The Aspect of Time in the novel Robinson Crusoe

The subject of time is one of the great themes in a work of literature. The setting of a
novel, such as Robison Crusoe, is affected by the place and the time. The events that take place
in this novel relate directly and indirectly to the setting of place and time. Time is crucial because
it is intrinsic to many aspects of what it takes or what it is to be human. For instance, memory,
the transience of beauty, nature of imagination, hopes of the future, as well as loss and mourning
are all affected by time. All these aspects rely on time. Also, an author can create quite a lot
within a short space of time. Also, other elements of writing, such as foreshadowing, rely on the
aspect of time. The paper explores the passage of time and its significance in the development of
the plot in Daniel Defoe’s novel, Robinson Crusoe.
There are different kinds of times that are present in Robinson Crusoe, and that affect the
author’s development of the themes and the plot at large. First, there is the author’s time or when
the book was originally published. The novel was written in the eighteenth century. The type
influences the author’s choice of theme. For instance, the theme of colonialism and colonial
relationships is developed albeit in a disguised manner. The novel is allegorical in its way of
developing themes that are not explicitly identified. Colonialism in the theme is seen in how the
buildings, trade, and commerce are depicted.

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Defoe depicts a fictional image of a man on an adventure. The man leaves his hometown
and family and establishes his own colony on an island where he is his own master. His yearning
to the sea and gain his own independence made him go against the commands of his father. He
says, “my inclination to this led me so strongly against the will, nay, the commands of my father,
and against all the entreaties and persuasions of my mother and other friends” (Defoe 3). Defoe
represents an imperialistic attitude, which was common in the eighteenth century, of a man who
wants to dominate others by taking a superior position that has authority. Crusoe’s body is a
metaphor for a “colonizer or an imperial figure.” The relationship he has with Friday mirrors that
of a master and his slave. It depicts colonialism and colonial relationships. Defoe manages to
seamlessly develop this theme because of the time the book was originally published. It becomes
clear to the reader that his choice of themes was affected by the real happenings in the author’s
real life.
Further, the novel presents plot time. Crusoe is time conscious. He explains the exact
time when specific events take place. Although Crusoe is completely cut off from society, he still
keeps track of time. He has a way of marking months and days of the year. He brings his
society’s way of life with him to the isolated island. Although his companions on the island are
dogs and cats, he has his own way of knowing the time. He realizes that he may end up losing
the tack of time. Time is important to him, and this explains why he knows exactly when he
arrived at the lonely island. He says, “I came on shore here on the 30 th September 1659”. Crusoe
is keen on his time (Defoe 101).
Crusoe decides to construct a great cross, showing time. He set it to begin on the day he
first began. He does not yearn for power only in nature, but time as well. he wants to control
time, and the only way he can do this is by being aware of its passage and how he spent it.

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Before creating the great cross, Crusoe realizes that he had been on the island for about “ten or
twelve days.” The inability to know the exact period of time that he had been in the new place
makes him realize that he had to do something. He invented the great cross, which helped him
track time. He had an imperialist attitude; a need to be the master, have control, and be in charge.
Time was of no exception. From that day, he kept is the calendar. He noticed as days, weeks,
months, and even years passed.
Crusoe places a lot of importance on time and specifically on days f the week. It is no
wonder that he names a native Friday after rescuing him. Crusoe rescues a native male from the
cannibals. Although the man had a name, he decides o call him Friday. He could have given him
many names, but he chooses Friday to mark the day that he saved him. He says, “I let him know
his name should be Friday, which was the day I saved his life” (Defoe 328). Crusoe emphasizes
that his choice of the name Friday was for the memory of time. He holds time dearly and wants
him and Friday to know that Friday is significant to them because that is when he saved a
person’s life. Also, the theme of colonial relationships comes up in this instance. He introduces
himself as ‘Master’ and tells Friday that it was to be his name. from there onwards, Fridays
refers to Crusoe as Master. This also depicts his imperial attitude. He does not only control time
but also people. He dominates and controls Friday and has him offering a lifelong subjugation,
and this is partly because Friday feels that he owes Master his life. He teaches Friday the words
“yes and no,” which are useful given their master-slave relationship.
Crusoe’s attitude towards Friday and his idea of Christian salvation is a reflection of the
concept of Christianity of his time. After taking the master position, Crusoe realizes that Friday
had already acquired language, and it is time for him to learn to acquire religious knowledge. he
feels the need to save his “savage soul” after saving his life. The best way to do this, according to

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Crusoe, is to impart the Christina doctrine and true Christian knowledge to Friday. He felt
superior to Friday based on their religious beliefs despite the fact that Friday had a religion of his
own. Crusoe says, “I seriously prayed to God that he would enable me to instruct savingly this
poor savage; assisting, by His spirit, the heart of the poor ignorant creature to receive the light of
the knowledge of God in Christ” (Defoe 350). Based on Crusoe’s perception of Friday, it
becomes evident that he imposed his own culture on Friday. Crusoe believed that the only way
that Friday can be saved is if he becomes a civilized European man just like himself. He acts in
total disregard of the fact that Friday had his own culture, name, religion, and way of life. He
replaces them all and creates the “ideal civilized man,” according to him.
The relationship between Friday and Crusoe compares closely to that between Crusoe
and God. In each instance, there is a savior and saved, protector and protected, and a colonizer
and the colonized. Crusoe’s attitude right from the beginning is one of dominance and authority.
He takes the position of a god in his relationship with Friday. Time is significant even in their
relationship with Friday. He notes how their relationship changes in the hours that they spend
together. After having been together for three years, Crusoe is pleased with their relations (Defoe
352). He says that their relationship was perfect, and their stay together made him completely
happy. Crusoe creates a ‘monarchical system” on the island, and the power he acquires makes
him happy.
Overall, time is an important factor in Defoe’s novel Robinson Crusoe. It informs other
themes such as that of colonialism and Christianity. The time factor changes Crusoe’s status over
time. He leaves home as an ordinary man on an adventure to the seas. However, he becomes a
master of an island. While there, he meets Friday, saves his soul and life by inculcating his way
of life, culture, and religion. His authority makes him change his slave’s name as well as his

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own. The aspect of time helps the reader understand the major themes developed by Defoe in the
novel. Crusoe’s attitude takes an imperial nature, and this was common in the eighteenth century,
which is the time when the novel was originally written. Real-time occurrences affect the
author’s ideas and plot development.

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Works Cited
Defoe, Daniel. Robinson Crusoe: 1719. Hatier, 2017.