The Reflecting Robinson : A literary analysis of the learning process of Robinson Crusoe

To any reader in western society, Robinson Crusoe is a well-known character. Many of us come across his story even before we can read, through children’s books and bedtime stories, or any of the other numerous versions of Daniel Dafoe’s original. Robinson Crusoe has also been used to create adaptations such as Hollywood blockbuster Cast Away, the Swedish reality show Robinson and the American TV-series Lost. The core of these stories is always the same: a lone man or group of men and women battle against nature to survive. Below the surface of a physical struggle between nature and man, I see a story about human adaptation, learning and development. The reason why Robinson survives is that he uses his knowledge, adapts to the situation and learns from experience. The same goes for any other of the different characters we meet in both the original and the adaptations. It is never through physical domination alone that a Robinson character triumphs; the ability to develop as the game develops is just as important. I believe that a story this popular must influence its readers in significant ways. The story does not only provide us with a common frame of reference but also with a hero with whom we can easily relate; the thought of being alone, shipwrecked, in the way Robinson is, provokes in us a primal fear, and this is also central to the plot in many of the adaptations. A strong identification with Robinson is likely to strengthen the possibility that we become influenced by the character traits he possesses and that we act in similar ways as he does. This thought is what has led me to look at the dynamics of Robinson from a pedagogical perspective, to try to understand in what way he might affect the many students who meet him during their education