The document presents a comparative character analysis of Robinson Crusoe and Cruso from their respective novels by Daniel Defoe and J.M. Coetzee, highlighting the differences in their portrayals and thematic significance. While Crusoe exhibits qualities of a colonialist hero, claiming and exploiting the island's resources, Cruso represents a postcolonial perspective, focusing on themes of distortion and silencing of colonized voices. The analysis emphasizes how each character reflects their historical and narrative contexts, with Crusoe embodying imperialist ideals and Cruso critiquing them.

1. “Cruso” vs. “Crusoe”: A
Comparative
Character Analysis
Paper 203: Postcolonial-Studies
Presented at:- Smt. Sujata Binoy Gardi,
Department of English, MKBU, Bhavnagar

2. Personal Information
● Presented by:- Pooja Anilbhai Bhuva
● Enrollment Number:- 4069206420220005
● Email:- poojabhuva2002@gmail.com
● Batch:- 2022 - 2024 (M.A. Sem 3)
● Date:- 18 October, 2023
● Subject Code:- 22408
● Roll Number:- 15 Pooja Bhuva

3. ● John Maxwell Coetzee
● 9 February, 1940
● Nobel Prize - 2003 for Literature (Pienaar)
● Booker Prize - 1999 for ‘Disgrace’ (Pienaar)
● South African - Nobel laureate
● ‘Foe’, ‘The Childhood of Jesus’, ‘The Schooldays of Jesus’,
‘The Death of Jesus’, ‘Diary of a Bad Year’, ‘Disgrace’, etc.
● Daniel Defoe
● 1660 - 1731
● Novelist, Journalist and Pamphleteer
● ‘Robinson Crusoe’
● ‘Moll Flanders’
● ‘Roxana’, etc.
● Movement: Realism (Mutter)
About the Authors

4. ● Robinson Crusoe
● Writer: Daniel Defoe
● Published : 25 April, 1719
● Main Characters: Robinson Crusoe, Friday & Xury
● Colonial Novel
● Follows the story and adventure of male character Robinson Crusoe
(Defoe)
● Foe
● Writer: J. M. Coetzee
● Published: 1986
● Main Characters: Susan Barton, Friday, Cruso & Foe
● Post-Colonial Novel
● Follows the story of female character Susan Barton and experience of
her adventure (Coetzee)
About the Novels

5. Crusoe in ‘Robinson Crusoe’
● Crusoe is a Protagonist of the novel and his adventure is the main idea
discussed in it.
● He is curious, resourceful, and determined, which are qualities that
serve him well during his trials on the deserted island.
● The central event of the novel occurs when Crusoe is shipwrecked on a
deserted island off the coast of South America.
● He is the sole survivor of the shipwreck and is left stranded on the island,
where he spends some of the years of his life.
● Crusoe's time on the island forces him to become self-reliant and he
learns to build shelter, make tools, hunt, and cultivate crops.

6. Cruso in ‘Foe’
● Cruso in this novel is more like a minor character than Crusoe.
● Similar to Robinson Crusoe, Cruso is a survivor of a shipwreck.
● Unlike the detailed background provided for Robinson Crusoe in Defoe's
work, Cruso's past is shrouded in mystery.
● The novel does not provide a clear account of his life before the
shipwreck.
● In "Foe," Cruso's character is used to explore themes of colonization,
power dynamics, and exploitation.
● He becomes a symbol of how colonialism and storytelling can distort and
silence the experiences of those who are subjugated.

7. Robinson Crusoe as a Colonial Character
● He is like a great inspirational man for all the English men of that time.
(Han)
● Upon arriving on the deserted island, Crusoe takes possession of the
land and its resources.
● He goes about claiming the island as his own, demonstrating a sense of
entitlement and domination similar to colonial powers.
● Crusoe's attitude towards the island's native inhabitants reflects the
imperialist mindset of the colonial era.
● His thought and behavior towards Friday also reflects his personality as a
colonialist.
● He uses the island's natural wealth, such as animals and crops, to sustain
himself which can be considered as a colonial tendency to exploit the
resources of colonized territories.

8. Cruso as a Postcolonial Character
● Cruso is a character who inhabits the same island as the original
Robinson Crusoe, but Coetzee takes liberties with his portrayal.
● Coetzee's portrayal of Cruso underscores how the colonial perspective
distorts and erases the voices and experiences of those who are
colonized.
● He becomes a victim of his own isolation and limited perspective.
● Cruso's presence on the island reflects the historical imperialism and
exploitation associated with European colonialism. (Han)
● His character and experiences are subjected to critique and questioning,
highlighting the limitations and biases of colonial storytelling like many
postcolonial figures, Cruso experiences a form of exile and isolation.

9. Crusoe & ‘Robinson Crusoe’ Cruso & ‘Foe’
● In the end of the Robinson Crusoe,
he and Friday are Rescued and
return to civilization.
● Defoe centers on survival and self-
reliance.
● Readers are left to consider the
possible outcomes of what
happened after Crusoe went to
civilization.
● His character is mysterious and
open to interpretation, and his
fate is left unresolved in "Foe."
● "Foe" by Coetzee explores themes
of narrative and power.
● Readers are left to consider the
possible outcomes that, Is Cruso
Dead or Alive?
Similarities and Differences

10. ● In this novel Defoe wrote the
character development of Crusoe.
● Robinson Crusoe can be read as
Allegorical Autobiography. (Seidel)
● In this novel Coetzee
concentrated more on the
character of Susan and did
not give the proper
description of Cruso.
● Defoe is believed to have drawn inspiration from the actual
experiences of Alexander Selkirk, a Scottish privateer who lived on the
island of Juan Fernández, situated in the Pacific off the coast of Chile,
when creating the character Robinson Crusoe. (Seidel)
● Robinson Crusoe follows the ideas of Nationalism, Eurocentrism,
Englishness and Coloniality. (Han)
● Foe has the ideas of Postcoloniality, Subaltern thought and
Deconstruction of Defoe’s Eurocentrism. (Han)

11. References
● Coetzee, J. M. Foe. Penguin Books Limited, 2015.
● Defoe, Daniel. Robinson Crusoe. Edited by John Richetti, Penguin Publishing Group,
2003.
● Han, Wenju. “Construction and Deconstruction of Imagined Community—A
Comparative Study of Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe and J. M. Coetzee’s Foe in Light
of Nationalism.” Journal of Language Teaching and Research, vol. 8, 2017. Academy
Publication, https://www.academypublication.com/issues2/jltr/vol08/06/15.pdf.
● Mutter, Reginald P.C.. "Daniel Defoe". Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Sep. 2023,
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Daniel-Defoe. Accessed 18 October 2023.
● Pienaar, Hans. “Brilliant yet aloof, Coetzee at last wins Nobel prize for literature.” The
Independent, 3 October 2003, https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-
entertainment/books/news/brilliant-yet-aloof-coetzee-at-last-wins-nobel-prize-for-
literature-89544.html.
● Seidel, Michael A. “Robinson Crusoe: A world classic.” The British Library, 21 June 2018,
https://www.bl.uk/restoration-18th-century-literature/articles/robinson-crusoe-a-
world-classic.

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