The Crolians
The narrative is an allegory of the history and social circumstances of England at the time of its publication. A lunar religious sect called the Crolians are the allegorical stand-ins for what were known as the Dissenters in English society at the time. The real-life counterparts of the Crolians were Protestants who broke apart from the official Church of England and were among the first to resettle in what would become the American Colonies.
The Narrator
Because Defoe is dealing in satire, it is sometimes difficult for some readers to determine whether he is a fully allegorized fictionalized version of Defoe or the exact opposite. Scholarly research has managed to get published which strongly argue that the narrator is expressing opinions consistent with Defoe. Such a perspective only seems possible if those subscribing to it have no understanding of satire whatsoever. The narrator is most definitely not intended to merely be a mouthpiece for Defoe to express his true opinions in a straightforward manner. That being said, the narrator is a rather inconsistent figure who on more than a few occasions actually does operate as a mouthpiece voicing Defoe’s actual opinions.
Bishop Wilkins
For instance, the narrator takes a sly swipe at the real-life historical figure John Wilkins, author of The Discovery of a World in the Moone. Referred to as Bishop Wilkins, the narrator castigates him as a Pretender to the title of Learned Philosopher. This may be one of those inconsistencies or it may be purely satirical. On occasion, the distinction between narrator and Defoe is too thin to be completely sure.
Boyl
A character is directly referred to several times in the text, but in a variety of different ways. At one point he is mentioned simply as Mr. Boy while elsewhere he enjoys the esteem of being called the Honourable Boyle. From there he descends to a low of being referenced merely by his last name and not even the full correct spelling. Boyl is actually Robert Boyle and he enjoys the distinction of being the real-life figure mentioned most often by name in The Consolidator. Though, admittedly, not necessarily by the rightful spelling of his name. Boyle was chemist, physicist, and engineer. He exists in the world primarily for the purpose of Defoe showing off his flair for parodying the writing style of others.
