Term Paper on "Robinson Crusoe: Capitalism"

Term Paper 3 pages (1022 words) Sources: 1

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Robinson Crusoe: Capitalism

Robinson Crusoe was written in 1719 by Daniel Defoe and its intriguing protagonist has often been used as a symbol of individualism that led to the rise of capitalism. It is believed to be one of the early texts that dealt with the issue of capitalism and can rightly be termed as the cradle of capitalism. Robinson Crusoe leaves his family in his pursuit to do something different-something that was far moved from bourgeois suggestions of his father. However ironically, he ends up doing just what his father wanted him to do i.e. make profit though in a much different manner. Capitalism refers to form of business where one continues to make profits if he uses resources carefully and treats them as sellable commodities. Even human beings, who are one of the resources applied on the business to make it grow, must be seen as nothing but commodity which should be used in a manner that enables the owner to extract maximum benefits. Robinson Crusoe is no doubt an interesting, effective and complete example of budding capitalism because we notice Crusoe his relationships with humans rather nonchalantly and with the intent to use them for maximum profits. He is in many ways a person with imperialistic tendencies as he first buys a plantation and becomes immensely successful and even after 28 years away from business, he continues to make money-Thus proving the capitalism's core argument that money makes money if resources are used wisely.

The fact that Crusoe gets rid of his social ties early in life is indicative of his capitalistic nature. He believed that he did not need emotional ties to bind him to one geographical location or one specific profession. He thus breaks free of his family for purely classic reason of homo economicus i.e. To improve his economic condition. -- that it is necessary to better his economic condition. "Something fatal in that propension of nature" forces him into a life of adventure and takes him away from boring life of "settling to business." Crusoe first starts as a plantation owner and there his relationship with a slave Xury is worth mentioning in connection with capitalism. Despite his claims of abhorring capitalistic bourgeois, Crusoe treats every resource in exactly the manner a capitalist would. Xury is a brave and loyal slave, yet Crusoe sells him to another trader as soon as an opportunity arises. He doesn't dwell on relationships which indicate that Xury was simply seen as a commodity and not real human being. While we agree that Crusoe was reluctant to sell Xury and that latter had agreed to the terms determined by the Portuguese trader, yet the fact remains that Crusoe did not crave human company at all. Aristotle had once said that a man who doesn't require company and is self-sufficient for himself is either a beast or a god. In this novel, we notice that Crusoe was behaving more like a capitalist beast when he shuns all company and still considers himself happy.

During his 28 long years on the… READ MORE

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