Book Review: The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss

Book Publishing Background: Swiss writer & a pastor Johann David Wyss authored the children fiction adventure book, 'The Swiss Family Robinson (TSFR),' in German. He believed to have written it for his 4 sons. Wyss' 1 of the 4 sons Johann Rudolph Wyss though published the book in 1812. Since Daniel Defoe's 1719 novel Robinson Crusoe was the inspiration for TSFR's plot, Wyss originally titled his book The Swiss Robinson (German: Der Schweizerische Robinson). However, TSFR’s English translator William HG Kingston added the word "Family" to the title for English version of the book (published in 1879). In 2012, as part of its Collins Classics series, Harper Collins, London (UK), published Kingston's English version, The Swiss Family Robinson. My review is based on this Collins Classics book.

The Plot (Fiction): With their shipwrecked, a Swiss family of 6 (a couple and their 4 sons: Fritz (14), Ernest (12), Jack (10), & Franz (7)) get stranded on an isolated island. Spread over a decade's experience of stay there, the story revolves around the family mostly managing, repurposing, and growing natural resources to live. Some useful recoveries from the shipwreck too leverage their initial efforts. The experiences range from natural perils & useful opportunities about the wild animals & weather, variety crops & farm animals, fabric making from plant fibers, building initial shelter and later proper, comfortable house in rock caves, variety terrains used for hunting, new discoveries, and building seasonal home stays, etc. By the end of the decade, the family was living happily and peacefully, equipped with decent natural amenities and the organic lifestyle well adapted to the island.

Review: This is an imaginative and over optimistic book, conveniently eliminating or trivializing nature's perils. The apparently vulnerable family of 6 stays unusually fit, fine, and without any worrisome crisis. No diseases, no major injuries, nothing. Crops and animals of disparate geographies have all been fictionally stashed on this island, positioning the book plot somewhere between fiction and fantasy, in the backdrop of attempted reality. All this mix makes it a decent read for primary level kids.

The book is mainly about experiences in varied, well elaborated setups to simultaneously have the visuals running in readers' mind. This shall enhance focus and boost visualization skills in young readers.

The protagonist cum the narrator cum the head of the family, has been projected as an incredible expert naturalist, mechanical engineer, strategist, geography professional, and what not, since he knew about everything the family came across, could build anything needed, and had safe solution for every situation. His wife too is a great homemaker, able to stitch and create anything needed, spin fiber to make fabric, great cook, effective gardener/farmer, was very docile, kind, caring, cordial, and loving, etc.

The survival on this island majorly harped on courage (facing the fear and fighting it out) and 'Do it Yourself' (DIY) life skills. And this vital angle buffers the book's overdrive of imagination and idealism. Kids are usually inquisitive doers and the inspired ones may generally learn to explore their environment around. They may try do things on their own. The importance of life skills cannot be emphasized enough, and this book published back in 1812, goes all extra miles to stress that fact. Even in this wired age of automation, among the most popular of TV shows, YouTube channels, and web series, are the ones depicting ways and impact of DIY & life skills in raw, disconnected settings. Because they inherently resonate with human survival instincts. Problem and opportunities identification, resources procurement, management, & their optimal utilization, skills building, delegation, results assessment, and controlling its deviations, the fictional family effectively deploys these to survive. 

The story’s excessive optimism, though quite irrational for grownups, may work well for the forming value systems of the younger readers. Kids mostly have adaptive, and unbiased minds. The book too never judges a situation or any entity as good or bad. It just spins on reaction in the current situational context only. This aligns the book’s messaging with its young readers’ open and fearless outlook.

The author seems to be trying to encourage kids to go on exploring things with calculated risk. Children must practice ‘no risk, no gain’ during their growing years, when they still have their parents' safety net to fall back on. Instead of surrendering to a situation, the book inspires them to fight back a threat. It insists on keep trying, put in your best efforts for everything you do, and you shall succeed. Wyss seems to want children to calmly embrace failure and losses too and not let its shadow fall on their next steps. He tries to depict that what you achieve with all your efforts may get suddenly destroyed, the output of your most exhaustive of projects too may fail to work as expected, or may get redundant real soon. But quitting should not be your option. Better and more relevant efforts should be.

While over idealistic to the level of boredom for mature people, but Wyss, the pastor, makes sure that sincere gratitude to God at every step is a non-negotiable daily ritual. And in all honesty, I cannot contest him here on thankfulness as life's essential practice. Through his smooth depiction of good 10 years of stay of such a young, unprepared family, to almost mythical levels, Wyss I think is trying to establish faith in the miracles of God's kindness and blessings. No harm messaging the kids so. The importance of spirituality in life cannot be dismissed anyway. 

A serious drawback I noticed was, being from pre-1812 era, the book significantly talks of hunting, skinning, & stuffing of animals for recreational purposes too. This may be an animals’ welfare concern in contemporary parlance. And therefore, an adult needs to explain the context of these references, so that a right message reaches children. Also, from food and cultural angle, this almost constant killing of animals may detach readers of vegetarian food consuming and non-violence practicing countries, like much of India (Southeast Asia). 

The death of their loved pet, the parting of 2 sons, etc., impart another crucial lesson of letting go of even your most precious possessions for their benefit. Inner happiness must be pursued. Even out of love, one's ideas must not be imposed on anyone else, including your dependents. An individual must be allowed to blossom, even if it needs to break off. With intense life training and the distillate of "good, happy, and free," the book ends. 

Story Pages: 356

Readers' Recommended Age: 8-14 years (adult guidance may be needed to put things in right perspective)

Rating: 3/5 (Average)

                                                     -by Rakhi Sinha, Founder & CEO, The Syntax Systems, India