Robinson Crusoe: summary

Robinson Crusoe: summary - ROBINSON CRUSOE by Daniel Defoe Summary Robinson Crusoe was born in 1632; his parents are German, and left their hometown of Bremen to settle in Hull, in England.

They are middle-class, and Robinson's father strongly suggests a middle-class life for Robinson too, encouraging him to study law. Both of Robinson's brothers are missing: one was killed in battle, and there has been no news about the other since he began a life of travel and adventure. Robinson wants to travel as well, but is dissuaded by his father.

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In 1651, against his parents' wishes, however, Robinson leaves on a series of ill-fated voy­ages in search of indigenous non-Western peoples with whom he can trade. On one such voyage, Robinson's ship is captured by pirates and he is made personal slave to the pirate king. After two years, he manages to escape with a fellow prisoner, a Moor, Xury, and the two are taken in by a Portuguese trading ship and brought to Brazil. Robin­son becomes quite friendly with the Captain of the ship and sells Xury to him on the con­dition that he would free Xury in ten years (if, the Captain insists, Xury will convert to Protestantism).

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Robinson sets up a plantation in Bra­zil, growing tobacco, and it quickly begins prospering. Though he could stay and continue to manage his planta­tion, however, Robinson is struck with the urge to go to sea again, and leaves on a voyage that will eventually lead to disaster. The ship encounters a huge storm, and Robinson is the only survivor to reach the shore of a de­serted island.