부산대학교 도서관

The primary purpose of this study is to see the white British man's ethnic superiority in the eighteenth century revealed in Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe. Through the attitude of Robinson Crusoe towards the people of color such as Xury or Friday, we can see how proud the British were of their ethnic and racial superiority. The protagonist takes it for granted to enslave the Moore and the black-skinned boy, establishing master-slave relationships. From his perspective, the British were the masters of others, a chosen people by God, and citizens with great intelligence and scientific knowledge, but other ethnic people were inferior races close to primitiveness. However, Crusoe's attitude toward the Spanish is quite different from the attitude he showed towards Xury and Friday. While he placed himself in the position of the master with Xury and Friday, he treats the white Spanish man as if he were one of his colleagues. This proves that the sense of superiority of the protagonist's 'others' is not based on the nation or the country, but on race. The protagonist, who unexpectedly settled on the uninhabited island, is depicted as a heroic figure, not only surviving all kinds of difficulties but also saving the lives of some people. He also restores the Christian faith through the time of loneliness. Nevertheless, his words and attitudes presented throughout the novel cannot overcome the distorted and wrong self-identity, in other words, 'white supremacy', or 'the British supremacy', which was prevalent in the 18th century.