Open Access
American Research Journal of English and Literature
ISSN (Online): 2378-9026
DOI: 10.46568/arjel
The Role of God in Robinson Crusoe and Day
Abstract
Faith in God has always been an extensively explored issue in English literary works, and this is particularly evident in
Robinson Crusoe and Day. Many scholars hold the view that Robinson Crusoe is a deeply orthodox, unambiguous account
of the hero’s spiritual journey toward faith and trust in God. However, few scholars focus on the analysis of religious
exclusiveness in Robinson Crusoe, which is a rejection of other nations or cultures.Although the rejection was mentioned by
some scholars such as McInelly (2003) from the aspect of colonialism, it was seldom analyzed from a religious point of view.
In the eyes of Robinson Crusoe, a Christian, God is the supreme representative of justice and civilization, so he persuades
Friday to give up his original belief and adopt correct notions of Christian doctrine. In his opinion, people who believe in
Christ are civilized and educated, while others are ignorant and backward, thus cannibals who do not submit should be
killed. A similar misfortune befell the“inferior barbaric” Jews, whose sorrowsare shown in Elie Wiesel’s Day, a book that
describes the life of Jewish people who survived the Holocaust.As John T. Pawlikowski stated that traditional preaching
and teaching in the churches constituted an indispensable seedbed for the success of the Nazi effort (Pawlikowski, 1988),
the role religious elements played in the massacre should be figured out.Therefore, this paper aims to explore the role of
God in Robinson Crusoe and Day from three aspects, faith in God, the exclusiveness of belief, and doubt of God.
