Comparison between Clive Cussler's Sahara and Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe The theme that will be explored in this essay will be survival when times they become difficult, physically, mentally. The two books that will be involved in the discussion will be Sahara by Clive Cussler and Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe. In both cases the main characters show signs of breaking down and giving up due to physical, but also mental stress. Robinson Crusoe and Sahara relate in many ways, as do the main characters, and will be two good books to compare the survival of both Dirk Pitt and Dirk Pitt. Robinson Crusoe. The three criteria we will talk about in this essay will be physical survival. Did both characters have tough times to come out of? . The next type of survival is mental survival, it is almost second to physical survival and both characters show signs of this type as well. With mental survival, the physical component must first be stable and accomplished, that's when you can work your mind towards better thoughts and ideas. The third criterion that will be examined is how the characters have been changed by the end of the book, considering it through PTSD. Both characters show signs of physical survival and it is believed that physical survival is the most important type of survival because you must first be physically healthy and strong before you can even walk, talk or think. Mental survival is highly necessary and is required in difficult times. Each type of survival is different in its own way, but first you need to achieve physical stability to be able to survive the elements and their challenges and then master the other type of survival such as mental survival. In Robinson Crusoe it rains heavily and the wind blows strong. Robinson says this is the strongest and most violent storm to ever hit him. He is deathly ill and writes this in his diary. The fever is so bad again that I stayed in bed all day and didn't eat or eat anything. I was on the verge of dying of thirst, but I was so weak that I didn't have the strength to get up or get water to drink. (Defoe 96) Dirk Pitt also had a hard time in the book Sahara. Crawling through the desert, he had nothing to drink or eat for days and days to come. This is what he remembers of that sad day on the dusty desert floor. Pitt found it strange that he couldn't remember when he last spat. Even if he sucked small pebbles to relieve his relentless thirst, he could do it