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Robinson Crusoe - Major Characters (3_major_characters.doc)

Robinson Crusoe - Major Characters

Robinson Crusoe: The novel’s main protagonist. Crusoe begins the novel as a young middle-class man in York in search of a career. He father recommends the law, but Crusoe yearns for a life at sea, and his subsequent rebellion and decision to become a merchant is the starting point for the whole adventure that follows. His vague but recurring feelings of guilt over his disobedience color the first part of the first half of the story and show us how deep Crusoe’s religious fear is. Crusoe is steady and plodding in everything he does, and his perseverance ensures his survival through storms, enslavement and yeras of  isolation alone on an island.

Crusoe appreciates Friday much more than he would a mere servant. Crusoe does not seem to value intimacy with humans much, but he does say that he loves Friday, which is a remarkable disclosure. „...Jsi můj jediný, upřimný a anjlepší přítel....“ (pg.235) It is the only time Crusoe makes such an admission in the novel, since he never expresses love for his family.

Friday:  A twenty-six-year-old Caribbean native who converts to Protestantism under Crusoe’s tutelage. Friday becomes Crusoe’s servant after Crusoe saves his life when Friday is about to be eaten by other cannibals. Friday never appears to resist or resent his new servitude, and he may sincerely view it as appropriate compensation for having his life saved. But after a time spent with Crusoe there are also some deep feelings for him.             „Až (otec) zemře , bude Pátek sám. Bude plakat po tobě, Robinsone. Vezmi Pátka s sebou! Chci být s tebou, Robinsone!“ (pg. 235)

The fact that an Englishman confesses more love for an illiterate Caribbean ex-cannibal than for his own family suggests the appeal of Friday’s personality. Crusoe may bring Friday Christianity and clothing, but Friday brings Crusoe emotional warmth and a vitality of spirit that Crusoe’s own European heart lacks.