J M Coetzee's Foe

 J M Coetzee's Foe

This blogpost is a part of thinking activity on J M Coetzee's novel Foe. In which I will address the question of a comparative and critical analysis of Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe and J. M. Coetzee’s Foe.

J M Coetzee

J M Coetzee

J.M. Coetzee (born February 9, 1940, Cape Town, South Africa) is a South African novelist, critic, and translator noted for his novels about the effects of colonization. In 2003 he won the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Dusklands (1974), Coetzee’s first book, contains two novellas united in their exploration of colonization, The Vietnam Project (set in the United States in the late 20th century) and The Narrative of Jacobus coetzee (set in 18th-century South Africa). In the Heart of the Country (1977; also published as From the Heart of the Country; filmed as Dust, 1986) is a stream-of-consciousness narrative of a Boer madwoman, and Waiting for the Barbarians (1980), set in some undefined borderland, is an examination of the ramifications of colonization. Life & Times of Michael K (1983), which won the Booker Prize, concerns the dilemma of a simple man beset by conditions he can neither comprehend nor control during a civil war in a future South Africa.

Foe

J.M. Coetzee's "Foe," published in 1986, presents a postmodern retelling of "Robinson Crusoe" through the eyes of Susan Barton, a woman castaway who finds herself on an island with the mysterious Cruso and his mute servant Friday. The novel's structure, divided into four sections, deliberately subverts traditional narrative expectations as it follows Susan's attempts to have her story written by author Daniel Foe (a fictionalized version of Defoe). Through this framework, Coetzee masterfully explores themes of authorship, truth, and narrative power, questioning who has the right to tell stories and how those stories are shaped by authority. comparative and critical analysis of Daniel Defoe’s 'Robinson Crusoe' and J. M. Coetzee’s 'Foe'

Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe and J. M. Coetzee’s Foe both tell stories of people stranded on islands, but they approach survival, power, and the act of storytelling in very different ways. Robinson Crusoe, written in the early 18th century, is an adventure novel that follows Crusoe, a man who learns to survive on a deserted island after a shipwreck. Through his cleverness, hard work, and faith, Crusoe manages to build a life for himself, eventually meeting a native man whom he names “Friday.” Crusoe teaches Friday English, converts him to Christianity, and treats him as a servant. This relationship reflects the colonial ideas of Defoe’s time: Europeans often saw themselves as superior to other cultures and believed it was their duty to "civilize" people they viewed as “savage.” The novel celebrates Crusoe’s control over the island and Friday, suggesting that mastery over land and people is part of his achievement.

In contrast, Foe, written by J. M. Coetzee in 1986, is a reimagining of Crusoe’s story with a strong focus on colonialism and the ethics of storytelling. Coetzee introduces a new main character, Susan Barton, who is also shipwrecked and finds herself on an island with a silent native man named Friday and a man resembling Crusoe, who soon dies. Susan tries to understand Friday and attempts to tell his story, but he does not speak and remains silent throughout the novel. His silence becomes a powerful symbol of how colonized people’s voices were often erased or ignored by colonial powers. Susan struggles to represent Friday’s story accurately, raising questions about whether she can truly speak for him or if doing so only continues the pattern of colonizers taking control over native lives and identities. 

Where Robinson Crusoe uses language as a tool of control (Crusoe teaching English to Friday to assert dominance), Foe highlights the limitations of language itself. Friday’s silence in Foe suggests that some experiences, particularly those affected by colonial oppression, cannot easily be spoken by outsiders. Susan’s difficulty in writing Friday’s story shows how powerful figures often control narratives, leaving the less powerful voiceless. Coetzee even titled the book Foe—a reference to Defoe’s real surname, Daniel Foe—hinting that he is critiquing Defoe’s portrayal of colonial subjects and examining the ways authors shape stories to fit their perspectives or ignore others’ realities. 

Robinson Crusoe focuses on survival and self-discovery as Crusoe grows through his experiences, mastering his environment and building a new identity in isolation. In Foe, however, identity is more complex and uncertain. Susan Barton’s struggle to narrate her own story and Friday’s raises questions about how identity is shaped not only by personal experiences but also by the narratives others create. Coetzee’s novel challenges readers to think about the people, like Friday, who were silenced or ignored by history. While Robinson Crusoe portrays the colonial perspective as triumphant and superior, Foe presents a critical view of colonialism, exposing the unfairness of one-sided stories and the deep impact of erasing native voices.

References:

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "J.M. Coetzee". Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 Oct. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/J-M-Coetzee. Accessed 13 November 2024.

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