Daniel Defoe's "In Defense Of His Right"

Without meaning to, I ended up reading three short stories that somewhat align with Halloween, two of which I have previously blogged about. Last night before heading out to a party, I managed to squeeze in a short story. This one is a part of the collection of English short stories that I also bought from some book sale. The story is "In Defense Of His Right" by Daniel Defoe.

I had never read anything by Defoe before, and the only thing I know about him is that he is the author of "Robinson Crusoe". I find his gothic story much more engaging than that of Poe. It is about a father who is tormented by the disappearance of his son, whose second wife keeps compelling him to will his fortunes to her son. Several visits by a strange apparition stands in the second wife's way of getting what she wants, and in the end it remains unclear whose apparition it is.

The story is more intriguing and leaves a more long-lasting impression because of the remaining mystery. It leaves the reader to ask question about the apparition, as well as the nature of greed and the bond between family members. The structure is linear, and the story is told mostly in the narrative form. Unlike Poe he doesn't take much time describing the settings; he doesn't use the environment to create the mood. While Poe's prose is much denser, Defoe's pacing is faster and more captivating. I wouldn't say whose style is better, but I do like Defoe's story better, just because the plot is more complex and intriguing.

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This is the part where I summarize the story for my own personal use. ***SPOILER ALERT***

After the father had married the typical greedy, evil step-mother, things had changed in the family. The oldest son wants to go abroad but the step-mother doesn't want him to, not wanting her husband to spend money on his expenses. With the help of other relative, the son is able to go. When the step-mother denies her husband the ability to pay the son's bills, the son disappears and the father cannot reach him. The step-mother tries to convince the father that the son is dead so her son with him can inherit his fortune, but the father refuses to believe it. An apparition of the son appears to haunt the step-mother as she compels her husband to comply to her desire. In the end the son shows up--he isn't dead, after all--and has no idea about the apparition. While abroad he has a dream that the father is writing him an angry letter telling him to come home. The father also never writes such a letter. My take on it is that the apparition is the mother who is dead, as she is the only dead character who is invested in the father and the son's well-being, who is most likely to dislike the step mother.