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  • Essay / Crusoe and Susan: two perspectives of the same

    “Until now I had not paid as much attention to Friday's life as to that of a dog or any other stupid creature - less, indeed, for I had a horror of of his mutilated state that made me shut him out of my mind and turn away when he approached me. (Coetzee 32)Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay This passage was notable because it brought out a consistent feature between Susan's story and that of Robinson Crusoe. At the same time, these few sentences included one of the main themes and an implication of a larger issue relevant to Foe's period. Based on what was literally happening in the chosen paragraph, Susan was giving her personal perspective on their relationship and interactions on Friday. However, her view of him may be skewed by the fear of what his mutilation represented – the cut-out tongue – discussed further in the following paragraphs. Overall, this passage concerned themes of suppression and highlighted the storytelling struggles between Crusoe and Susan. Susan's apathy towards Friday was only slightly colder than how Crusoe perceived him. Although Crusoe mentioned, from his point of view in his story, that he was like a father to Friday. However, the way Friday was treated proved that Susan and Crusoe's perspectives did not differ too much: Friday was second class to them: “[Crusoe speaking] [Friday] knew no other master. He follows me in everything. (Coetzee 37). The importance of this example led to one of the main themes of the novel, and as discussed in the lecture – narrative suppression – represented by the way in which the voices of racial minorities and women were left out of the tale well known to Robinson Crusoe. Friday's mutilation, as described in the passage, was erased from Crusoe's account, perhaps because it was not important to Crusoe. Susan, having privileges between Friday and Crusoe, took note of this detail because she was more sensitive to narrative rights, which Crusoe took for granted. Susan's battle to have her story heard along with Friday's perpetual silence were symbolism of the voices being silenced during this time. This passage also implied a larger issue discussed in this novel. Susan's coldness towards Friday may represent a majority of European views towards racial minorities during this period. Friday's cut tongue could symbolize societal pressure to shun those who have less power due to their past or unknown origins; what Friday's mutilation represented was something that terrified Susan, and that was the reason for her coldness towards him. Perhaps Friday's disability also reminded Susan of her own struggles and limited power in society. Another theme included in this passage was the rare agreements between the stories of Susan and Crusoe, particularly regarding Friday. Both Crusoe and Susan viewed Friday as a servant, not an equal, as this passage implied, but their perspectives on him were very different. Susan saw Friday as a victim who wanted to tell the truth; she even suspected that Crusoe was the one who cut out Friday's tongue: ““[Susan speaking] Is this the truth, Friday? I urged him, looking deep into his eyes: “Master Crusoe cut out your tongue? » (Coetzee 68). Crusoe, on the other hand, saw Friday as someone happy, even grateful, to be under his rule, and that Friday was meant to work for, 1987.