Colonel Jack
Book Review
«Colonel Jack» by Daniel Defoe is a novel in which the hero’s fate, like a river, winds between poverty and wealth, crime and repentance, the search for meaning and the longing for peace. Defoe masterfully weaves into the narrative the motifs of personal development, showing how chance and choices shape the human soul. Critics note that the novel is filled with vivid period detail, and the author’s language, rich and expressive, allows the reader to feel the breath of eighteenth-century London, its darkness and temptations. At the heart of the story are not only adventures but also a profound moral trial: Jack’s journey from street boy to wealthy man becomes an allegory of humanity’s thirst for redemption. Defoe does not idealize his hero, but shows his contradictions, weaknesses, and inner turmoil, which lends the narrative special authenticity and psychological depth. The novel is highly valued for its subtle social observation and the author’s ability to reveal the inner world of a person caught between good and evil.
