Robinson Crusoe: The First Fiction Daniel Defoe is credited with writing the first long fictional novel in the history of literature. Drawing on established literary genres such as the traditions of Guidance and Providence and spiritual biography, Defoe sought to illustrate the life of a man who "tempted Providence to its ruin (Defoe 13)" and the consequences of such actions. While marooned alone on an island, the character of Robinson Crusoe appears to have a religious epiphany about the role of Providence in his life and decides to live according to God's will. However, Crusoe's internal reflections throughout his narrative and his actions are unrelated, causing the reader to question the validity of this conversion. By examining the plot and the process of psychological change that Crusoe undergoes, it becomes evident that "he experiences and accepts divine control, but that control can only be achieved in the free context that he himself has created (359)." When push comes to shove, Crusoe reverts to human instinct and his own impulses rather than what he perceives to be the will of Providence. Crusoe uses his new religion only when it is convenient and as a means of justifying his actions and as an acceptable reason for everything unfortunate that happens. When he finally leaves the island and returns to society, Crusoe's faith is tested and he fails miserably, with virtually no mention of Providence towards the end of the story. At the beginning of the novel, Crusoe introduces himself and establishes that his narrative is a memoir of sorts, and is told looking through more experienced and wiser eyes than when he originally experienced his story. This is important to note, because his speech is nuanced with hindsight and interpreted through a mind that has come to accept the hand of Providence in his life. For example, when the Turks capture Crusoe and he is enslaved, he reflects by saying, "now the hand of heaven had overtaken me and I was destroyed without redemption. But alas! This was but a foretaste of the misery I was to go to." through' (15)." Because Crusoe recalls events from memory, as well as the lack of input from other characters, his reliability can be questioned as a narrator. An unreliable narrator is one who can err in understanding or reporting things and which therefore leaves readers without the necessary guides to make judgments.