Chapter 28

This chapter was a little confusing because I really did not know what Robinson Crusoe was. The chapter says that we don't think of Robinson Crusoe as a novel, but rather a myth, along with Faust, Don Juan, and Don Quixote. All of these myths are very similar. They have basic plots and enduring images, and they "all exhibit a single-minded pursuit by the protagonist of one of the characteristic aspirations of Western man". Robinson Crusoe is related to three different themes: "Back to Nature", "The Dignity of Labor", and Economic Man". Because he represents all three of these ideas, Robinson Crusoe has become one of our cultural heros. This great myth is based on the single-minded pursuit of achievement and enterprise (business success).