Foe by J M Coetzee

  Comparative and Critical Analysis of Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe and Foe by J.M. Coetzee

This blog is part of the 'Thinking Activity' for Unit 2, 'Foe' by J.M. Coetzee, from Paper No. 203 — 'The Postcolonial Studies'. Both Daniel Defoe’s 'Robinson Crusoe' and J.M. Coetzee’s 'Foe' explore the theme of human existence on a deserted island, though written centuries apart.

While Defoe’s novel celebrates survival, self-reliance, and individual triumph, Coetzee’s 'Foe' reinterprets the same narrative through a postmodern and postcolonial lens. It challenges the colonial assumptions embedded in Defoe’s work, questioning authorship, the power of narrative, and the silencing of marginalized voices, particularly the representation of the “Other.”

The Island as a Metaphor : 

In both 'Robinson Crusoe' and 'Foe', the island functions as a microcosm of the larger world—a confined space where individuals are removed from society and compelled to face the realities of their existence, mortality, and humanity. Yet, the two authors present fundamentally different interpretations of what the island represents and how it shapes human experience.

Defoe’s Island:

• Represents a 'blank slate', a territory to be conquered, cultivated, and transformed through human effort and reason.
• Symbolizes the 'New World'—a frontier associated with imperial exploration, discovery, and domination.
• Crusoe, being educated and skilled, embodies the ideals of Western civilization. Through intellect and labor, he “civilizes” the island, turning wilderness into order.
• The island becomes a space where Crusoe asserts control, recreating a miniature version of European society.
• Defoe’s detailed depiction of colonization—taming the land, subduing nature and “barbarous” people—serves as a metaphor for imperial expansion and a manual for colonial enterprise.

Coetzee’s Island:

• Functions as a 'liminal' and uncertain space, existing between reality and imagination, civilization and wilderness.
• Serves as a site of 'trauma and isolation', revealing the fragility of human existence. Coetzee portrays Cruso as aged and weary, his solitude turning the island into a decaying kingdom rather than a triumph of civilization.
• Becomes a symbolic landscape where the past and present overlap, and where the lines between truth and fiction blur.
• Susan Barton’s reflection—“He put some few white petals and buds from the brambles... to make an offering to the god of the waves”—illustrates this ambiguity, blending superstition, memory, and storytelling into a meditation on belief and meaning.

Through these contrasting depictions, Defoe’s island stands as a monument to colonial ambition, while Coetzee’s island exposes the psychological emptiness and moral ambiguity underlying that same imperial vision.

Friday in 'Robinson Crusoe':

In Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, Friday is portrayed as a submissive and obedient figure who becomes a product of European “civilization.” Crusoe establishes dominance over him through force—using his gun to demonstrate power—and proceeds to “educate” and “civilize” him according to European norms.

• Friday is depicted as a 'passive and grateful recipient' of Crusoe’s guidance, symbolizing the colonized subject who assimilates into the dominant colonial culture.
• Crusoe erases Friday’s native religion and cultural identity, replacing them with Christian beliefs and European customs.
• He reforms Friday’s habits—teaching him to eat bread, drink milk, and abandon cannibalism—thereby asserting Western superiority.
• Defoe’s narrative reinforces the ideology of the “civilized master” and the “savage servant,” justifying colonial domination.

Crusoe proudly remarks, “Friday began to talk very well, and understand the names of almost everything I had occasion to call for...”, emphasizing linguistic mastery as a symbol of control and assimilation.

Friday in 'Foe':

In Coetzee’s Foe, Friday becomes a haunting symbol of silence, oppression, and resistance. Unlike Defoe’s articulate and submissive Friday, Coetzee’s Friday is 'voiceless'—his tongue has been cut out, symbolizing the violence of colonial history and the erasure of the colonized subject’s voice.

• By reimagining Friday as a 'black slave' rather than a Caribbean boy, Coetzee foregrounds the racial and historical dimensions of colonial exploitation.
• His silence represents the trauma, dehumanization, and loss of identity inflicted by slavery and imperialism.
• Coetzee transforms Friday into a metaphor for the unspoken and unheard narratives of colonial history—the suffering that cannot be articulated within Western discourse.
• His presence challenges the colonial myth of the “noble savage,” exposing how power and language shape representation and truth.

Through Friday’s silence, Coetzee critiques the colonial tradition of speaking 'for' the Other and instead highlights the impossibility of fully recovering the voices suppressed by imperial domination.

Colonialism and Power Dynamics :

Defoe’s novel is often thought of as one of the first examples of colonial literature. Crusoe’s attitude toward Friday and his control over the island show a sense of superiority typical of colonial thinking, with the colonizer portrayed as “civilized” and powerful. This reflects a very Eurocentric way of seeing the world.

In Foe, Coetzee flips this by narrating from the perspective of Susan Barton, who contradicts Crusoe’s story. Friday is silent in Foe, symbolizing how colonized people were often denied a voice. Coetzee uses this to criticize the way colonial narratives tend to erase or twist the experiences of oppressed people, shedding light on the injustice of these power dynamics.

 

The Role of Women :

Robinson Crusoe focuses on the male adventure story, leaving little room for women. This reflects the colonial times when women’s roles in stories like these were usually overlooked. Coetzee changes this in Foe by making Susan Barton the main character, offering a female perspective that wasn’t there in Defoe’s original. Susan struggles to have her story told accurately, as Foe constantly edits it, which shows how women’s voices often get lost or altered to fit dominant ideas. By reimagining the characters, Coetzee shows how colonial stories often misrepresent marginalized voices, whether they’re women or colonized people.

Analysis of Colonial Connotations:

The Myth of the Noble Savage: 

The concept of the “Noble Savage” idealizes indigenous people as pure, innocent, and naturally virtuous beings living in harmony with nature. However, this notion served as a colonial justification—implying that European intervention was necessary to “civilize” and “save” these so-called primitive societies.

In Robinson Crusoe, Defoe initially depicts Friday through this romanticized lens but soon undermines it by having Crusoe impose European language, religion, and customs upon him. By teaching Friday English and converting him to Christianity, Crusoe enacts a process of cultural assimilation that reinforces the hierarchy of colonizer over colonized. The act of “civilizing” Friday becomes symbolic of European dominance and the erasure of indigenous identity under the guise of moral duty.

In contrast, Coetzee’s Foe subverts this myth. His Friday is not a grateful subject of civilization but a silent victim of colonial brutality. The cutting of his tongue symbolizes the violent suppression of the colonized voice, denying him both speech and subjectivity. Coetzee thus transforms the image of the noble savage into a haunting emblem of colonial trauma, exposing the violence embedded in the colonial project itself.

The Economic Exploitation of the Colony:

Economic ambition was at the heart of colonial expansion. Colonies were valued primarily for their resources, labor, and trade potential. In Robinson Crusoe, Crusoe’s establishment of a plantation, his cultivation of crops, and his engagement in trade reflect the capitalist motivations driving colonial ventures. The island becomes a miniature model of the empire—a space where economic productivity and possession signify mastery and progress.

Coetzee’s Foe, however, reveals the hidden cost of this economic enterprise. His island is not a site of prosperity but one of deprivation, decay, and trauma. Rather than portraying the island as a place of opportunity, Coetzee exposes it as a psychological and physical prison shaped by the exploitation and suffering inherent in colonialism. Through this contrast, he dismantles the glorified image of colonial success and reveals its foundations in violence, domination, and loss.

References :

Coetzee, J. M. Foe. Penguin Books, 2010.

Defoe, Daniel. Robinson Crusoe. Fingerprint! Classics, 2018.

GRIN - Daniel Defoe’s “Robinson Crusoe” and J.M. Coetzee’s “Foe”: Colonial Imagination and Its Postcolonial Deconstruction. www.grin.com/document/120711.

Han, Wenju. “Construction and Deconstruction of Imagined Community—A Comparative Study of Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe and J. M. Coetzee’s Foe in Light of Nationalism.” Journal of Language Teaching and Research, vol. 8, no. 6, Nov. 2017, p. 1141. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.0806.15.