How does Robinson Crusoe portray ideas about race religion and colonization?

In Robinson Crusoe, Daniel Defoe explores themes of race, religion, and colonization through the lens of the protagonist’s interactions with Friday, a native man whom Crusoe rescues from captors.12

The novel reflects the colonial attitudes of its time, as Crusoe imposes his own worldview upon his environment and his companion. Upon meeting Friday, Crusoe demands that the man show total subjection and servitude, explicitly teaching him to call him "Master". This relationship is defined by a power imbalance in which Crusoe assumes a position of superiority, systematically stripping away Friday’s original identity to replace it with an English-speaking, Christian one.12

While the narrative depicts a genuine friendship between the two, it remains deeply rooted in assumptions of racial and cultural hierarchy. Crusoe’s efforts to "civilize" Friday and his desire to shape the island landscape to fit his own expectations serve as a reflection of the era's colonial mindset, where the imposition of European values and religious beliefs was often viewed as a natural extension of authority over indigenous peoples.21