Lesson 80 Assignment – “How important for the narrative are the descriptions of the storms in Robinson Crusoe?”

For the sake of the narrative, the description of the storms are of utmost importance. Robinson Crusoe, a young man who’s yet to earn his stripes as a seasoned sailor embarks upon a perilous journey, and the encounters of storms symbolize the turning, and breaking points of Crusoe during this time. As the storms rage, he promises and prays that he will go back, and retire from the life of seafairing, yet when it settles, he’s back on track again. Another one hits, and he prays that if he is spared, he will go back to his middle-class lifestyle of material ease and peace of mind, but when it settles, he’s back again once more. The way the storms are described are great, and rightfully should be if we are to agree that it was a good story. Events like these that traumatize and break down a character and everything he stands for must also affect the one reading the story in the same manner. We must feel what the character is feeling, so we can better understand him and also feel captivated within the story. Crusoe’s conviction to follow his heart, against all odds the world may put up against him is symoblized within the scenarios of the storm and after.