Robinson Crusoe: Novel VS. Movie

Appendix 

For the essay: the role of religion in Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe

Many modern retellings of Robinson Crusoe have taken some religious aspects away, and added some contrary elements instead. This appendix takes as an example the 1997 film version of the story. If we only compare this contemporary remaking to Defoe’s original book, we see these major differences that alter the meaning of the story and completely change the approach towards religion in general, and Christianity in particular.

Daniel Defoe’s novel (1719)	1997 movie
Robinson is enslaved for 24 years (Ch. II).	Robinson is never enslaved.
Robinson experiences a religious conversion, a vision dream in which he is told to repent.	Robinson does not experience a conversion whatsoever.
Friday escapes and Robinson shoots his persecutors, injuring one and resultantly killing the other. Friday kills the injured native.	Robinson kills the natives with a gun and only then can Friday escape.
Friday willingly vows in gratitude to Robinson.	Friday is forcibly chained by Robinson.
Robinson takes Friday as a servant.	Robinson takes Friday as a slave.
Robinson’s attitude toward Friday is loving, monitored and fatherly (Ch. XIV). Friday is loyal to him.	Robinson’s attitude towards Friday is first rude, irritate, and harsh. Friday leaves him because of it.
As Robinson instructs Friday “in the knowledge of the true God”, the native shows himself cheerful and deeply interested. He “listened with great attention, and received with pleasure the notion of Jesus Christ being sent to redeem us” (Ch. XV).	Robinson fanatically and intolerably preaches to Friday about the Creator. Friday seems rather puzzled and confused by Robinson’s preaching, and he informs from the beginning that he dislikes Robinson’s religion.
Friday concludes the Christian God must be “a greater God than their Benamuckee”, since pagan priests say the cannibal’s god is not supposed to listen in the ground unless they climb to the mountain. Nature assists Robinson’s arguments to evidence to Friday “the necessity of a great First Cause” (Ch. XV).	Friday reacts negatively to Robinson’s idea of God and he conclusively states “I don’t like your God.” He informs he prefers the cannibal’s pagan crocodile god who is said to hear cannibals even in the trees and in the water.
Friday becomes a Christian and ends up accepting Robinson’s lifestyle. Robinson comments: “this savage was now a good Christian, a much better than I” (Ch. XVI).	Robinson ends up accepting Friday’s cultural lifestyle and somehow forsakes his Christianity.
Robinson ponders whether killing natives goes against the principles of his religion. Friday tries to convince Robinson to Christianize and civilize other cannibals in the island, asking him to “teach wild mans be good… tell them know God, pray God, and live new life” (Ch. XVI). Friday shows himself enthusiastic about it. They both end up in England.	Robinson and Friday go against the enemy cannibal tribe. Robinson fanatically appears to  believe himself to be superior, he becomes a Lord, a swordman and kind of a warrior against natives. He also fights Friday and, at the end, Friday is murdered on the island.

“The writing of history reflects the interests, predilections, and even prejudices of a given generation” said John Hope Franklin, and the writing of this story is not the exception. In the space and time in which Defoe lived, Christianity was more favored and was generally viewed with more public sympathy, whereas today, it is approached with contempt by many circles in mainstream media. 

As it can be seen, the movie version  here discussed greatly misrepresents the original story especially in what concerns to the role of religion: it disfavors what Defoe wanted to favour, and replaces his religious sentiment with elements adverse to it, turning a justification of “the Wisdom of Providence in all the Variety of our Circumstances”, into an attack against it.