The Relationship Between Robinson Crusoe and Friday (Review) Essays

The Relationship Between Robinson Crusoe and Friday (Review) Essays The Relationship Between Robinson Crusoe and Friday (Review) Essay The Relationship Between Robinson Crusoe and Friday (Review) Essay Name: David Wang Student No: 0919112022 Class : B Date : Oct 28th,2011 Submitted to: Miss Li Lin The relationship between Robinson Crusoe and Friday The relationship between Robinson Crusoe and Friday has been examined eagerly yet diversely by a number of critics, especially in recent times. Some say their relationship certainly seems to be like brothers, who go through thick and thin together; Some other comment that Crusoe and Friday have a similar relationship to that of a father and son. Despite of all that’s been mentioned above, I have been given, as many others have been given, the impression that Crusoe is the Master and that Friday is merely the servant who is to serve his Master for as long as he lives. This mater-servant perspective of relationship is stated over and over in the novel, for example, I [Crusoe] made him know his Name should be Friday †¦ I likewise taught him to say Master, and then let him know, that was to be my Name Friday, who is merely a servant, is never told about Crusoe’s real name, which manifests a certain hierarchy system, i. e. Crusoe is the master and relatively he is â€Å"higher† than Friday, who willingly serves Crusoe. During that era, slaves were named by their colonial masters and this picture is painted out well in the novel when Crusoe names Friday â€Å"Friday†, without considering what his actual name might be. Friday, regardless to this, takes this relationship well, though it’s just, ironically, a master-servant one and he actually welcomes and embraces it in a heavenly thankful manner and displays this affection to the relationship so well that Crusoe takes it as a submission to servitude as it is narrated â€Å" he knelt down again, kissed the Ground, and laid his Head upon the Ground, and taking me by the Foot, set my Foot upon his Head; this it seems was in token of swearing to be my Slave forever; this half of the sentence brings forth a strong manifestation of Friday yielding to â€Å"eternal slavery†, but the â€Å"external loyalty† to Friday himself and Crusoe, for the sake of being rescued by his forever master, Crusoe. When Friday’s evident submission is displayed, the first few thoughts that come to Crusoe’s mind, as Crusoe’s first reaction, were not negative: I took him up, and made much of him, and encouragd him all I could †¦ h e spoke some Words to me, and though I could not understand them, yet I thought they were pleasant to hear However, how Crusoe reacted may be due to his merely wanting to have another human companion with him and to relieve him of the many years in solitude: for they were the first sound of a Mans Voice, that I had heard, my own excepted, for above Twenty Five Years. After Crusoe makes sure that all the other savages are dead, takes Friday under his wing: I carried him not to my Castle, but quite away to my Cave, on the farther Part of the Island He feared drastically of being attacked during the night he was sleeping quarters away from Friday: I made a little Tent for him in the vacant Place between my two Fortifications †¦ I barred it up in the Night, taking in my Ladders too, so that Friday could no way come at me in the inside of my innermost Wall, without making so much Noise in getting over, that it must needs waken me It is extremely easily noticeable that Crusoe does no t fully trust Friday, having a similarity to the situation with the applying of a gun. At first, Cursoe prevail on Friday to believe that the gun is â€Å"some wonderful Fund of Death and Destruction†; this brings Friday acting very cautiously around the gun: As for the Gun itself, he would not so much as touch it for several Days after; but would speak to it, and talk to it, †¦ which, as I afterwards learnt of him, was to desire it not to kill him. This shows how â€Å"fully† (slightly) the master trusts his loyal servant, which often results in any master-servant relationship. But, still, there is a difference in this relationship where Cruse often gives positive comments about Friday while the reverse is everywhere: a comely handsome Fellow, perfectly well made; with straight strong Limbs †¦ tall and well-shaped †¦ He had a very good Countenance, not a fierce and surly Aspect; but seemed to have something very manly in his Face. To its readers’ surprise, Crusoe keeps on talking about Friday, but in a way that attempts to convince the reader that Friday is not what he is thought of, not a typical black person at the time. A majority of the black population is owned permanently and treated adversely by their European masters. South African then were regarded as if they were dirt or a species lower than animals. Cursoe tries to bring people to believe that Friday is not from that black population and is therefore trying to give a lift to Friday’s level in the hierarchy of people. he had all the Sweetness and Softness of an European à ¢â‚¬ ¦ His Hair was long and black, not curld like Wool †¦ The Colour of his Skin was not quite black, but very tawny; and yet not of an ugly yellow nauseous tawny, as the Brazilians, and Virginians, and other Natives of America are; but of a bright kind of a dun olive Colour †¦ his Nose small, not flat like the Negroes †¦ Teeth well set, and white as Ivory. All the evidences that have been gone through above are what I have picked from pages 203 to 213; through all these pages, Crusoe and Friday build their relationship with each other, supporting my view that Crusoe and Friday have a relationship where the master concerns about the only servant he has while slightly dominating the servant at the same time.