1。1。2 Defoe’s Religious View Embodied in the Novel

    A reviewer for the Dublin University Magazine called the book "a great religious poem, showing that God is found where men are absent"。 (1856) Woolf gave us a new analysis view, namely, to analysis from the author’s perspective。 She pointed out that “our first task… is to master his perspective… Until we know the novelist orders his world, the ornaments of that world, which the critics press upon us”。 (Virginia Woolf, 2009) She thought there are three perspectives of Defoe in the novel that God, man and nature。 Depicting the character from these three perspectives reflects Defoe’s religious view, which is based on the biblical doctrine and can be concluded in two aspects: fall and redemption。 

    Firstly, the broken relationship between man and God, man and man as well as man and nature shows human’s fall。 At the beginning of the novel, the secular youth wasn’t committed himself to God。 He was unwilling to obey his parents and even run away from home。 At that time, all he wanted to do was only to go to sea, which he thought could fulfill his soul。 But actually, he was always in the state of drifting。 

    Secondly, only man turn back to God and receive the redemption by faith, can he get free from drifting。 The plot, the first time Robinson prayed to God, is considered as a climax of the whole story by Wang Yi。 The following text is excerpted from the novel: “…whenever they come to a true sense of things, they will find deliverance from sin a much greater blessing than deliverance from affliction”。 (Daniel Defoe, 2012) Robinson casted away in an isolated island, his belief, but his heart and his soul returned to God。 Turning back to God includes three states: stay, leave and come back。 They are also the progress of Robinson’s returning。

1。2 Significance of This Study

This thesis will make a deep analysis on Robinson’s drifting and returning from Christian perspective through studying the development of religion in Britain at 17th century and Defoe’s view on religion in that background。 Thus, this study mainly has two aspects of meaning: the aspect of the text and the aspect of the religion。 First, combining this study with Robinson Crusoe shaped by Defoe will help readers to better understand the author’s original intention of the text。 Defoe once said in the preface of this book, “to justify and honor the wisdom of Providence in all the variety of our circumstances。”(Daniel Defoe, 2008) Also, readers can get more information about religion from interpreting the metaphors in the novel。 Second, it also can be a way for someone who wants to know Christianity that reading and analyzing some related novels。

1。3 Structure of This Study

 The thesis consists of five parts:

 Chapter one is to provide a brief introduction to Daniel Defoe and the Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, significance, general structure of the thesis。

 Chapter two is the summarization of the related research on the Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe both at home and abroad, and previous studies of Defoe’s religious background。 Based on the examination of the above mentioned previous studies, present study of Robinson Crusoe’s drifting and returning from religious perspective is necessary。

 Chapter three and four are detailed interpretation of Robinson Crusoe’s drifting and returning。 The definition of “drifting” and “returning” will be given at first in these two chapters。

 In chapter three, according to the definition of “drifting”, from literal meaning and religious meaning these two aspects, the examples of Robinson’s “drifting” will be listed and analyzed in text。