Marxism analysis on Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe

Marx view of history and society is different from his predecessor and contemporaries which emphasis it placed on the socio-economic element in any society as an ultimate determinant of that society’s character. ‘Socio-economic’ mean the social relations created by the kind of economic production preponderant in a given society. In capitalist society, this is the relationship between capitalist and proletarian. It is founded on exploitation and is this relationship of potential or actual conflict. Under a capitalist economy, these may be a bourgeois parliament and judiciary; an education system geared broadly to the needs of capitalist production, and the values which uphold these institutions. These entire elements which arise on the socio-economic base call the superstructure of society.

The story within the novel primarily takes place in the remote island near the mouth of the Orinoco river. It tells about the journey of Robinson Crusoe to find his ultimate drive. In this journey he experiences many incident that increase his social consciousness, and stranded in remote island for 26 six years. This novel also tells about his effort in surviving in this solitary island by himself.

To achieve the above objectives of the study, the researcher applies a Marxism approach which insists on linking the novel with the socio-economic phenomena and ideology of the writer. Since this study is emphasized on the analysis of a literary work, it is, then, classified as literary criticism. The primary data of this study are collected from Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, and the secondary data are gathered from related textbooks, journals, encyclopedias, and other written materials printed from internet. The researcher himself becomes the research instrument in the process of data collection and data analysis.

Based on the researcher’s analysis, socio-economic in this novel is divided into two categories, i.e. Marxism phenomena and the opposition of Marxism phenomena. The Marxism phenomena which found in this novel include class struggle, class-consciousness, and theory of human nature. While opposition of Marxism phenomena are class division, racism, exploitation, alienation, mode of production and means of production. From the analysis researcher concludes that the novel truly describes socio-economic phenomena. Defoe, in this novel, to present the real picture of a capitalist and western model who wants to conquer the world and the emphasizing the importance of spirit struggle in survive in this world.