GENDER ROLES REVISITED: FRIDAY AS “THE SECOND SEX” IN ROBINSON CRUSOE
GENDER ROLES REVISITED: FRIDAY AS “THE SECOND SEX” IN ROBINSON CRUSOE

Summary/Abstract: Daniel Defoe’s canonical text, Robinson Crusoe (1719), has received feminist criticism for its lack of female representations. The limited representation of female characters reflects the patriarchal ideology of the time, which viewed women as inferior and less important than men. Initially, the presence of women in the novel is observed through Robinson’s mother’s traditional gender role as the protector mother. However, it later becomes evident that gender dynamics implicitly operate over hierarchical relations between the central characters of Friday and Robinson. The relationship between the two is complex and multifaceted, inviting diverse perspectives and critical readings. The study, hence, unpacks how Friday is depicted as occupying a gendered position that is traditionally associated with femininity and that is often subjugated by Robinson’s patriarchal authority akin to women in traditional family settings. Examining how Robinson and Friday are gendered through narration, dialogue, and descriptions makes it possible to uncover how gender is constructed and reinforced. Benefiting from the discourses of theorists such as Butler, and de Beauvoir, the study examines how the relationship between language, religion, culture, power, and gender forms through the example of Friday, concluding that gender roles can emerge as both masculine and feminine among men even in the absence of female characters.

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