Rewriting against the empire – Foe is a novel which writes back against the Eurocentric discourse on African nation. It rewrites the stereotypical representation of Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe where Crusoe meets Friday who saved him , converted him to Christianity and brings forth the civilization that the practice of cannibalism is wrong. This was the Eurocentric discourse in which Defoe narrates about the journey of Crusoe in Africa. Coetzee rewrites against this backdrop of representation by using Susan Barthon as a narrator and a voice for Friday’s truth. The truth about Friday remains a mystery for the author and the readers and Coetzee tries to bring forth a message in the novel that author Foe whom Susan meets wanted to alter and modify the story of Friday to boost a sell in the market. This clearly gives a message of Coetzee that the novel Robinson Crusoe original truth and experiences is hidden but an imaginative discourse has been portrayed in the novel. The evidence is suggesting that Coetzee is trying to dismantle the European discourse because he questions the story of Defoe’s narratives in his novel Robinson Crusoe and the original truth of the story would had been different since the stories perhaps would had been edited, manipulated as evident by Foe suggesting Susan that the story should be edited and modified to boost its sell which directly establishes Coetzee’s point in rewriting back against colonial power and European discourse.
Double Colonization of a woman– Many of the postcolonial feminists argue that woman were doubly colonized during the colonial times. In the novel, Susan Barthon is a western woman but she is doubly marginalized and colonized by the colonial hypocrisy of sexism and misogynistic attitude. She is also colonized by the patriarchal mindset of Foe. Susan Barthon wanted to speak for Friday’s truth and story in England but her authorship is doubted and rejected by Foe many times and throws a sexist angle at her stating that she does not know the about marketing which reflects the double colonization of a woman. During the times of Daniel Defoe and 18th century England, the New World or the newly discover lands were projected in a different lens and many people were intrigued and fascinated by the writer’s depictions of the newly discovered islands. Hence, Foe maybe perhaps suggesting that the narratives about Friday who is clearly a non-western individual has to be represented in such a way that it boost the market sells through the sensual depictions and portrayal but Coetzee interrogates this politics of colonial and imperial strategies that the authors and writers writes about the new world.
Master and Slave– The master and slave opposition is the important element of postcolonial binary oppositions. Crusoe stands as a master whereas Friday stands as a slave to him. Coetzee does not change the master/slave narratives of Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe but he raises question and doubt through Susan Barthon who was eager to understand Friday’s truth and how he became his slave. The idea of truth and reality is represented because Coetzee questions whether the narratives Crusoe utter about Friday is the reality or just a false assumptions. The consistent illusion of Friday’s discourses seems to be appeared as a false reality in the novel which Coetzee is trying to send a message from a colonized perspective that the stories are not the original reality and since Friday is tongueless reflects that the truth is impossible to figure it out. Coetzee also depicts that these binary oppositions of master/slave will continue and is unable to break free unless and until Friday narrates the entire truth of Crusoe and the European encounters and hence the reality is hidden and impossible to figure it out but there are assurances that the Eurocentric narratives is clearly not an original truth.
Retelling the narrative from a colonized Lens – The novel Foe retells the story from a colonized narratives to dismantle the Eurocentric imperial strategies. The imperial strategy was to civilized the Newly discover islands but Coetzee interrogates if it really happened or if it is just a mere illusion. When Crusoe highlights about Friday’s tongue being cut off by some Europeans that he encountered became a mere illusion to Susan when she drew the picture of an European cutting off Friday’s tongue and a senseless response from him. This makes the readers to doubt the narratives of Crusoe and the imperial strategy is questioned when Susan tries to civilized Friday but he was unable to understand reflects whether the colonizers really came to civilized the East or was just a mere policy only to establish their superiority. Coetzee has also tried to bring forth the colonized experiences in the novel where the silency of Friday and his tongueless depiction is clearly speaking out the different narratives of imperial and colonial encounter which is hidden. Hence, Coetzee doubt the story teller Crusoe and his narratives but significantly doubts that the illusions of narratives and hidden reality is interrogated at the author Defoe and hence he gives the title of the novel Foe which is from his name “Defoe” as the narratives are created by the author and Crusoe narrated the story which Defoe wanted it to be.
Click Here to Know A Postcolonial Reading of Defoe Robinson Crusoe
