A very good argument could be made for Robinson Crusoe being an optimist. For one thing, though his father makes a very good case for staying in London and forgoing the sea, Robinson doesn't believe hardship and calamity will happen to him. He refuses to see it, or more likely, believes in his ability to handle whatever comes his way. In effect, he is right as we see throughout the rest of the novel. He is taken as a slave, then is shipwrecked and though he does have times when his spirit is low, his determination to make the best out of the situations are what keeps him alive long enough for opportunity to turn in his favor. An optimist, one could also argue, is the only type of person that could have survived for as long as he did on that island. Able to accept and create joy for himself, he was able to make it until his rescue.
