Crusoe and Christian. Two Pilgrims on Their Journey to Salvation

Seminar paper from the year 2020 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 2,3, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, language: English, abstract: Although released at a time, in which the downfall of English Puritanism was already conspicuous, I claim that by contrasting the protagonists of the two works, Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe definitely contains theological elements. These are founded in the old-fashioned Puritan belief depicting the spiritual journey of a reluctant pilgrim to God. In validating this thesis, I will primarily work with the two aforementioned works and another publication of Daniel Defoe, as well as the King James Bible which most likely has been the translation that the two authors might have had at their disposal. Due to the fact that Daniel Defoe has been raised in a Presbyterian home, I am also going to consult the Institutes of the Christian Religion by the French reformer John Calvin and other secondary literature. For the confirmation of my above-mentioned claim, I will structure the term paper as follows: The first section, will feature the spiritual lives of Crusoe and Christian before their conversion. The second section will cover their conversion experience as such and the crucial role of God s providence. The last section focusses concisely on the possible intention of Daniel Defoe. I will conclude this paper by summarizing the different outcomes supporting my thesis statement and by mentioning some potential research topics based on this paper.