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摘 要

丹尼尔·笛福的《鲁滨逊漂流记》被认为是英国现实主义小说的开山之作。小说带有浓厚的清教主义色彩，本文旨在揭示在清教主义的影响下，主人公克鲁索于资本主义上升时期的社会背景下表现出来的典型的个人主义特征。文章从天职论，上帝与人的关系以及个人主义三个角度分析了清教主义在主人公征服世界过程中发挥的作用，着重阐述了文章中个人主义的强化过程。

关键词：清教主义；个人主义；天职论；强化

Contents

1. Introduction 1

2. Literature Review 2

3. Several Core Views on Puritanism in Robinson Crusoe 3

3.1 Response to the Calling 4

3.2 Relationship between Man and God 5

3.3 Individualism 9

4. Reinforcement of Individualism 10

4.1 Background of Reinforcement 10

4.2 Reflections of Reinforcement 11

5. Conclusion 14

Works Cited 15

1. Introduction

Daniel Defoe is an English writer, entitled as “the father of European fiction”. He is the first one to channel picaresque novels which prevailed in the seventeenth century into the rail of modern novels. These works have broadened the depth of thoughts and reflected bourgeois values. Therefore, he serves as the pioneer of English modern novels.

Defoe was born in a less affluent family ranking middle class. His father James Foe made a living as a butcher and candle dealer. Being a dissenter, he believed in Presbyterian Church, which did not play a dominant pole in that era. Due to religion disparity, Defoe failed to further his study in Oxford or Cambridge University. Instead, he enrolled in another one which cultivated pastors for puritan denomination. Though feeling indebted to his father’ devotion to his education, Defoe showed little interest in preaching. Following his bent, he was determined to be a businessman. However, his puritan family and education had already produced lasting influences on his religious thoughts. Known as a typical dissenter or nonconformist, Defoe satirized Anglican Church for its oppression on other beliefs in The Shortest Way with Dissenters, which spelled him fines and incarceration.

Defoe became talented through self-study. Being well-read and vigorous, he traveled extensively through Europe and mastered six foreign languages. In 1719, he finished the writing of The Life and Strange and Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe which received tremendous popularity. He published Father Adventures of Robinson Crusoe at the same year and Serious Reflections during the Life and Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe in the following year. These latter two works obviously caused fewer social repercussions than the first one. What’s more, Captain Singleton, Moll Flanders, Colonel Jack and Roxana are also superb novels of Defoe.

Defoe lived in a crucial period in English course of history. In terms of politics, two-party system came into being in Britain. Religiously, Anglican Church occupied an invincible position after a struggle with Roman Catholic and Puritanism. Meanwhile, development of capitalist industry and commerce as well as rapid expansion of overseas trade not only exerted a vital impact on politics, but also brought bourgeois’ debut on political stage. He encourages free trade and believes that individuals and countries can get access to wealth, prosperity only by diligence and wisdom.

Robinson Crusoe is based on Alexander Selkirk’s real story, who makes a living as a sailor. Defoe took the form of diary or memoirs to allow the protagonist to state his drifting experiences. Reflected through the measures the leading character takes to resolve adversity or misfortune, Defoe highlights personal striving and social status for the first time in English literature. He is in favor of development of capitalism, and deems trade as a prior choice to spur social evolution and prosperity. Comprehensively analyzing the background of the age, this novel disseminates independent and indomitable spirits embodied by newly emerging bourgeois.

2. Literature Review

Robinson Crusoe is one of the most successful novels of Defoe, which grants him the reputation of “the father of European fiction”. In nearly three centuries, numerous scholars have published their criticism toward this work. Reviews of several interpretations about the masterpiece have been given from different perspectives.

Some critics study Robinson Crusoe from the ecological point of view. Luo Xiangyang and Wang Qiongfang point out that Robinson Crusoe is a crucial target in terms of ecological research, though few relative accomplishments have been made. Through analysis of Crusoe’s transformation in his attitude to nature, namely fear to harmonious accompany, they argue that Crusoe changes his role from an ecologist to a colonist. At the same time, Chu Xumin and Shen Fuying in Display of Anthropocentrism─Analysis of Crusoe’s Image from the Perspective of Ecological Criticism expose the leading character’s ecological cognition by analyzing his conquest of the deserted island and slaughter of animals. So they draw a conclusion of expanding anthropocentrism.

J．P．Hunter also delivers his religious point of view. It seems to him that the work displays a process of how an unoriented rover gains access to God and ends up as a devout puritan. The whole story is “structured based on the pattern of disobedience─ repentance─ deliverance” (Shinagel,1994:342). Eventually, divine providence helps Crusoe escape from unanticipated mishaps in spite of his sinful natural propensity. Therefore, there exists puritan ideology involved throughout the novel. On the contrary, what Chu Fumin wants to demonstrate in Analysis of Daniel Defoe’s Secularized Religious Thoughts from Robinson is that Crusoe’s pursuit of wealth is accompanied with puritan secularism. To some extent, Crusoe’s capitalist spirit is in accordance with Puritanism. Calling and asceticism included in Puritanism regard labor as an approach to God’s grace, which cater to the need of capitalist development.

Colonial and post-colonial theories have been employed in recent studies to reconstruct Robinson Crusoe. As for Yan Aijing and Liu Jianhui’s Robinson Crusoe and Colonialism, they are convinced that the leading character plays the role of colonist in such a colonial myth or fantasy for the new rising bourgeoisie. Actually, the image of colonist is highlighted through Crusoe’s dwelling and survival on the island, his exploitation and utilization of resources on the island, his occupation and control of natives. Similarly, Martin Green regards the Crusoe’s adventure experiences as courses of colonialism. The island he stays signifies a brand-new world, in other words, an unexploited territory. His deeply-rooted wildness to build private empire reveals the duality of western civilization. Changing his identity from a labor to a master of slaves, Crusoe is actually the epitome of colonization.

In the light of diverse researches, the analysis of Crusoe’s Puritan belief and economic individualism has not been thoroughly discovered and their connection still awaits further digging. Thus, this paper will investigate the puritan factors which contribute to reinforcement of individualism. Besides, elaborations will be added to relationship between man and God and manifestations of economic individualism.

3. Several Core Views on Puritanism in Robinson Crusoe

In the 1530s, Henry VIII launched the top-down Reformation for the purpose of strengthening his power and getting rid of suppression from the pope and the Roman church. Puritans were named because they advocated to remove the residue of Catholicism and implement radical Reformation. Puritanism ends up as the product of Reformation. As a faithful follower, a series of Defoe’s works expose considerable puritan thoughts. Ian Watt points out that “Many views Defoe expresses in his works have unique puritan significance.” (Watt,1984:79) Meanwhile, Harold Bloom argues that “Robinson Crusoe fully embodies opinions convinced puritans hold to human beings in a profound level: use an individual’s life experience to describe people’s availability of rebellion, punishment, repentance and salvation.” (Bloom,1988:88) Therefore, the deeper meaning imbued in Defoe’s work is that people are born sinful and they have to find out the relationship between man and God through continuous confession and salvation.

3.1 Response to the Calling

“The Calling，which in a traditional sense means calling from God，that is，the spiritual communication between God and his people, including God’s call and his people’s response, considers labor as its only mission, and it is one of the core ideas of Puritan principles” (Chai Huiting, 1994:231). The earliest introduction can be traced to Martin Luther, a German religious reformer, translating it into Beruf, and then it became the main tenet of Protestantism. From then on, Calling obtains a new content—labor. Labor is the only task assigned by God and the Calling of every worldly man. Therefore, two different views on Calling emerged then: one insisted on believers’ innate calling and the other on regarding labor as the only task．According to the latter proposition，Martin Luther brought up a new value about life：God has arranged everyone’s task invisibly．People must be complying with God’s arrangements and work industriously．Their main task is practicing tough physical or mental labor continuously．Although the division of labor is different, it is ruled by God, and the only criterion of judging whether a career can win the grace of God or not is the quantity of wealth provided by it. The value of Calling, which means making fortunes for God, working for belief and regarding labor as the only task makes people believe that they can win God’s grace only through tough labor, for labor is the most reliable and significant justification of their rebirth and belief．Therefore，they advocate that people should work to fulfill their Calling, try their best to pursue wealth and win God’s grace based on their own labor rather than leisure or pleasure. According to the Puritans, all the circumstances of life are arranged by God．If God give a chance to a believer to make profit，there must exist a certain purpose. Therefore the believer shall respond to the Calling, and strive to take advantage of the chance．

As to Crusoe, he gives up the smooth and comfortable life as a member of the middle station. Resisting leisure and pleasure, he becomes one of God’s selected who takes ceaseless work as his task. To gain God’s grace by his accomplishment is the only task assigned to him. The idea of “pursuit of wealth for God” is provided as the most convincing religious reason for running away from home to raise fortunes．Moreover, Crusoe desires wealth not for meeting his own avarice, but for glorifying God so as to obtain grace from God．The pursuit for wealth must take “being saved by God” as its own task，and adhere to the constraints and demands of ethics．It is rightful to expect earthly happiness, as long as one，instead of putting it at the most important place and regarding it as the only pursuit of life, and consider it as a task that Can help us obtain the grace from God.

Wealth supports human’s physical life and good deeds．Just as Du Man and Ye Erjiang have said, “It is for human the wealth exists，but not the reverse.” (Du Man and Ye Erjiang, 2003:89). This can also explain why Crusoe believed that it is evil to take adventures only for pursing wealth．In order to seek more benefits, Crusoe relinquishes his flourishing business in Brazil．After making all appropriate arrangements for his plantation and property, he sets out for the slave trade to gain excess profits. Obviously, the slave trade can never be considered as “legal”. It is Crusoe’s as well as Defoe’s limits which due to the era they live in.

3.2 Relationship between Man and God

3.2.1 Man exists for the Glory of God

In the famous work The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism，Max Weber explores the differences and relationship of Protestantism and modern capitalism. As noted in the book, generation of Protestantism after western Reformation, especially English Puritanism, breeds “capitalist spirit” (Weber,1999:59). This discourse affirms active influences the Calling exerts on capitalist development.

Weber argues that “Working to the utmost capacity is sacred Calling of protestants, so as to add glory to God” (Weber,1999:89). The historic exploits lie in that human beings establish their faith according to inner comprehension. Every believer is independent in judgment between right and wrong. In his opinion, Calling is one of the core concepts in protestant belief, which derives from Martin Luther and Calvin. Both of them are convinced that people can gain tender care through earthly labor, instead of obtaining rescue from the external world. For sake of God’s special favor and becoming the chosen one, everyone should conduct self-restraint and devote to tough physical and mental work. In accordance with this protestant ethic, pursuit of wealth is a result of endeavor to receive favor.

This theory subverts traditional views people hold, but conduces to primary accumulation and presents capitalist spirit. Defoe is one of those up-and-coming entrepreneur who regard labor as life.

Predestinarianism, as a kernel of Calvinism, connects loyal faith to God with ordinary life in order to sanctify economic activities in reality. In face of unconditional and mysterious predestination, mankind is ignorant of the possibility to be “the select”. Jing Jing argues that “God make arrangements for Crusoe’s fate, whose purposes rest with two: for the sake of God’s glory and well-being of the select.” (Jing Jing, 2007:36)

It is simple to be a chosen one for followers if they balance their attitudes and actions and make sense of good deeds in a correct way. On the surface, Calvin’s Predestinarianism hands people’s fates to God, making them a tool to manifest God’s grace. Actually, it delivers human being’s destiny to themselves masterly and inspires men to strive.

An individual, picked out by God, must be full of reverence to God at the bottom of his heart. In that case, his honesty, friendship and frugality are fully presented by moral behavior, social activities, family life, daily work and other aspects. The errand of chosen people is to spare no effort to obey God’s commandments and get somewhere, so as to manifest the glory of God. Calvin makes God show up in the most mundane practices—worldly activities and occupational labor.

3.2.2 Crusoe’s Transformation in Confession

Lots of literary quotations are contained in the novel. At the very beginning, Crusoe’s father describes the present life as that in the Garden of Eden. “My status was the middle class, or what can be called the superior station of menial life, which based on long experience, was the best state across the world, the most suitable to human mirth, not exposed to the adversities and tribulations, the work and encounters of the mechanic part of mankind, and not shamed of the pride, luxury, ambition, and jealousness of the upper part of mankind.” (Defoe 2) However, Crusoe rejects to submit to his father’s counsel and decides to give up the Endemic life, for which his father sighs “that boy must be happy if he still stays at home; but if he goes overseas, he will be the most pitiful one since his birth: I can not assent to it.” (Defoe 6) As a matter of fact, father plays the role of God and the well-off family context serves as the Garden of Eden. But Crusoe’s disobedience of wish made by father leads to his original sin. People tend to ascribe Adam’s sin to his discontent, the same as Crusoe. It stands to reason that tribulation and setbacks Crusoe confronts with on the desolate island are deemed as punishment from God.

The island, a new environment provided by God marks a brand-new beginning, where he has to make a living depending on personal power and wisdom under monitoring of the supreme being. Crusoe fails to dread Lord when trapped in trouble or express thanks after being saved. Though diversities of difficulties cause distress, he never takes God’s will into consideration. Newly arriving to the coast, Crusoe, as the only survivor of the crew, still doesn’t take this for God’s grace. Transient gratitude still can’t rouse his pious faith in God. At first sight of green barley, Crusoe’s overwhelming astonishment and confusion breed his first serious thinking of God. “I had known little of religion in my mind, nor had entertained nothing that had befallen me otherwise than as opportunity.” (Defoe 97) “I began to think that Lord had inconceivably promoted His grain to grow up without any help of seed sown.” (Defoe 97) However, when he recalls that he have scattered a bag of chickens’ meat out there, “I must acknowledge my religious gratitude to God’s providence began to mitigate, too, upon the finds that all this was nothing but ordinary.” (Defoe 98) As soon as he knows that it is caused by accident, he returns to the real world at once and his thankfulness to God vanishes thereupon. Actually, religion fails to make a big difference to Crusoe’s life.

After the third striking of earthquake, Crusoe succeeds in maintaining subsistence in a disaster and voices “God help me”. Awake from a nightmare while sick with malaria, Crusoe is repentant of his flagrance for he has never thought of lord for years. “Lord, look upon me! Lord, sympathize with me! Lord, show mercy upon me!” (Defoe 110) “Lord, what a pitiful figure am I! If I am ill, I shall surely die for desire of help; and what I will become!” (Defoe 114) Prayers are made for the first time since his drifting to the isolated island and he realizes that land, sea and sky are all created by lord. His repentance starts from feeling of gratitude. These events, namely finding wheat seeds, surviving earthquakes and illness, seeming casual, are all salvation of God. Crusoe realizes his mistakes that he receives grace from Lord but he has never felt grateful. From then on, great changes take place to his concept of life, including attitude to anxiety and happiness, wish and temperament. The first words of Bible appearing to him are “Call on me whenever in difficulties, and I will deliver, and you shall glorify me.” (Defoe 118) This sentence makes some impression upon his thoughts at the time of reading them. Further reading makes him regret the wickedness of his past life and cry out loud: “Jesus, you son of David! Jesus, you exalted Prince and Saviour! allow my repentance!” (Defoe 121) Therefore, he begins the career of a devout believer.

It is imperative for him to read Bible three times a day. Each anniversary of his rescue from the marine perils, he performs a ceremony to worship God and conducts fasting. When he finds cannibals on the island, he intends to slay them immediately, but he abandons the idea while he realizes that killing does not serve God’s will. By this time, the protagonist has succeeded in transforming into a fine example of faithful puritans. Crusoe searches for psychological consolation as well as mental support through Bible and he draws a conclusion of life in view of religion. Consequently, he indoctrinates these thoughts to aborigine Friday which alter Friday’s lifestyle and primal belief. He convinces Friday the existence of Lord and shapes a puritan eventually, accomplishing his magnificent transformation in faith.

After converting to Puritanism, it becomes an important part in his life to save others like Jesus. Soon afterwards, he saves Friday’s father and a Spanish person. An English captain imprisoned by mutinous mariners is released with help of him. What is astonishing is that Crusoe allows these sailors to stay in his territory for fear that they suffer from punishment back to their own country. What’s more, he repels the attack of wolves when negotiating Alps and rescues all the travelling companions.

3.3 Individualism

Individualism, originating from Greek cultures, is a core concept in bourgeois world and the fundamental principal of their morality. In western civilization, independence of economy contributes to people’s increasing desire for political rights and freedom. French Revolution, where individualism initially appears, speeds up the spread of this ideological trend and gains further development. Each independent, sovereign entity, as a rational being, has an inalienable right to live his life. On the premise that we recognize individual rights, a civilized country, friendly cooperation or peaceful coexistence can be reached. In Wiener’s opinion, “Individualism is the faith of prior importance to individual s and in the virtues of self-reliance and personal independence, or the activities or a movement based on this belief.” (Wiener,2003: 147)

It is recorded in Rise of the Novel that Milton used the image of Adam created an epic hero, the image is a typical man; Bunyan believed that all of the sole are equal before God, to compare with the other literature which in the same period, it gives more serious and more sympathetic to the people who lives badly; And Defoe’s novel makes the best illustration for puritan and individual people who live in the common world.

The burgeoning capitalism enormously increases the individual’s freedom of choice. Situate in a new economic order, the individuals become effective units responsible for determining their own economic, social, political and religious roles.

First, Crusoe is born in an abundant family, but there are some disagreements between his family and him. According to his parents，they are in “the best state in the world” “not exposed to the adversities and hardships, the labor and encounters of the mechanic part of mankind，and not shamed of the pride，luxury，ambition, and jealousness of the upper part of human.” (Defoe 9). However，Crusoe opposes that the conservative pastoral life can not satisfy his dream. This discontented feeling for the status urges his adventures．

Second, money is the resource of Crusoe’s happiness. He lives mainly for making money. He sets out his first voyage because he is dissatisfied with his family’s financial status. Survival from the first sailing, he could have settled in Brazil and enjoyed a steady life．However, on the sight of those abundant plantations there，he can not prevent himself from taking a further adventure, which leads to his twenty-eight-year struggling on the desolate island.

Third, Crusoe pays much attention to his accounts and contracts, which fully represents the character of economic individualism．

4. Reinforcement of Individualism

4.1 Background of Reinforcement

Daniel Defoe lives in an age when English industrial revolution broke out. In pace with rise of modern industries and consolidation of capitalist system, an impressive economic promotion gradually changes lifestyle and consciousness of English people. The concept that individual economy takes precedence and independence reflected in commercial activities prompt individualism to be a dominant, positive trend of thought. Affected by this ideology, Defoe embeds personal ideas into his works.

In the course of western history, individualism was carved out in ancient Greek sophists’ thoughts. In 1340s, Alexis de Tocqueville, a famous French critic, generalized other thinkers’ individual viewpoints from various perspectives with the notion individualism in De la Démocratie en Amérique. Then between the 17th and 19th centuries, individualism gets rapid development. Hobbes, Locke, Montesquieu and Adam Smith, from separate points of capitalist politics, economy and culture, elaborate their basic views on influences capitalist individualism exerts on humanity and relationship between people.

Therefore, individualism becomes a new ideological trend of that epoch no matter from the perspective of the social context or Defoe’s living background. His character Robinson Crusoe is the real portrayal of English thinking in that age.

4.2 Reflections of Reinforcement

4.2.1 Start of an Enterprise

Robinson Crusoe is born in a good middle-class family, and his father designs him a way of law. But Crusoe is interested in nothing but conquering the sea. He deems voyage as “It is my calling, and therefore my duty.” (Defoe 17) But his father persuades him to stay at home earnestly. He said: “It was for men of considerable fortunes or of ambition, superior fortunes, who set out journeys, to arise by enterprise, and bring themselves reputations in undertakings of nature out of the ordinary way;...that my status was the middle class, or what can be called the upper station of menial life, which based on long experience was the best one across the world, the most suitable to human mirth.” (Defoe 2) In a word, his father would rather do everything for Crusoe if he can stay at home according to his parents’ instructions.

Nevertheless, regardless of his father’s sighs and mother’s tears, Crusoe resolutely runs into the arms of the sea. In this novel, Crusoe has traveled on the sea four times. Under the social context, he is a representative of the rising bourgeoisie and makes profits through business which exactly can express the character of capitalism.

4.2.2 Search for New Life

Striking of a storm at sea results in Crusoe’s unanticipated enslavement and later he flees to Brazil. He could have lived a quiet life in Brazil, which his father had intently described as the middle-class life. But the peaceful life can not fulfill his needs. He is still interested in some other things of meaning. Ultimately, he leaves for Africa to engage in the business of selling slaves, which is the real beginning of his unfortunate life, but also the start of his new journey. “Because I was sopping, with nothing to cover me, nor any food to console me, neither could I see any hope but that of death with hunger or being swallowed by wild animals; and that which was especially painful to me was that I possessed no weapon either to hunt and kill any animals for my life or to protect myself from any other creature that might wish to ruin me for theirs. All in all, I possessed nothing but a knife, a tobacco-pipe and a tiny tobacco in the box.” (Defoe 58)

As a part of civilized world, Crusoe tries to utilize all of his knowledge to bear hard physical labor and solve problems one by one. Modern tools are invented for his sake and he creates a colony of his own. He marks time on a great wood and keeps a diary in which everyday concerns are written down. The emergence of characters has made an important contribution to civilization and Crusoe’s employment of characters is a manifestation of a civilized man.

When Crusoe newly arrives at the island, he plays the role of a barbarian. However, his knowledge and modern tools enable a relatively comfortable life. Soon afterwards, he is in possession of his own house and castle, country seat and tolerable plantation. To some extent, he plays the part of a governor. Being the only survivor from the marine perils, Crusoe demands himself to work hard as a laborer as a typical capitalist does. For example, he builds a fort on the side of the hill, sets apart a shelter for himself which will protect him from men, animals and weather, fashions a double tent in which to store his supplies, and hunts for food. When he walks around the island, he claims that everything belongs to him, including Friday, who is saved by him.

When he encounters Friday, the aborigine “made all signs of subjection, slavery, and surrender imaginable” (Defoe 193) to let him know how he would serve until his death. Crusoe informs Friday of his name—Master. Since then, a new identity happens to him. Previously on the deserted space, he has to work all alone as a laborer, but now he enjoys assistance of Friday as a slave owner. When Crusoe talks about Friday, he says: “I was very pleased with him and regarded it as my duty to teach him everything that was appropriate to make him available and serviceable.” (Defoe 264) In Crusoe’s eyes, Friday serves as his slave. He is satisfied with teaching Friday how to talk, work and read.

4.2.3 Construction of Colony

Crusoe is a representative figure during the period of rising bourgeoisie. Rising bourgeoisie makes great efforts to seek after material and individual struggle in primitive accumulation period. All of the characteristics are the very proofs of a capitalist. However, Crusoe’s overseas voyage is also the colonial practice of the early colonists, so to some extent, he is also a colonist.

Primitive Island, in this novel not only provides a living stage for Crusoe, but also a stage for early settlement to the colonial history. The primitive island is not only a symbol of colonial rule that has not been developed, but also represents the aspirations of the imperialist’s expansion of culture. Crusoe has strong desire for possession, and in his eyes, the whole island belongs to him. “My territory was now crowded, and I thought myself very abundant in materials; and it was a pleasant reflection, which I often made, how like a king I seemed. Firstly, the whole place was my personal property, so that I had an absolute right to rule. Secondly, my servants were perfectly obedient. I was absolute master and lawmaker; they all gave their lives to me, and were willing to keep down their bodies, if there had been chance of it, for me.” (Defoe 149)

It seems that Crusoe gets along with Xury, but the essence of this good treatment is that Crusoe never treats Xury fairly. As far as he is concerned, he can sell Xury to the slave traders whenever he wants do so.

From an independent laborer to a ruler, then a colonizer, Crusoe seems to have experienced several vital periods of human civilization, then a natural picture is depicted to explain how human’s history has developed from the primitive state to the feudal society, and then to the capitalistic country in the 18th century.

5. Conclusion

Robinson Crusoe can be regarded as a spiritual autobiography of the leading character, which turns out to be representative of the rising bourgeoisie and embodiment of capitalist individuals. Crusoe shapes the image of God according to his expectations and needs, so guidance of God ends as mirror of his own ideas. “Although religious factors are taken into account in Defoe’s novels, on which they are not placed a high priority. As a matter of fact, legacy of Puritanism is so vulnerable that the protagonist’s experiences can’t be supplied with an enduring and predominant way.” (Watt,1984:83) Actually, individualism, as in indispensable part of Puritanism, gets strengthened in the process of Crusoe’s world conquest.

“Crusoe’s success is reflected in integration of individualism and religious ethics.” (Hu Zhenming, 2007:64) Individualism urges him to disobey his father, insist on adventures, rebel God’s will and finally become a prodigal. Deserted on the lonely island, individualism impels him not only to rebuild his identity, but also reach a compromise between private pursue and religious doctrines during realization of personal value. Individualism and Puritanism form two poles of dialogue, where Crusoe constructs a new identity the rising bourgeoisie on behalf of.

In this masterpiece, Defoe establishes the dominant position of individuals and selves firstly, which present significant characteristics of individualism. In fact, independence of personal life is emphasized and sought after. Crusoe, an image created by Defoe, reproduces his real experiences.

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