from Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, 1719; p 924-947

    For my final excerpt in this anthology, I draw from one of the earliest English novels and one that was based on William Selkirk’s inhabitance on the island of Juan Fernandez for four years upon being stranded. In this tale, we follow the journey of sailor Robinson Crusoe and his life stranded on an island for 28 years! Although it can be said that this tale teaches us the importance of pursuing passions and the dangers of defying norms, I was particularly drawn to the religious references. Throughout, Crusoe can be seen questioning God’s purpose for him: has he been saved or damned? He goes back and forth on this question as on the one hand, he is stranded on an island all alone, but on the other hand, it could be way worse and he is still alive. We see Crusoe praying constantly, and I found this inspirational. The excerpt below followed a pros and cons list Crusoe made about his situation. He reminds us that even in the darkest of times, it is up to us to stay positive and to find the blessings in our lives:

      “Upon the whole, here was an undoubted testimony that there was scarce any condition in the world so miserable, but there was something negative or something positive to be thankful for in it; and let this stand as a direction from the experience of the most miserable of all conditions in this world: that we may always find in it something to comfort ourselves from, and to set, in the description of good and evil, on the credit side of the account.” (p 937)