Robinson Crusoe prayed to God to help him survive his illness and he also repented to his sin because of his past doings; as he had quarreled with his family and pursuing his dreams. He regretted it because he was being put into danger and realized that if he obeys his parents in the first place, his life would not be in danger. Like, the Doctrine of Repentance by Thomas Watson (1668) has the same theme as Robinson Crusoe, it said that repentance is least used but can be remembered when things are tough. As well as to Robinson, when his life is in danger and all things are tough he realized to pray and repented of the sins he made. Also Repentance: A Daring Call to Real Surrender by C. John Miller, (Miller, n.d.) Repentance begins at conversion. Robinson realized his past doings that is why he prayed to the Lord and ask for forgiveness. He is converted and denying his bad doings. But repenting of the sins is not for a moment but an ongoing attitude. We may see how brave Robinson is, he was able to fight for his safety even his life is crucial and was surrounded by unknown people. But because of his faith and his relationship with God, he was able to repent and express his feelings to God. Lastly, by the book, Recovering Redemption: A Gospel Saturated Perspective on How to Change by Matt Chandler (2014), how better person and brave we are there’s something that we cannot do but only God can. One thing that we cannot do alone is repentance. Without a relationship with God, repentance is useless. So to have true repentance, we should have first a relationship with God.
Human beings are “social animals” and therefore naturally seek the companionship of others as part of their well-being (Aristotle, 382-322 BC). In 28 years, Robinson got stuck on an island. Together with the other guys, they were on a journey in a ship and met a storm that only Robinson survived and led him to an island far from civilization. For almost 25 years, he lived alone, conversing with no one but a parrot that he trained himself. Humans are social animals, they need to communicate since it is a fundamental need for human beings and Robinson wasn’t able to do that for 24 years which made it absurd. We evolved as social animals, and with that evolution of social behavior, came the need to communicate (Rikke Dam, 2017). “No Man is an Island” is a poem by John Donne that states mankind’s connection is in one large structure, and the absence of one small part would render us incomplete (Ethan Ahlstrom, 2017) yet Robinson survived without the presence of co-species for more than 2 decades. There are many things we fail to realize the true value of until they are missing from our lives (Ashle Fern, 2013). In 26 years of Robinson’s living, never did he appreciate what he had before it was too late. He was sick at that time when he prayed to God to help him survive his illness and realize how lucky he was to possess things he used to have and how lucky he still is because Providence still gave him a chance to repent and regret his past doings. He never thanked nor apologized to God for giving him blessings not everyone was blessed to have. It never occurred to him that he was so lucky to live a life like his before he got stuck. Regrets and gratefulness filled his heart.
The novel “Robinson Crusoe” shows Robinson Crusoe, an Englishman, whose faith in God is frail from his journey to wealth and power but has been strengthened in his isolation on an island for twenty-eight years. This change in character is a strong depiction of how important change is to a person (Mekler, 2016). When Crusoe got stranded on the island, he underwent both changes in which he is in control and he is not. His isolation was not in his control, which made him adapt a lifestyle to the wild, and this is good. Uncontrollable external changes make a person more flexible to any situation, more understanding of what is now, and are more prepared for an uncertain future (Pettersson, 2015). Also, the change within his heart which is his willingness to be more open to God in guiding him on the island is salient. This realization of something is a change a person has full control of and can pinpoint weaknesses in him to be a better person (Pettersson, 2015). Being mentioned in the novel that Crusoe survived for twenty-eight years being alone is pure fiction. Human beings are naturally social, and it is unhealthy to not be with other human beings for the need of companionship and communication (Dam, 2017). Loneliness is unhealthy for it increases blood pressure and weakens the immune system; it makes a person vulnerable to addiction; and distorts his thinking towards other people, making him feel unreal emotions like being unloved but in reality is loved by people around him (Zetlin, 2015). During his stay on the island, Crusoe found faith in God and repented his past actions of being proud and materialistic. This is a good realization especially to those who are lost in their “own islands”, searching for a treasure that isn’t true wealth, and happiness that does not bring the true smile. Robinson Crusoe was extremely materialistic at the expense of his spiritual religious faith and morals (Fowler, 2018), but his internal conflict of material desire and faith shows the start of change when he washed ashore to the isolated island; finding faith in God and still holding to his worldly wealth. Crusoe is a unique individual; someone who has faith but at the same time materialistic; on the island was his darkest time, but it is how he reacted to it that matters. He turned back to the Lord, placed his trust fully in Him, and his faith grew deeper (Diaz, 2019), witnessing the miracle of having Friday and seamen who came and gave him a ride back home to England, showing that indeed, God’s works are done in mysterious ways.