A Capitalist From Middle Class

Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe has been indisputably considered a classic of the eighteenth century. This thesis concentrates on the power relationships insinuated in Robinson Crusoe. For hundreds of years, scholars have explored the novel from religious, archetypal, post-colonial, socio-historical, and stylistic perspectives, but there are still new fields waiting to be discovered.This thesis moves away the traditional methods, such as theories on colonialism and post-colonialism and religious issues, in its interpretation of the power relationships in the novel, which proves that the protagonist Crusoe is a centralist and that Great Britain is a centralized state. Crusoe’s common practices of mercantile colonialism are ideologically and ethically legitimated as the lifeblood of English culture-the core "Englishness". The making of said Englishness is closely related to the development of the British Empire. In Britain, the eighteenth century was an age of mercantile colonialism that witnessed the rise of the novel and the British Empire. Through an analysis of power relationships, which is based on the theory of Michel Foucault, this thesis will show that this novel reflects Defoe’s political position and reveal ideas that most scholars have ignored.By employing Foucault’s theory of power and knowledge and Jacques Lacan’s theory of the other and subjectivity, this thesis will elucidate the power relationships of the characters in Robinson Crusoe. In this novel, Robinson Crusoe reflects Defoe’s political tendencies and wishes to a large extent. Therefore, by studying the power relationships in this novel, this thesis may uncover some economic and political information on Robinson Crusoe, which may be beneficial to further research of Great Britain’s society in the eighteenth century.In addition to the introduction and conclusion, the body of the thesis includes three chapters.The introduction contains two sections. The first section is a literature review, which mainly examines the achievements of Robinson Crusoe and Defoe in recent years. The second section reviews Defoe’s political values and economic beliefs and those of the protagonists in his novels. Like Defoe, the characters in Defoe’s novel share the gift of financing, which is fairly apparent in reading the novel. This gift reflects the capitalist spirit of the time.Chapter one primarily examines the connection between economic factors and power relationships and the role of middle class in these power relationships. In this chapter, background information on the British economy in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries will be discussed. In Defoe’s works, most of his protagonists are part of the middle class, which occupied the main part of the society at that time. In Robinson Crusoe, Crusoe is a successful example of a member the middle class who, in the end, becomes a rich man with an abundance of wealth through his voyage and overseas adventure.Chapter two will provide a more specific explanation of the connections between power relationships and three factors-knowledge, violence and Christianity. Each of these factors has a crucial effect on power relationships. Knowledge provides the foundation of power relationships, and violence is used as a tool to frighten others. Changing one’s beliefs guarantees the firmness of power relationships.Chapter three will focus on the theme of subjectivity and space and other issues related to power relationships. In the novel, the distribution of space is well worth studying and exploring. Crusoe, as the centre of the power relationship, is the "king" of the island. Everything on the island is under his control, consolidating his central position. This position also reflects the power of centralized nationhood, with England as the geographical centre and English nationality as the spiritual centre.