inteTo make the voice of Friday articulate would be to betray it sentimentally into lligibility, for the comfort of the guilty self; but not to articulate its silencing would be an even worse treachery. Discuss the ways in which Defoe and Coetzee represent Friday. Fridays character within both the texts is an important role in the plot and is used to explore themes within them. Within this essay I will be exploring the idea of Friday, what differences there are in Fridays character and why these differences exist.There is a large difference between the roles of the two Fridays in the novels. One of these is the difference in importance to the plot and the narrator themselves. Coetzees Friday is the first character that Susan Barton meets when she is stranded on the island. He is quickly transformed from a dull fellow to an object of fascination when she discovers his mutilation. However Friday in Defoes novel is not as fascinating to the narrator and therefor does not become more interesting to the reader than Crusoe in the narration. This is not to say that the character of Friday is not important to the development of plot and central themes in Robinson Crusoe; as he is a vehicle which allows Defoe to present a view of a coloured man than would, at this point in history, be impossible to express, an idea that I expand upon later in my essay. Both Fridays lack and acquisition of speech in the novels is very important. In Robinson Crusoe Friday is described as a very fast learner and a good student (p213.) His character is used as a vehicle for important discussions and information on religious and moral issues; which adds a different type of narration to the novel. Within Robinson Crusoe Friday not only learns English but can discuss theological ideas and theories. In drastic contrast to this Friday, within Foe, is incapable of speech to such an extent that he has had his tongue removed and is therefor permanently silenced. I thin...
