'Foe' by J.M. Coetzee

 'Foe' by J.M. Coetzee

Introduction :-

Nobel laureate J. M. Coetzee, who was born in South Africa, wrote the 1986 book 'Foe'. Written from the viewpoint of Susan Barton, a castaway who arrived on the same island where "Cruso" and Friday lived while their adventures were already in progress, Foe is interwoven with the existing 'Robinson Crusoe' plot. The book examines a number of topics, including the essence of narrative, its allure and oppression, identity confusion, slavery, reality and fiction, and many more. While some commentators thought Foe was a significant protest against apartheid, others thought its criticism was not clear enough.

Now let's discuss about major thing of the novel in detail.

The comparative and critical analysis of Daniel Defoe’s ‘Robinson Crusoe’ and J. M. Coetzee’s ‘Foe’.

'Robinson Crusoe', written by Daniel Defoe, is regarded as a cornerstone work for early fiction and exposed readers and writers to the idea of an island setting for a story. Because patriarchy was so dominant in the 17th century, Defoe's book offers a glimpse of the traditional gender norms of the day. Men were dictators, and women were property. During colonisation, the story is told from the perspective of a middle-aged white man.

J.M. Coetzee's novel 'Foe' was a creative effort that mimicked Defoe's well-known classic. Although there are numerous similarities between the two novels, Coetzee structured his work to offer a modernised interpretation of the narrative that Defoe had written by including a female character, a new place, and a more modernistic point of view. Even though Robinson Crusoe was written hundreds of years ago, J.M. Coetzee's 1986 novel Foe, a parody of Defoe's well-known classic, offered a more recent glimpse into his island lifestyle and societal beliefs. Susan Barton is the woman who narrates Foe, although Robinson Crusoe, the protagonist of Defoe's book, tells the tale in the first person.

Colonialism and the Structure of Power :-

Many people believe that Defoe's book is among the first colonial writings. In his treatment of Friday and his control over the island, Crusoe demonstrates colonial views by claiming supremacy over both the people and the land. The coloniser is portrayed in the book as superior and civilised, reflecting a Eurocentric mindset.

By telling the story via Susan Barton, a woman who contradicts Crusoe's story, Coetzee subverts this colonial viewpoint. Friday is portrayed as a voiceless character, representing the colonised people who have been silenced. Coetzee criticises how colonial narratives remove or misrepresent the voices of the oppressed and reveals the injustices that come with colonialism.

Voice and Silence :-

Crusoe is the only narrator in Defoe's tale who presents his tale from a Western, individualistic point of view. As a symbol of how colonial narratives frequently repress the viewpoints of colonised people, he speaks for Friday, whose voice is conspicuously absent. Susan Barton, who was not present in Defoe's book, is given a voice by Coetzee. She asks the author Foe, who is a fictionalised Defoe, how he changed her story to suit his ideas. In Coetzee's book, Friday's silence emerges as a major subject, signifying the wider erasure of under-represented voices in historical accounts. Coetzee criticises the power relationships in narrative, arguing that silence frequently has just as much significance as words.

Role of Women :-

Defoe's book emphasises male adventure and survival and has few female characters. The colonial setting of the 18th century, in which women were generally left out of such narratives, is reflected in the lack of women. Susan Barton, who is introduced as a prominent character in Coetzee's Foe, is able to challenge the narrative's emphasis on male viewpoints. Because she finds it difficult to take charge of her own story, which author Foe constantly rewrites, her existence draws attention to how marginalised women are in literary and colonial histories.

Character of Narrative and Power :-

Crusoe's version of events is portrayed as objective truth in Defoe's work, which is frequently seen as an autobiographical account. His complete control over his own narrative strengthens his feeling of dominance and control over his surroundings. Coetzee investigates the boundaries of a singular story and queries what constitutes "truth" in narrative. The conflict over who gets to tell Susan's story is reflected in her encounters with Foe. According to Coetzee, stories are frequently written with specific goals in mind, exposing the subjectivity of truth and the prejudices present in historical narratives.

Identity and Self-discovery :-

The Enlightenment values of human reason and dominion over nature are reflected in Crusoe's voyage, which is frequently seen as a tale of independence and individualism. His metamorphosis on the island represents the Western ideal of human development and self-discovery. Foe, on the other hand, challenges this idea of independence. Susan's path is a search for autonomy in narrating her own story rather than one of self-discovery. The Western concept of uniqueness and self-expression is questioned by Friday's silence, which implies that actual identity is nuanced and frequently repressed by prevailing myths.

Rethinking the Character of Friday :-

The portrayal of Friday in Defoe's book as a "savage" who is "civilised" by Crusoe reflects colonial notions of indigenous people as being in need of European direction and control. Friday is recast by Coetzee as a character who loses his voice, representing colonised people who are deprived of the ability to narrate their own tales. Because of Friday's silence, readers are compelled to face the inequities and dehumanisation that are a part of colonial tales.

The Use of Intertextuality in Postcolonial Analysis :-

Robinson Crusoe is both referenced and critiqued in Coetzee's extremely intertextual work. By questioning the legitimacy and presumptions of Defoe's work and exposing the ways in which colonialist literature has traditionally silenced marginalised voices, Foe functions as a postcolonial response. Foe challenges the idea of historical "truth" through Susan's fight to have her narrative represented truthfully. Crusoe's viewpoint is accepted as fact in Robinson Crusoe, but Coetzee shows in Foe that the biases and interests of the narrator influence all stories. This is consistent with postcolonial historical critiques, which contend that historical records frequently mislead or omit information about colonised societies. Coetzee contends that rather than enforcing a single, prevailing "truth," authentic postcolonial narratives must recognise a variety of viewpoints and voices.

In Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, Friday is presented as a "savage" whom Crusoe "civilises," whereas Crusoe is a character of control, tenacity, and civilisation. In his reimagining of these characters, Coetzee challenges the legitimacy of Crusoe's viewpoint. In Foe, Friday and Susan Barton are both marginalised characters that illustrate how colonial narratives frequently disregard or misrepresent the views of the downtrodden. Coetzee adds a female viewpoint that isn't present in Defoe's work by making Susan the main character. Susan's difficulty sharing her experience serves as a reminder of how some voices especially those of women and people who have been colonized are often silenced or altered to conform to prevailing narratives.

Conclusion :-

Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe and J.M. Coetzee's Foe present opposing viewpoints on colonialism, narrative, and identity. Coetzee's Foe challenges Defoe's novel's Eurocentric, colonial perspective by highlighting the importance of including the voices and experiences of the colonised and marginalised in literature and history. Coetzee emphasises the power relations in storytelling through Foe, demonstrating that authority over narrative frequently translates into authority over history and reality.