Daniel Defoe has written Robinson Crusoe where he discusses the bad practice of colonialism. So, in the following content, we are going to discuss Robinson Crusoe summary. Let’s enjoy the content.
Writer’s Intro:
Daniel Defoe ( 1660 – 1731) born Daniel Foe, was an English trader, writer, journalist, pamphleteer, and spy. He is most famous for his novel Robinson Crusoe.
Robinson Crusoe Theme
Colonialism is the main theme of the novel.
Character List of Robinson Crusoe
Robinson Crusoe: Robinson Crusoe is the story’s main character. He is a rebellious young man with a strange need to travel. Because of this need, he makes bad things happen to himself and ends up alone in a primitive land. The main story of the book is how his isolation changed him mentally and spiritually. He has a character that is both practical ingenuity and immature decisiveness at the same time.
Xury: Xury is Crusoe’s friend and servant, and he also gets away from the Moors. He is a simple young man who loves Crusoe and is willing to stand by the narrator, which is a good thing. He doesn’t think for himself, though.
Friday: Friday is another friend or servant of Crusoe. He lives on the island with Crusoe for a number of years and is saved from being eaten by cannibals by him. Friday is basically Crusoe’s protégé, which is a person who is taught and helped by an older, more experienced, or more powerful person. Friday is a living example of how Crusoe’s religion justifies the two men’s relationship as slaves. The fact that he wants to be remade in the European style is supposed to show that this is the right style.
Crusoe’s Father: Even though Crusoe’s father only shows up briefly at the beginning, he represents the theme of how good it is to be a Protestant middle-class person. Crusoe is trying to get away from what he has taught, but not very well.
Crusoe’s Mother: Crusoe’s mother is one of the few women in the story. She loves and supports her husband and won’t let Crusoe go on a journey.
Moorish Patron: Moorish patron is Crusoe’s slave master. he allows for a role reversal of white men as slaves. He doesn’t seem to be too quick, though, because he gives Crusoe a chance to get away.
The Portuguese Sea Captain: The Portuguese sea captain is one of the nicest people in the book. He is honest and represents all the best things about Christianity. Everyone should respect him because he was so kind to the narrator. He’s almost as good as Crusoe’s real father.
Spaniard: One of the prisoners Crusoe saves is a Spaniard. It is interesting to note that Crusoe thinks of the Spaniard with much more respect than any of the black people he meets.
Captured Sea Captain: He is the perfect soldier, a mix of European civilization and a wild white man. The fact that Crusoe backs his fight shows that the narrator is no longer just motivated by religion.
Widow: She is the personification of goodness and keeps Crusoe’s money safe. She’s kind of the opposite of his mother, who doesn’t help him at all.
Savages: From across the way, Crusoe met the cannibals. They are a threat to Crusoe’s religious and moral beliefs as well as to his safety. Before he can go back to his own world, he has to beat them.
Negroes: They are different from the savages because they help Xury and Crusoe when they land on their island.
Crew Members: They are white savages and dishonest crew members. They are an example of white men who don’t listen to God.
Robinson Crusoe Summary
The first part of Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe summary
Robinson Crusoe is a young man who lives in Hull, England. He is about eighteen years old. Even though his father wants him to be a lawyer, Crusoe wants to go on adventures at sea. He doesn’t care that his two older brothers have left because they want to try new things. His father warns that being in the middle class is the most stable way to live. Robinson just doesn’t care. When his parents won’t let him go on at least one trip, he runs away with a friend and finds a way to get to London for free.
Unfortunately, bad luck starts right away in the form of bad weather. For this, the ship has no choice but to go to Yarmouth. When Crusoe’s friend finds out why he left his family, he gets angry and tells him that he should have never come to the sea. They go their separate ways, and Crusoe walks to London. He thinks for a moment about going home, but he can’t take being made fun of any longer. Then he finds another ship that is going to Guiana. Now he wants to become a trader once he gets there.
On the way, Turkish pirates attack the ship, and the crew and passengers are taken to the Moorish port of Sallee. Robinson is sold into servitude. He plans to run away for two years. When he is sent out with two young Moors to go fishing, a chance comes up. Crusoe throws one overboard and tells the other, Xury, that he can stay if he is faithful. They drop anchor on what looks like land with no people.
The second part of Robinson Crusoe summary
Soon, they notice that black people live there. Crusoe and Xury get along well with these natives. A Portuguese ship can be seen in the distance at one point. They are able to paddle after it and get the people on board’s attention. The captain is kind and says he will take them on board for free and take them to Brazil.
Robinson leaves Xury with the captain and goes to Brazil. The captain and a widow took care of Crusoe’s money in England. Robinson sees that plantations bring in a lot of money to the new country. He makes up his mind to buy himself one. After a few years, he has a few partners, and they are all doing very well financially. Crusoe is given a new idea: he should start a trading business.
These men want to trade slaves, and they want Robinson to be in charge of the trading post. Later our protagonist decides to go on the trip, even though he knows he has enough money. Robinson is the only one who makes it out of a terrible shipwreck alive. He finally makes it to an island’s shore.
The third part of the summary
Robinson spends twenty-seven years on the island. He can take a lot of things from the ship. During that time, he tries to live as he did in England by building homes and other things he needs, learning how to cook, and raising goats and crops. At first, he is very unhappy, but he turns to religion as a way to feel better. He is able to convince himself that his life here is much simpler and less evil than it was in Europe. He comes to like being in charge of the whole island.
Once, he tries to use a boat to see more of the island, but he almost gets swept away, so he doesn’t try again. He treats his pets like subjects. Man doesn’t show up until about 15 years after he has been there. He sees a footprint, and then later he sees cannibals eating people. They don’t live on the island. Instead, they come to it in canoes from a nearby mainland. Robinson is very angry and decides that the next time these barbarians show up; he will save the prisoners. After a while, they come back. Crusoe scares them off with his guns and saves a young native boy he names Friday.
Friday is very thankful and decides to work hard for Robinson. He starts to learn English and starts to follow Christianity. The two are happy for a few years. Then, the second ship of wild people with three prisoners arrives. Crusoe and Friday are able to save the two of them by working together. One of them is from Spain, and the other is Friday’s dad. Their meeting up again is very happy. Both came from the nearby mainland.
The last part of Robinson Crusoe summary
After a few months, they leave to bring back the rest of the Spanish soldiers. Crusoe is glad that people are coming to live on his island. A boat of European men comes ashore before the Spaniard and Friday’s father can go back. There are three people behind bars. While most of the men are exploring the island, Crusoe finds out from one of them that he is the captain of a ship whose crew rebelled. Robinson tells them that he will help them as long as they give him control of the island and promise to take him and Friday to England for free.
Finally, the agreement is made. This small army is able to get the rest of the crew and the captain’s ship back. Friday and Robinson go to England with a group. Even though Crusoe spent 35 years, his plantations have done well and he has a lot of money. He gives money to the captain of the Portuguese ship and the widow who helped him. He moves back to the countryside of England and has a wife and three children. After his wife dies, he goes to the sea again.
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