▁is ▁also ▁a ▁lot ▁of ▁conversation , ▁and ▁Ball ant y ne ▁adv ances ▁much ▁of ▁the ▁plot ▁through ▁dialog ue . ▁There ▁are ▁strong ▁similar ities ▁to ▁earlier ▁Ball ant y ne ▁nov els , ▁and ▁there ▁is ▁a ▁similarity ▁to ▁other ▁stories ▁of ▁the ▁era ▁such ▁as ▁Robinson ▁Cr us oe ; ▁that ▁is , ▁the ▁main ▁characters ▁are ▁first ▁placed ▁in ▁an ▁unknown ▁or ▁foreign ▁location , ▁where ▁their ▁safety ▁is ▁threatened , ▁before ▁landing ▁on ▁a ▁seem ingly ▁desert ed ▁island . ▁There ▁is ▁a ▁serious ▁moral ▁tone , ▁but ▁also ▁an ▁exc iting ▁story ▁told ▁in ▁an ▁accessible ▁manner ▁via ▁Ball ant y ne ' s ▁well - f ashion ed ▁pro se . ▁ ▁Research ing ▁the ▁setting ▁ ▁Ball ant y ne ▁became ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁first ▁advent ure ▁novel ists ▁to ▁conduct ▁background ▁research ▁to ▁develop ▁more ▁real istic ▁settings ▁and ▁descri ptions ▁for ▁his ▁nov els ." ▁The ▁resulting ▁real ism ▁helped ▁account ▁for ▁the ▁popular ity ▁of ▁his ▁nov els ." ▁ ▁He ▁dep icted ▁situations ▁as ▁closely ▁as ▁possible ▁to ▁reality . ▁ ▁Th emes ▁ ▁Like ▁many ▁of ▁Ball ant y ne ' s ▁ju ven ile ▁advent ure ▁nov els , ▁a ▁major ▁theme ▁is ▁Christian ity . ▁The ▁characters ▁show ▁varying ▁amounts ▁of ▁religious ▁dev otion , ▁and ▁Ball ant y ne ▁uses ▁direct ▁quotes ▁from ▁the ▁b ible . ▁ ▁The ▁theme ▁of ▁imperial ism , ▁explained ▁by ▁Deb or ah ▁Anna ▁Log an , ▁ar ises ▁as