Or, Consider Robinson Crusoe as a story of sin punishment and repentance.

Answer: Sin punishment, repentance, and reconciliation go to make important themes of Robinson Crusoe. They are the themes in the last plays of Shakespeare, Cymbeline, The Winter’s Tale, and The Tempest. In these last plays of Shakespeare, we see the culprits committing sin, suffering punishment, repenting, and then getting reconciled. Defoe seems to have been inspired by the romances of Shakespeare. Robinson commits the sin of disobeying the mandate of his father and the dictates of God, meets the misfortunes on the sea and the island, which he regards as his due punishment, repents for having done wrong, and then ultimately gets reconciled to his afflictions bestowed upon him by providence. Let us now study and examine these themes which overlap.

Robinson is foolishly and obstinately inclined to wander abroad and to see the whole world on a ship. His parents entreat him not to leave them lonely by wandering away. His father says that if he disobeys him, he would not cease to pray for him but if he goes away for the sea-faring life without seeking his consent and the blessing of God, God will not bless him. But ignoring all the persuasions and the entreaties of his parents Robinson runs away to London, thus committing sin both against God and the parents. He does not consult either his father or mother. Nor does he send them the word. He leaves them without asking for their and God’s blessings. As soon as the ship begins to move, the storm rages furiously and the sea rises mountain high in a frightful manner. Robinson thinks that he is overtaken by the judgment of God for his wickedly leaving his home, and leaving his parents in tears in tears. The ship is about to wreck. Robinson is terrified. He makes many vows. He swears that if it pleases God to spare his life, he will return home and will never set foot on the ship. But as the weather improves and there is calm around, he forgets all his vows is a bowl of wine. When he reaches London, he thinks of going back home, but the sin of hubris overtakes him. He tears that if she returns home, his neighbors will laugh at his failure. Thus he commits the sin of disobedience and hubris.

When he sails for Guinea for the second time he is taken prisoner by the Moorish pirates. Whenever he suffers afflictions he reflects and concludes that he is overtaken by Nemesis. It is his pride that leads to further adventures and further sorrows. His father’s prophecy comes true when he is rendered from a merchant to a miserable slave. His sin has brought him misery without relief and redemption.

He has already committed the sin of pride and disobedience. And now when he is flourishing in Brazil he commits another sin. He abandons the middle station of life and adheres to the obstinate foolish wandering inclination. He commits the sin of pursuing a rash and immoderate desire of rising faster than the nature of things permits. He aspires to grow wealthy overnight. Thus he becomes the willful agent of his own miseries.

He breaks his father’s counsel once again. He cannot read and train his rambling design. He regards his casting away on the desolate island as the consequence of his sin. He thinks that he has forfeited his right of lodging a complaint because of his sin. He reflects:

Time and again he recollects his sins of disobedience, pride, and immoderate desire. He regards the hot desire to get rich fast as the general plague. He thinks that most of the miseries flow not being satisfied with the station wherein God and Nature had placed them. God had placed Robinson in his plantation business. But Robinson committed the sin of challenging of the will God. He regards his “Opposition to the excellent advice of his father as Original sin.” He thinks that Providence had seated him in Brazil and with confined desires, he would have been the most considerable planter.”

Robinson regards his affliction as due punishment for his sin When the ship bound for London is beaten by the turbulent waves and his life is in danger, he thinks that he is overtaken by the judgment of Heaven. He realizes what taste heaven has given him for what he is expected if he persists in his foolish adventure against the mandate of his father and the will of God. When he becomes a miserable slave at Sallee, he looks back upon his father’s prophecy. He thinks that heaven has overtaken him and he is undone without redemption. When he is cast upon the desolate island, he feels that he has been punished for his sin:

“I has great reason to consider it as a determination of Heaven, that in this desolate place and in this desolate manner I should end my life.”

He regards himself as the author of his own woe because he disregarded his father’s advice for embracing the middle station of life. Now he is the willful agent of all his miseries. Again and again, the same story is repeated. Again and again, he recollects his father’s advice, admonition, and prophecy. He says:

He feels that he has offended God, and therefore God has the right to condemn him to whatever punishment. He thinks fit. He considers it a duty to bear his indignation because he has sinned against Him.

When he is punished he thinks first of his sin and then of repentance. Now when he suffers the severest affliction of utter wilderness and loneliness, he rues the day when he disobeyed his father. Now that he is cast upon a horrible island, singled out from the entire world, and divided from mankind he feels repentant for committing the original sin. He regards himself as worse than the Prodigal Son because he did not return to his father, unlike the latter. He now repents that he disobeyed his father and rejected the voice of Providence. He reflects:

The feeling of his guilt breaks upon him like a storm, making him wring his hands. And then he weeps like a child. He repents not only for his original sin but also for leaving the plantation business. Had he confined himself to Brazil he would have flourished and would not have suffered loneliness.

Robinson regards his affliction as due punishment for his sin When the ship bound for London is beaten by the turbulent waves and his life is in danger, he thinks that he is overtaken by the judgment of Heaven. He realizes what taste heaven has given him for what he is expected if he persists in his foolish adventure against the mandate of his father and the will of God. When he becomes a miserable slave at Sallee, he looks back upon his father’s prophecy. He thinks that heaven has overtaken him and he is undone without redemption. When he is cast upon the desolate island, he feels that he has been punished for his sin:

He regards himself as the author of his own woe because he disregarded his father’s advice for embracing the middle station of life. Now he is the willful agent of all his miseries. Again and again, the same story is repeated. Again and again, he recollects his father’s advice, admonition, and prophecy. He says:

He feels that he has offended God, and therefore God has the right to condemn him to whatever punishment. He thinks fit. He considers it a duty to bear his indignation because he has sinned against Him.

When he is punished he thinks first of his sin and then of repentance. Now when he suffers the severest affliction of utter wilderness and loneliness, he rues the day when he disobeyed his father. Now that he is cast upon a horrible island, singled out from the entire world, and divided from mankind he feels repentant for committing the original sin. He regards himself as worse than the Prodigal Son because he did not return to his father, unlike the latter. He now repents that he disobeyed his father and rejected the voice of Providence. He reflects:

“I found my heart deeply and sincerely affected with the wickedness of my past life…..All the things have not brought thee to repentance.”

The feeling of his guilt breaks upon him like a storm, making him wring his hands. And then he weeps like a child. He repents not only for his original sin but also for leaving the plantation business. Had he confined himself to Brazil he would have flourished and would not have suffered loneliness.

He has wept the rears of repentance on the wild and desolate island. He has also reconciled himself to his fate, his afflictions bestowed upon him by God as a punishment for his sin. He rather feels that his punishment is less in proportion to his sin because he has been blessed with daily food and all other things of life. He, therefore, feels thankful to God. His grief now sits lighter upon his heart. He rejoices that he was even brought to this place which has redeemed him. Here he feels no lust of eye and flesh and no pride. the most dreadful of all the afflictions which have befallen him have awakened his conscience. The place of despair has become the place of ecstasy. The paradise lost is now the paradise regained. He feels this because he realizes that he has been allowed by God to repent and then his repentance has been allowed by God to repent and then God has accepted his repentance. He is not only a penitent but also a restored penitent. He, therefore, speaks of “the redemption of man by the Saviour the world…..of the Gospel reached from heaven, namely, of repentance towards God.”

Let us now bind all these threads. Robinson commits the original sin suffers, and as a consequence, punishment repents, is forgiven, and reconciled to Providence. God has forgiven him and blessed him with daily food. This implies that his repentance has been accepted. This happens when he resigns himself to His will. The stern Providence relents and smiles in His bountifulness and magnanimity, and the forgiven heart of Robinson is grateful to his Saviour.