Robinson Crusoe Themes and Summary
Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe tells the compelling story of its titular character, focusing on his life's various successes and setbacks, culminating in his remarkable 28-year survival on a desolate island and his eventual return to society as a wealthy man.
Early Life and Misfortunes
Robinson Crusoe, born Robinson Kreutznaer in York in 1632 to a German immigrant father, rejects his father's advice to pursue a steady life. Instead, driven by a "rambling design," he goes to sea. His first voyage is immediately met with a terrible storm. Despite this, he persists in his maritime adventures. He later embarks on a voyage that takes him towards the Canary Islands when his ship is surprised and captured by a Turkish pirate from Sallee, leading to his enslavement in Sallee.
Escape and Life as a Brazilian Planter
After two years as a slave, Crusoe escapes by boat with a Moorish boy named Xury. They sail along the African coast, encountering wild animals and friendly native people who provide them with food and water. They are eventually rescued by a Portuguese ship bound for Brazil. In Brazil, Crusoe establishes himself as a planter and begins to prosper, growing tobacco and sugar. He even arranges for funds from London to be sent to him in goods suitable for the country.
The Fateful Shipwreck and Island Life Begins Despite his growing wealth, Crusoe's desire for quick riches leads him to embark on a slaving expedition to Guinea. This proves to be "the unhappiest voyage that ever man made". His ship is caught in a violent storm and is ultimately shipwrecked off the coast of Guiana, near the mouth of the Orinoco river. Crusoe is the sole survivor, washed ashore "almost dead" on a "dismal unfortunate island".
Upon landing, Crusoe initially faces despair, lacking food, shelter, clothes, or weapons. However, he soon discovers that the wrecked ship has floated closer to the shore, allowing him to make multiple trips to salvage essential items. From the ship, he retrieves provisions (bread, rice, cheese, goat's flesh, corn, rum), tools (hatchet, saw, hammer, iron crow), firearms (fowling pieces, pistols, muskets), powder and shot, clothing, bedding, and even pens, ink, paper, Bibles, and a dog and two cats.
Crusoe establishes a fortified habitation, which he calls his "castle" or "cell," and builds a "bower" or "country house". He diligently keeps a journal to track time, marking days on a large post. He learns to adapt and master various skills, becoming a "complete natural mechanic". His daily activities include hunting for food, managing his growing flock of tame goats (which he nurtures for milk and meat), baking bread from salvaged grain, making candles from beeswax and goat tallow, and building furniture. He considers himself a "king" and "Generalissimo" of his island.
During his isolation, Crusoe undergoes a significant spiritual transformation, turning to God and finding comfort in reading the Bible.
The Arrival of Friday
After many years of solitude, Crusoe is "exceedingly surprised" to find the print of a man's naked foot on the shore. This discovery fills him with fear of cannibals, a fear that is later confirmed when he sees human bones on the shore. He develops a moral dilemma about intervening in their barbaric feasts, eventually deciding to conceal himself unless a clear call for action presents itself.
One morning, he witnesses five canoes of savages, with three prisoners, on his side of the island. He acts on a strong impression from a dream he had previously, where he rescued a savage. He intervenes, saving one of the prisoners who flees from the cannibals. This man kneels to Crusoe, kissing the ground and placing Crusoe's foot on his head as a sign of eternal submission. Crusoe names him Friday, after the day of his rescue, and begins to teach him English and Christianity. Friday becomes a devoted and faithful companion.
Rescue and Return to the World
Through conversations with Friday, Crusoe learns about other "white bearded men" (Spaniards) who were also shipwrecked and now live with Friday's nation on the mainland. This news ignites Crusoe's desire to leave the island and rescue them.
Just as Crusoe and Friday are preparing their boat for a voyage to the mainland, an English ship appears with a mutiny on board. The ship's captain, his mate, and a passenger have been set ashore as prisoners by the mutineers. Crusoe, acting as a "governor," devises a plan to help the captain regain control of his ship. They successfully engage the mutineers, securing the ship by stratagem and force, killing the rebel captain and capturing the remaining crew. Crusoe reveals his full history to the amazed captain. He arranges for some of the mutineers to be left on the island, giving them provisions and firearms, and instructing them to await the Spaniards.
After 28 years, 2 months, and 19 days on the island, Robinson Crusoe sails for England, arriving on June 11, 1687. He discovers that his Brazilian plantation has prospered immensely in his absence, making him suddenly wealthy with over £5,000 sterling and an estate generating over a thousand pounds a year. He generously rewards his old Portuguese captain and the widow who managed his money in London. Due to religious concerns (specifically, not wanting to embrace Catholicism if he returned to Brazil), he decides to sell his plantation, receiving a large sum in return.
Later Life and Revisit to the Island
Crusoe settles in England, marries, and has children, but his wife eventually dies. Years later, in 1694, he embarks on another voyage with his nephew to the East Indies. During this journey, he revisits his island, finding the Spaniards and Englishmen he left there. He learns of their struggles, their battles with Carib-beans, and their improvements to the island. Crusoe provides them with more supplies, including arms, tools, and two workmen from England. He also sends seven women from Brazil to the island to serve as wives for the men, further establishing his "colony". He divides the island into parts but retains property of the whole. The novel concludes with the implication of further adventures.
Themes and Interpretations
Survival and Ingenuity:
The novel is fundamentally a "wonderful tale of survival" where Crusoe "ingeniously succeeds against the odds". He transforms from a "congenital bumbler" to a "master of every mechanic art" through constant labour and experiment. This aspect is often highlighted in adaptations like Cast Away.
Isolation and Human Connection:
Crusoe's 28-year ordeal is a "twenty-eight-year ordeal of loneliness, hunger, and physical threat". The book emphasizes the "horrors of solitude" and how the appearance of Friday marks a significant change in Crusoe's "solitary state". Later adaptations, such as films by Luis Buñuel and Cast Away, often delve deeper into the psychological toll of Crusoe's loneliness, showing characters driven to madness.
Religion and Providence:
Defoe intended Robinson Crusoe as a "morality tale". The narrative frequently highlights Crusoe's spiritual journey, his turning to God in distress, and his reflections on the "wisdom of Providence".
Imperialism and Race: The novel embodies "the very image of Western imperialism". Crusoe views himself as an "absolute ruler" and a "benevolent despot" of his island, a "king" with "undoubted right of dominion" over his subjects. The relationship with Friday, where Friday offers "subjection, servitude, and submission," is seen as problematic in contemporary reinterpretations, with modern adaptations often critiquing or avoiding this racial dynamic.
The First English Novel: Robinson Crusoe is notable for being the "first English novel". Defoe presented it as a "just history of fact" to enhance its authenticity and impact, a marketing strategy that "persists to this day".
The narrative is recognized for its detail, plausible episodes, and "peculiar wisdom," making it a subtle study in innovation and a metaphor for human survival. It discusses a wide range of topics, including materialism, arrogance, travel, friendship, and the relativity of wealth. The story's enduring popularity and adaptability are evident in its numerous literary and screen reworkings, which constitute a genre known as the "Robinsonade".
Note: This content is extracted from the novel Robinson Crusoe with the help of Google AI-powered tool Notebook LM.
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