ROBINSON
CRUSOE
DANIEL
DEFOE
Daniel Defoe’s novel Robinson Crusoe tells the story of a man cast away on an
uninhabited island who attempts to create a life for himself.
Robinson Crusoe narrates the story to us.
He was born in 1632 in the town of York, England. He is the youngest son of a merchant. His
father encourages him to study law, but Crusoe expresses his wish to go to sea.
His father advises him to be content with what he has. But Crusoe turns a deaf
ear to his father’s plea. On 1st September 1652, without informing
his family members, he boards a ship bound for London with a friend.
Misfortune begins immediately in the form
of rough weather. The ship is forced to land at Yarmouth. From there, Crusoe
makes his way to London via land. He thinks briefly about going home, but
cannot stand to be humiliated. So he goes to London and befriends an English
sea-captain there. The captain takes Crusoe to Guinea Coast in West Africa for
trading. He earns a sizeable amount of money by selling the goods. The trip is
financially successful. The second voyage does not prove as fortunate because
the ship is seized by pirates from Sallee. He remains as slave for two years. While
on a fishing expedition, he and a black boy named Xury escape in a boat. A
Portuguese Captain picks them up. He buys Xury and takes Crusoe to Brazil. In
Brazil, Crusoe establishes himself as a plantation owner and soon becomes
successful. To buy more slaves Crusoe sets out on a slave-gathering expedition
to West Africa but ends up ship wrecked off of the coast of Trinidad.
Crusoe, the sole survivor of the
expedition reaches an uninhabited island on 30th September 1659. He
takes things like knife, guns, gun power and other items from the wrecked ship.
He starts to build himself a shelter in the island. He learnt to cultivate crops. In June 1660,
he falls ill. He prays to God and recovers.
One day Crusoe notices a man’s footprint on
the sea-shore. Soon afterwards, he encounters a group of cannibals feasting on
human flesh. Crusoe protects one of the victim whom the cannibal wanted to kill
and eat. Crusoe names him Friday and teaches him some English words and
elementary Christian concepts.
Later, Crusoe and Friday fight against
another group of cannibals and save from them a Spanish prisoner and Friday’s
father. Eight days later, the sight of an
approaching English ship alarms Crusoe and Friday. They watch eleven men
and three captives on shore in a boat. Crusoe and Friday overpower these men
and release the captives, one of whom is the Captain of the ship. With the help
of Crusoe the Captain recovers his ship.
On December 1686, Crusoe and Friday board
the ship to return to England. Through the Portuguese Captain he comes to know the
condition of his plantation in Brazil. He arranges to sell his Brazilian lands
and made a considerable fortune. He gives money to the people who were so kind
to him. He returns to the English countryside and settles there.
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