A quote from Foe that kind of stuck with me is when Cruso says "Laws are made for one purpose only... to hold us in check when our desires grow immoderate. As long as our desires are moderate we have no need of laws" (36). Is this why Cruso refuses to look for tools or anything that could better the life on the island, because he wants to keep his desires in check? Perhaps he is nervous that if he continuously thinks about getting off the island, his want for that will exceed anything else, prompting him to do irrational things. Therefore, this is making him accept and appreciate his life he has on the island, especially with the faith that someone will eventually come and plant corn. Also, I think Cruso feels very much in control on the island. Even Susan says "He truly is a kingly figure; he is the true king of his island" (38). His only other companion before Susan arrived was Friday, who doesn't seem to protest his control. Cruso's statement prompts Susan to ask herself the question of why she is still on the island and Cruso hasn't killed her, and why Friday hasn't killed Cruso and freed himself of his master. I think the simple answer is manipulation, particularly by Cruso, in addition to Susan and Friday's dependence on him, from which manipulation stems.
You bring up an interesting point about why Cruso refuses to have laws. Perhaps a part of him does want to keep his desires in check, but I think he wants to keep Friday's and Susan Barton's desires in line more than his own. It's possible that Cruso doesn't want to look for tools or anything from the shipwreck because he's afraid that Friday could use these things to overpower him.
ReplyDeleteAlso, holding onto the belief that one day a planter could come and sow corn on the island surely seems like an unrealistic and "immoderate" desire on Cruso's part. Although, maybe as illogical as this hope may be, it is still a more logical hope than getting off the island after all these years, which is why Cruso allows himself and Friday to believe in that possibility.