takes, as the situation she is born into is far from ideal. Using the picaresque format to describe Flanders’ poor childhood conditions engages the reader’s interest, showing the obstacles she must overcome, causing the true desired emotions, to be exerted. Flanders was described as being left as a “poor desolate girl” (Flanders, 44).
In both of Defoe’s novels, Flanders and Crusoe struggle dealing with what society expects from them, but Crusoe defies the reasoning that is being told upon him, while Flanders refused to be manipulated and forced into undesirable situations. Crusoe never formed into the man that his father expected, or had had hoped for. Crusoe instead chose to pursue a life that was truly desirable on his own terms, not falling into what society had hoped for. This was the first defiant step that leads Crusoe on his journey. This uses the picaresque format to show the results that come with every decision, and the rationale the protagonist must make to overcome the adversity that may follow. Upon telling his father that he would be pursuing a life at sea over a law profession, Crusoe saw the tears run down his father’s face “very plentifully” (Crusoe, 3). Flanders was making strong decisions at a very young age, refusing to fit into what society wanted her to be. Instead of falling into society’s beliefs, Flanders chooses to take a stand against higher-level authorities. Upon telling her nurse she would not do housework, the nurse was “mov’d” (Flanders, 47). This is a strong example of the picaresque format as it is the first defiant stand that Flanders takes in the novel, and the morals that she uses at this point, stick with her throughout adulthood. This was the first moment that Flanders was able to get what she wants in life, instilling a sense of greed that would become more prevalent l...