Summary-1

Robinson Crusoe begins his story with his family's history: his father was a merchant who emigrated from
Germany, made his fortune, and married his mother in York. Crusoe has two older brothers: the first was a soldier
killed in battle and the second has lost contact with the family. Crusoe's father advises him to remain in York in
comfortable circumstances, but his desire to travel overshadows his parents' wishes. At age 19, he boards a ship in
Hull bound for London.
The seas on this voyage are extremely rough, and Crusoe suffers from seasickness so extreme that he vows to
repent his disobedience of his parents and return to York if he survives the trip. He forgets this repentance quickly
once the seas become calm. A second storm sinks the ship near the port of Yarmouth, and Crusoe and the ship's
crew are lucky to escape with their lives. When he hears Crusoe's story, the captain pronounces him a jinx and
urges Crusoe to go home. Instead, Crusoe proceeds to London, too ashamed to return to his family. Once he arrives
in London, he begins looking for another voyage.

Summary-2
Robinson Crusoe sets out from London on a trip to Africa. The ship's captain does not charge Crusoe for the
voyage because he likes his company, so Crusoe is able to make enough money from this trip to set himself up as a
merchant trader upon his return. The captain dies shortly after their return, and Crusoe befriends his widow, who
keeps Crusoe's money safe when he embarks on his next voyage.
The second voyage to Africa is catastrophic, as the ship is raided by pirates from the Moroccan port of Sallee. The
crew is sold into slavery, and the pirates take the ship. The pirates' captain, a Moor, keeps Crusoe as his personal
slave. To prevent escape attempts, he charges Crusoe to watch his house while he is at sea and his ship while he is
in port. Crusoe dreams of escape during two years of servitude.

However, the pirate enjoys fishing and always takes Crusoe and two other servants with him when he goes. One
day while he entertains guests in his home, he sends Crusoe and the two other slaves—a Moor named Ismael and a
boy named Xury—out to fish. Crusoe takes this chance to escape by pushing the Moor overboard (although in
sight of land and with the knowledge that Ismael is a strong swimmer) and taking Xury into his own service. The
two of them sail south along the African coast. When they come to land for fresh water, they encounter fearful wild
animals. Crusoe and Xury kill a lion and keep the skin for a blanket.

Summary-3
Robinson Crusoe and Xury continue their travels down the African coast, hoping to reach Cape Verde and
encounter a European ship. Roughly a month into the journey, they come upon some native Africans who offer to
replenish their food and water stores. Crusoe and Xury have nothing with which to repay their kindness, but at that
moment two creatures chase one another on to the shore and Crusoe kills one of them, a leopard. The native
Africans take the leopard for meat and give Crusoe its skin.
Now equipped with fresh supplies, Crusoe directs the boat toward Cape Verde, wondering whether he should make
for the Cape Verde Islands or the mainland. As he ponders the decision, Xury spots a ship, which turns out to be a
Portuguese vessel. The captain takes Crusoe and Xury on board and agrees to take them with him to Brazil. Even
after they arrive in Brazil, the captain refuses to accept payment for his service, but he does buy Crusoe's longboat,
supplies, and animal skins. The captain also asks to buy Xury, which causes Crusoe some distress because the boy
has been so loyal. Crusoe finally agrees to the deal once Xury agrees and only after the captain promises to free
Xury in 10 years if the boy becomes a Christian.

In Brazil, Crusoe lives with the owner of a sugar plantation and learns the business, so he decides to set up a
plantation of his own. With what money he has from the sale of the longboat, supplies, and Xury, he buys as much
suitable land as he can for his plantation and sets about building his fortune. It is hard labor and he is mostly on his
own; his only society is occasional visits with a neighbor named Wells who is in a similar situation. Crusoe makes
arrangements with the Portuguese captain to bring his money from England so he can build up his plantation. After
four years on the plantation, he decides to join a voyage to Guinea in order to buy slaves. He puts his affairs in
order and sets out. Twelve days into the voyage, the ship runs into a storm and is forced to change course. The ship
runs aground in the Caribbean during another storm, and the entire crew is lost. Crusoe alone survives and makes it
to a nearby island.

Summary-4
The morning after the storm, Robinson Crusoe investigates the damage. He can see the wreck of the ship about a
mile from the island's shore and realizes the crew might have all survived if they had remained on the ship. At low
tide, he is able to swim to the ship and climb aboard on a rope. He finds the ship waterlogged, but most of the
provisions are dry, so he contrives a way to move the supplies to the island on a raft that he builds from wood from
the ship. He takes food, tools, guns, and ammunition on this first trip.
In his first 13 days on the island, he makes a total of 11 trips back to the ship, salvaging anything he can carry
before another storm comes in and washes the wreck away. He takes more tools, nails, clothing, a hatchet, a
grindstone, sails and rigging, a hammock, cables, and money (though he declares it useless), among many other
items. He also brings ashore a dog and two cats who survived on the wreck.

Crusoe surveys the island and verifies that it is, in fact, an island. It is also uninhabited except for birds. He sees no
wild animals in his early explorations but uses the crates from the ship as a barricade at night. Later, he discovers a
herd of wild goats, which becomes an important food source. He settles on a permanent dwelling spot by a shallow
indentation on a hillside, with a view of the sea in case a ship arrives. He sets up a tent by the hollow in the hill and
builds a fence around the perimeter—accessible by ladder, not a door, for security. He carries all his supplies into
his settlement and begins digging in the hollow to make a proper cave dwelling. He sets up a post to track the
passage of time, starts a journal, and builds a table and chair.

Summary-5
Robinson Crusoe's journal recounts his early days on the island, starting on September 30, 1659, the day of his
landing. He describes the trips he makes to the wreck and building his early settlement, as well as daily hunting
trips with his gun and his dog. He enlarges the cave on the hillside and builds a table. He then turns his attention to
making the tools he does not have, such as a shovel. He wants a wheelbarrow but, unable to make a wheel, settles
for a kind of sled to move the earth out of his cave. After a minor collapse in the cave, he shores up the
construction with wooden posts. He spends a lot of time fortifying his wall as the weather allows.
After he lames a goat and nurses it back to health, he begins to consider the possibility of domesticating some goats
for food, but he has no food to spare for them. He attempts to domesticate pigeons as well, but again, the lack of
extra food is problematic. He finds a few stalks of rice and barley growing from seeds he discarded out of a bag
ravaged by rats. He keeps the grains that grow so he may plant more the following season, but it will take him four
years to produce enough for eating.

In April of his first year, the island is hit by an earthquake and a hurricane in short order. He considers building a
new habitation, but he lacks wood and his tools are dull. He figures out a way to turn the grindstone with his feet
while he holds blades for sharpening, but he continues to live in the cave until he can make an alternative
arrangement. The hurricane also washes the remains of the ship closer to shore, so Crusoe is able to salvage a little
more gunpowder and dismantle the wood from the wreck for his own use.

Summary-6
Robinson Crusoe works for almost six weeks at dismantling the wrecked ship, and in this time he also fishes with
some small success. He further expands his food supplies when he catches and cooks a sea turtle, which he enjoys
for its meat and its eggs. By the time summer comes in this first year, chilly rains are falling and Crusoe becomes
very ill. He takes to his bed and is haunted by a dream of a man descending from the sky and threatening to kill
him for his lack of repentance.
After this dream, Crusoe takes stock of his life and realizes that he has been incredibly wicked by disobeying his
father's advice and by showing no gratitude for the good fortunes that have befallen him, including the Portuguese
captain's kindness in the past and his very survival on this island now. He sees his time as a slave and his
misfortunes on the island, including the earthquake, as punishment for his sins. He resolves to change his ways,
and as he recovers from the illness (aided by various combinations of tobacco and rum he concocts himself, having
no medicines), he begins reading one of the Bibles he salvaged from the shipwreck. He focuses on a verse that
promises God will deliver those who ask for his help, but he focuses more on the deliverance of his soul than the
possibility that God might physically rescue him. As a result, he begins to find his living situation more tolerable.

Summary-7
In additional explorations of the island during his recovery from illness, Robinson Crusoe finds more fresh water,
tobacco plants, cocoa trees, and wild sugar cane. He discovers a valley where citrus fruits and grapes are plentiful.
He gathers some grapes to bring home but must go back for bags to carry them. When he returns, he finds animals
have eaten and trod on the lot of them, so he sets up branches where he can hang the grapes to cure in the sun. He
considers moving his home into this valley, but it has no view of the sea, which is a problem. He sets up a second
home here instead, constructing a tent and fence that he will call his bower. He reflects, with mixed emotions, that
he is "king and lord" of everything he surveys.
When the rainy season begins in August, Crusoe is largely confined to his cave, which he continues to expand, and
he teaches himself to weave baskets in which to store food. He observes the first anniversary of his landing on
September 30, using the day for thanksgiving and prayer. At the end of the rainy season in October, he sows two-
thirds of his grain, but this planting is followed by the dry season, so nothing grows. He tries again in the valley
right before the rainy season begins a few months later, with more success.

Summary-8
Robinson Crusoe continues exploring the island beyond his bower and the valley, and he discovers land some
distance away, but he makes no plans to try to get there because he assumes it is held by "natives." He captures a
parrot, which he names Poll, and he eventually teaches the bird to speak. His dog also catches a young goat, which
Crusoe takes to his bower and places it in an enclosure. Then he returns to his cave for a week. When he comes
back to the bower for the goat it is nearly starved, and the hunger makes it tame. Once Crusoe feeds it, the goat
becomes his companion as well.
Crusoe's spiritual growth continues as he observes the second anniversary of his landing, giving thanks for the
comforts he has found on the island, even though he would still rather be rescued. He has established a daily
routine that includes reading scripture, cooking or preserving the food he kills or catches, and building tools and
furniture. His crops are doing well, but he has to build a fence to keep goats away and he kills three birds, which he
hangs over the crop to deter other birds. The harvest yields a few bushels, not enough to eat but enough to plant
more. He begins to plan how he will mill the grain once he has a larger crop in the coming year, though he reflects
on how much he still has to learn in order to be able to bake his own bread.

Summary-9
After he plants his next round of grain crops—he now has two fields to work—Robinson Crusoe learns to make
pottery. The results are ugly but functional as he shapes clay into vessels and dries it in the sun. Wanting vessels to
hold liquid, he devises a way to cure the pots in his campfire. Because he expects a larger crop of grain, he makes a
mortar and pestle out of hard wood for milling the grain, and uses fabric from the ship to make sieves for the
ground meal. These measures come in the nick of time because his supply of biscuits from the ship is running low.

He also has to fashion new clothes for himself as the ones he has are rotting after four years on the island. The
weather is hot enough for him to go naked, but he needs clothing to protect him from the sun. Using the remnants
of clothing he found on the ship along with skins of goats, he makes himself a new waistcoat and loose pants. He
also makes himself an umbrella from the skins.

The land he sighted from the island occupies his thoughts more and more. While he worries he might run into
cannibals there, he also considers the possibility of rescue. He is unable to salvage the ship's lifeboat that brought
him to this shore. It is too big and too far from the shore for him to move it to the sea. So he then builds a canoe out
of a single, giant tree that he fells for the purpose. It takes him months to finish, and then he discovers he is also
unable to move it into the water, so his labor has been wasted.
Summary-10
Now more than five years into his time on the island, Robinson Crusoe builds a new canoe and digs a canal to
move it into the water. He uses the boat only to do more exploration of his island, taking a short voyage around to
the other side. On his return, he gets caught between two strong currents and fears he will be swept out to sea. A
change of wind and current brings him back to shore, and he is back in his bower by nightfall. In the morning, a
voice greets him, saying, "Poor Robin Crusoe! ... Where are you? Where have you been?" This voice is Poll, his
parrot. The whole experience deters him from making any more explorations by water, and he devotes his time to
improving his skills at pottery and basket weaving.
In his 11th year, Crusoe finally develops a plan to domesticate goats, which is helpful because he is low on
gunpowder and can no longer hunt them. He traps three kid goats in a pit and feeds them with corn. He builds a
hedge fence for a pen to keep them away from the wild goats, and by the end of the year the three have multiplied
to a dozen goats. In the second year, their number increases to 43. The flock provides meat and milk, so Crusoe
learns to make butter and cheese and is amazed by the bounty of Providence.
Summary-11
Robinson Crusoe continues to maintain his primary home at the cave, which he calls his "castle," and the bower,
which he calls his "country seat." He also has his habitat for the goats and fields for his grain. He sometimes takes
short pleasure sails in his canoe but never wanders far from shore.
Going to the boat one day he discovers a single footprint in the sand, which causes him serious anxiety. He
considers possible sources for the print, including the devil. He briefly tries to convince himself the footprint is his
own, but this proves impossible. He finally decides the source is more likely human, specifically a human native
from the mainland. He fears these visitors may have discovered his settlements or his boat or other evidence of his
existence. He also fears they may come for him if they have discovered he is there.

Overcome by fear, Crusoe considers destroying everything he has built just to avoid discovery. Eventually, he
calms down and common sense prevails as he realizes that in 15 years on the island he has not encountered another
human being. He concludes these visitors don't come often or stay long. Instead of destroying his settlements, he
devotes his energies to fortifying them and concealing their presence, building yet another wall and setting up
several muskets so that he can fire them quickly.

Summary-12
Still anxious that the natives might discover him and his settlements, Robinson Crusoe divides up his goat herd and
places them in two or three hidden pens around the island. This way, if one herd is found he might lose part of the
flock but not all of it. He finds and builds one enclosure where he places some young goats. Then he sets about
searching for another isolated location for a third enclosure. His search takes him to a part of the island that he had
never visited. It is here that he makes a horrible discovery: coming down to the beach he sees the "shore spread
with skulls, hands, feet, and other bones of human bodies." He likewise finds a fire pit and concludes that the
natives are indeed cannibals, and that they come often to this part of his small island.
Horrified and unnerved by his discovery, Crusoe changes his habits, acting more to conceal himself than ever. He
also makes numerous excursions to the natives' beach, though he never sees anyone or even a canoe out at sea. The
reality of the cannibals being so close by occupies much of Crusoe's thoughts, and he finally decides to launch an
offensive against the visitors to wipe out their wicked ways. He keeps watch from a hill and prepares traps. But
after some time, he realizes it is not his place to judge these people or their activities because they don't understand
they are doing anything wrong. He realizes they have done him no harm, so it would be wrong of him to harm
them. Judgment and punishment are for God to perform, not him. He also wonders if an attack would be
impractical because the natives could outnumber and overpower him. Instead, he continues to focus on preparing
his defense and concealing himself as much as possible.

One day he finds a cave tucked away in a remote place. He realizes it is the perfect hideout if one should be
needed, and takes a large stock of guns and ammunition to this cave where they will be safe from discovery.

Summary-13
Now having lived 23 years on the island, Robinson Crusoe's menagerie has grown to include a few more parrots
and other birds, a few cats, and some pet goats. The dog died after 16 years. While these animals provide some
company, he misses human companionship even as he continues to live in fear and dread of meeting the
mysterious natives.
While he does not interact with the natives, this is the year he spots a group of them on the shore of the island,
which causes him great alarm. After they leave he finds human remains among the ashes of their fire, which
confirms they are cannibals. He does not see any more natives for more than a year, but he spends all these days
deeply worried about their return.

In May of this same year, he spots a Spanish ship in distress during a storm. The ship founders and he finds no
survivors on the wreck, except for a dog. His explorations of the wreckage also yield some fresh supplies of
gunpowder, along with a copper pot and brass kettles and a few chests containing shirts, bottles of cordials, and a
large quantity of money. He also gets some shoes from two of the sailors who drowned.
Summary-14
Life continues as it has on the island for two more years, but during this time, Robinson Crusoe begins thinking
seriously about how to escape. He also considers how much danger the natives pose for him. He was in no less
danger before he learned of their existence, but he was happier not knowing about them. He ultimately decides his
best chance for escape is to capture one of the natives and make him into an assistant and guide in his escape.
After another year and a half, this dream comes true. A group of natives come to shore with two captives. They kill
one captive right away, but the other captive makes a run for it while they prepare to cook the first man. Crusoe
sees all of this happen and intervenes to help the fugitive escape, killing one of the pursuers with his gun and
giving the escaped captive a sword to kill the other pursuer. Having rescued this captive, Crusoe takes him as a
servant and names him Friday. He begins teaching Friday English, gives him clothes, and dissuades him from
cannibalism when he wants to eat the two men they killed. In fact, Crusoe promises to kill Friday if he suggests
cannibalism again.
Shortly after taking Friday into his service, Crusoe spends time fortifying his dwelling in case Friday turns against
him, but his fears are unfounded as Friday becomes a faithful companion and servant.

Summary-15
Robinson Crusoe teaches Friday passable English and instructs him in all the trades he has learned on the island so
that Friday can assist him with the chores. This is important because Crusoe now has to produce food for two
people instead of just one. He quells Friday's lingering desires for cannibalism by introducing him to goat meat,
and Friday swears never to eat human flesh again. Crusoe doesn't give Friday a gun but does supply him with a
knife and hatchet for work and defense. He shows Friday how the gun works, because Friday doesn't understand
what it is and attempts to worship it.
Crusoe also introduces Friday to Christianity, which Friday accepts readily. They engage in conversations about
God and the devil, which causes Crusoe some difficulty because Friday asks difficult questions, including why the
all-powerful God doesn't just kill the devil. Crusoe is stumped for a while and finally explains that killing the devil
isn't part of God's plan, which is beyond what humans can know.
Crusoe and Friday also share their past histories. Crusoe tells the story of how he ended up on the island and Friday
explains how he was captured by a rival tribe and brought here to be killed. Friday says his tribe is very strong and
lives on the mainland. He also reveals he has seen a ship like the ones Crusoe describes and says one arrived in his
country with 17 white men who were allowed to settle alongside the tribe. When Friday expresses a desire to visit
his homeland again, Crusoe is angry, thinking Friday will revert to a wild state. Friday eventually explains that he
would teach his tribe about Christianity and to eat cattle instead of people, which makes Crusoe happy. They begin
planning how to get to the mainland.

Summary-16
Robinson Crusoe and Friday build a new boat to take them to the mainland. The boat is fitted with a sail and
rudder, so Crusoe teaches Friday about sailing and navigation.
The two continue farming and gathering food in preparation for their voyage, but the preparations are interrupted
when 6 canoes with 21 natives arrive on the island with 3 captives. Friday and Crusoe arm themselves and prepare
to meet the natives this time, and Crusoe feels confident their firepower can overcome the natives' greater numbers.
Still, Crusoe has second thoughts about attacking these natives, as they have done him no harm. These second
thoughts end when he sees one of the captives is a white man. Crusoe and Friday attack and kill 17 of the natives
and rescue the man, who turns out to be a Spanish survivor of a shipwreck.

They find a second man, a native, tied up in a canoe after the surviving natives flee the island, and Friday greets
him warmly because it turns out this man is his father. The new arrivals are brought to the castle, fed, and their
injuries tended. The next day, Friday's father speculates that the natives who escaped probably died in a storm that
struck the night they fled. Even if they survived the storm, he heard them cry out during their retreat that Crusoe
and Friday, with their guns, must be vengeful spirits or gods. Crusoe will discover later that the natives will avoid
the island for this reason, but in the short term he continues to be vigilant about security.

Summary-17
Robinson Crusoe talks to the Spaniard about his ideas for escaping. Once he decides the Spaniard is trustworthy,
the two make plans to bring the other Spaniards who are living with Friday's tribe to the island. On the mainland,
the Spaniards are not getting enough to eat and have little hope of escape. Once the Spaniards reach the island,
Crusoe and the Spaniard think they can build a large enough boat to escape the island and reach a European haven.
The men begin preparations to set this plan in motion. Crusoe sends the Spaniard and Friday's father back to the
mainland to retrieve the other Spaniards. Eight days after they depart, however, an English ship appears near the
island. Crusoe is more cautious than happy about this development. A landing party comes on shore with three
prisoners. The English sailors strike one prisoner with a cutlass, which confirms Crusoe's suspicions about them.
He feels sympathy for the captives, who remain on shore while the others explore the island.

Crusoe prepares for battle in case he and Friday are discovered. Then he goes to the shore to talk to the captives.
One of the captives is the ship's captain, now the victim of a mutiny. Crusoe agrees to help subdue the mutiny as
long as the English captain recognizes him as the authority on the island and agrees to take them to England if they
retake the ship. Crusoe, Friday, the captain, his mate, and a passenger on the ship kill the leaders of the mutinous
landing party, and the others surrender to save themselves. While Friday staves the landing boat so that it cannot be
turned to use by the mutineers, Crusoe shows the captain his settlement. Crusoe has little hope they can retake the
ship but thinks the longboat, once repaired, might get them to the Leeward Islands.

Summary-18
When the first party doesn't return from the island, the mutineers aboard the English ship send out a second party.
The English captain worries about this second group of men, but Robinson Crusoe assures the captain that he is an
instrument of Providence who can save the captain's life. Crusoe, Friday, and the others capture the second party
and their boat, keeping the men prisoner in Crusoe's cave. The captain sorts out those captives who are loyal to him
and turns the others over to the mercy of the island's "governor"—Crusoe.
Then the loyal sailors and the captain move to retake their ship, while Crusoe and Friday remain behind to guard
the prisoners. The captain and his men are successful, and the captain returns to the island with gifts of clothes and
tobacco and other luxuries for Crusoe. They agree to leave some of the prisoners behind on the island, and the
sailors are glad for the mercy because they would be hanged for mutiny if they returned to England. Crusoe is
overcome by the success of this mission because it means he is finally free of the island.

Summary-19
Robinson Crusoe sails back to England and arrives on June 11, 1687—35 years after he first left the country. He
has some money that he took from the two wrecked ships and some money he left with the widow, but not a huge
fortune. He discovers that his father, indeed most of his family, has died, except for two sisters and two of his
brother's sons. In light of these events, he decides to go to Lisbon to learn news of his plantation in Brazil.
In Lisbon he locates the Portuguese captain who saved him years ago and has knowledge of Crusoe's business in
Brazil. Crusoe discovers the revenues from the plantation are very good, and after some paperwork and
correspondence, he comes into a healthy fortune. He rewards both the captain and the widow for their loyalty and
assistance.

With his fortunes in order, Crusoe returns to London, traveling over land from Lisbon. He fears another sea
voyage, and his fears are justified when he learns the two ships he considered for his return trip have met with
disaster. The land journey is not easy, though, and Crusoe's party is waylaid in the mountains by heavy snows,
which are a shock to Friday. The group finds another guide through the mountains, but shortly after they set out
again, they confront a pack of wolves. Friday kills one of the wolves, which scares the others away.
Summary-20
The traveling party continues over land and encounters a bear in the mountains, which Friday is eager to attack and
kill. He has killed bears back in his homeland. The group also fights off another pack of wolves, this one more
challenging than the first. The guide is wounded, so the party hires a new one, and Robinson Crusoe and Friday
return to England without further incident.
After he returns to London, Crusoe considers moving back to his plantation in Brazil, but his religious differences
with the Catholic population there put him off this course. He decides to sell the plantation, which provides him
with great wealth.

Still, Crusoe's wanderlust persists. He thinks of returning to visit his island, but the widow dissuades him. He takes
custody of his two nephews, one of whom he sets up with a ship of his own. Crusoe marries and has three children
of his own. After his wife dies, though, he elects to join his nephew on a trip to the East Indies. He brings supplies
to his island and finds the Spaniards did make it to the island and, alongside the English sailors and some of the
natives, the colony has grown and now includes women and children. Crusoe proceeds to Brazil and sends more
supplies and animals to the island, as well as more wives for the men there. However, he saves the details of these
new adventures for a later story.