The relationship between Robinson Crusoe and Friday in Robinson Crusoe

Robinson Crusoe is the best novel of Daniel Defoe. This novel is considered a milestone in the history of English literature. It is one of the first few novels of English literature. The noble does not have too many characters. It tells the story of Robinson Crusoe who lives alone in an island for a long time. The other character that attracts readers’ attention in the novel was Friday. The relationship between Friday and Robinson Crusoe is one of the key aspects of the novel hence making it very important. 

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Robinson Crusoe lived in England. He belonged to a lower race. Friday was brought by his enemies on that island. They would have killed him and ate his flesh. Robinson Crusoe saved Friday from those people. After that, Friday became Crusoe’s loyal servant. Throughout the novel, the master-slave or master-servant relation was dominant. 

Like his contemporaries, Daniel Defoe believed that the Europeans were the superior race. The non-white people do not have the capability to rule themselves. It is the duty of the European to turn these people into slave and civilize them. 

In this novel, we see that Robinson Crusoe civilizes Friday. He tells him that he cannot eat human flesh. Because of Crusoe’s education, Friday converts to Christianity. In the end, we see Friday desperately tries to become a European instead of following his own religion. In this manner, Crusoe turns Friday into a true European servant. However, European society never accepted him as one of their own. 

Robinson Crusoe considered himself as superior. He ordered Friday to address him as master. From the day they met till the end of the novel Friday addressed him as “Master.” Not by any other name. 

In the beginning of the novel, we can see that Robinson Crusoe disobeyed his father and goes out for a voyage at the sea. That voyage destroyed his life. Friday was like a son to Crusoe. On the contrary, Robinson Crusoe was like a father to him. However, Crusoe’s ideal about European supremacy never changed. He always considered himself better than Friday. He could never become a true father but remained Friday’s master all his life. In the end, Crusoe becomes lonely. However, Crusoe was never cruel to Friday. He was very gentle with him and tried to win his heart and mind through his gentleness. 

Robinson Crusoe was written at a time when the English did not see much success in establishing their colonies around the world. However, they competed with other European nations such as Portugal and Spain to establish colonies in Asia and America. Crusoe gives us a glimpse of how the colonies of the English would be in the coming years.