday after the day of the week he appeared. Crusoe then taught him English and converted him to Christianity.After another party of natives arrived to partake in a cannibal feast, Crusoe and Friday managed to kill most of the natives and saved two

26、of the prisoners. One was Fridays father and the other was a Spaniard, who informed Crusoe that there were other Spaniards shipwrecked on the mainland. A plan was devised wherein the Spaniard would return with Fridays father to the mainland and brought back the others, built a ship and sailed to a S

27、panish port.Before the Spaniards returned, an English ship appeared; mutineers had taken control of the ship and intended to maroon their former captain on the island. Crusoe and the ships captain stroke a deal in which he helped the captain and the loyal sailors retook the ship from the mutineers,

28、whereupon they intended to leave the worst of the mutineers on the island. Before they left for England, Crusoe showed the former mutineers how he lived on the island and states that there would be more men coming. Crusoe left the island on December 19, 1686 and arrived in England on June 11, 1687.

29、He learned that his family believed him dead and there was nothing in his fathers will for him. Crusoe departed for Lisbon to reclaim the profits of his estate in Brazil, which had granted him a large amount of wealth. In conclusion, he took his wealth overland to England to avoid traveling at sea.

30、Friday came with him and along the way they endured one last adventure together as they fought off hundreds of famished wolves while crossing the Pyrenees.III. ColonialisminRobinsonCrusoeAs novelist James Joyce noted that the true symbol of the British conquest is Robinson Crusoe: He is the true pro

31、totype of the British colonist. The whole Anglo-Saxon spirit is in Crusoe: the manly independence, the unconscious cruelty, the persistence, the slow yet efficient intelligence, the sexual apathy, the calculating taciturnity.3.1 Brief Introduction of Colonialism3.1.1 Definition of Colonialism What i

32、s colonialism? It refers to a kind of invasion policy that a greater power takes some military, political and economic measures to occupy, collocate and exploit other weak and little countries, nationalities and districts which are falling behind other countries so that they can make them colonies o

33、r semi-colonies.3.1.2 Brief Introduction of Different Forms of ColonialismAs Chen Lan wrote in the thesis Robinson Crusoe and Post-colonialism, “European colonialism began when Colombia found American continent in 1492. Traditionally, people see Colombia as a national hero from the European colonial

34、ists stand. But since 1990s, more and more scholars in the west have seen the negative aspects of Colombias voyages from the point of the Indians. They think that Colombia and European colonialists bring destruction to the American Indians.”(Chen Lan, 2004) So Colombia is a colonialist in the eyes o

35、f post-colonialism instead of a national hero.In different periods, the forms of colonialism change. During the period of original capital accumulation, most of the colonists use violent measures towards the target countries, such as occupation with arms, immigration overseas, plundering like pirate

36、s, cheated trade, trade of slaves and so on. During the period of free capitalism, mainly by “free trade”, the colonists turn underdeveloped countries nationalities and districts into their own markets, origination of materials, investment location, and origination of cheap labors.During the period

37、of imperialism, apart from the measures above, capital output becomes the main means of exploiting.After the Second World War, national independent movements in colonies and semi-colonies begin to sour. Many Asian and African countries become independent, thus destroy the colonial system of imperial

38、ism. Countries supporting colonial policy turn to use some indirect means to protect and get colonial profit. Politically, on the one hand, they permit and admit the independence of colonies and semi-colonies. On the other hand, they control those countries by training agents. Economically, they con

39、trol those countries economy thus exploit them by offering “help” with some extra loans under harsh items, unfair trades and organizing international corporations. Politically, they reach their military occupation by offering military “help” with establishing military base, sending military troop an

40、d so on. These are new colonialism.3.2 Colonialism in Robinson CrusoeIn many ways, Robinson Crusoe has the similar experience with Colombia and has the features of early colonialists. Actually, there are many signs in Robinson Crusoe. Crusoe sailed to other places on a ship. He joined the expedition

41、 to bring slaves from Africa. He also ran his farm. After he saved Friday, Crusoe enslaved him. He had a strong feeling of owning the island he stayed alone for twenty-eight years. He felt that he was the king of the deserted island. Thus, the novel Robinson Crusoe reveals some colonialism for us to

42、 get to know the work and the colonialism better. Some brief analyses of colonialism in Robinson Crusoe will be done from the following aspects. First of all, the novel shows colonialism by creating Robinson Crusoe with the adventures and the changing of his identity. Second, the colonialism is show

43、ed in the process of the exploration of the deserted island and the relationship between the island and himself. Third, colonialism can be seen during the process that Crusoe cultivates Friday after he saves him. Last but not least, the trade of slaves from Africa shows us the evil side of coloniali

44、sm.3.2.1 Colonialism Reflected With the Change of the IdentityCrusoe was born in a well-being family in England. But as he says, ”I would be satisfied with nothing but go to Sea, and my inclination to this led me so strongly against the Will, nay the Commands of my Father, and against all the Entrea

45、ties and persuasions of my Mother and other Friends, that there seemed to be something fatal in propension of Nature”(Defoe, 2008: 5). He had the passion to take adventure on the sea as many other colonists had. This is the first and foremost common spirit early colonists share. Finally, Crusoe made

46、 the decision to disobey his parents will and went to the sea. However, he became a slave of Moors and after about two years later, he managed to escape with Xury who was enslaved to Crusoe under the threat of being thrown into the sea. He promised Xury that he would take him. But after they were sa

47、ved on the sea, Crusoe sold Xury to the Captain who saved them. This is what colonists usually do and makes Crusoe a colonist to some extent. After a few years, he begins to run his plantation in Lisbon, and of course, he is the owner. Surviving alone after the shipwreck on the expedition to bring s

48、laves from Africa, Crusoe began to live on the island by himself. He made himself somewhere to hide. He hunted and later he trained and fed goats, drinking their milk. He cultivated the land and grew corns. He also dried some grapes to eat. He lived on the island for thirty years. He saw the whole i

49、sland as his own property. After twenty-eight years of living on the island alone, Crusoe saved a prisoner from being eaten by Cannibals and made him a slave of him and named the prisoner “Friday”. He became the master of Friday. A few years later, he, along with Friday, saved a captain of a ship and got the ship back. Everyone on the ship except the traitors expected him and listened to his order after they got their ship again. Finally, he ende