Chapter 10; Summary

• Time elapses and it has been 5 years for him on the island.

• Another endeavour to build a canoe and he really makes one.

• When he pushes it into water to sail on it, he gets caught between current and
the tide is strong that it brings him back to shore again.

• Another significant event in this chapter is that he wakes up on a voice calling

him “ Where have you been?” and that voice is the parrot’s; Poll.

• The experience deters him from exploring more lands on the island.

• Now 11 years passes and Crusoe is still on the island.

Further

• Now he domesticates three kid goats and traps them in a pit.

• They became 12 after a year and this dozen grew more in number and

became 43 goats in two years.

• The goat flock are now the source for meat and milk for Crusoe.
Analysis

• There are still moments when Crusoe shows weakness and is filled with
doubts.

• Although he builds a smaller canoe, he has no intention to escape from the

island.

• In this chapter, Crusoe feels a sense of freedom in that he makes short

journeys using the canoe he built.

• Crusoe goes back to his old self and yearns for adventures and building the
boat is a vivid example of Crusoe being eager to go on adventures.
 Analysis
• The previous chapter showed that Crusoe is a changed man and that he came to
terms with the idea that where he is now is much better than wherever he may go.

• But building the canoe and trying to sail on it indicates that he is still yearning for
adventures. However, Providence also plays a role here when he gets caught
between current and this plays as a reminder for him to be grateful of what he
already has.

• The parrot speaking words shows us that Crusoe still feels lonely and is in a
desperate need for companionship
 Chapter 11; Summary
• The cave is still Crusoe’s primary habitation and the bower his countryside after 15
years.

• Now he built a habitat for goats and also has a plantation.

• He starts taking short sails on his canoe and meanwhile he finds a footprint on the
sand.

• He ponders; Maybe it belongs to the devil as he tries to convince himself briefly.

Even he makes assumptions that it is his own but then refutes the idea.

• Then he comes to conclude that the footprint belongs to the natives on the island.
Fear

• Now fear consumes Crusoe because he thinks the natives may have

discovered his place.

• Crusoe contemplates that he should destroy everything he built as the

natives may come for him.

• Then he comes to his senses and decides make effort to fortify further his

place.
Analysis

• Now Crusoe is terrified of the idea that there are others on the island that may

cause him harm. He is consumed with fear and obsessed with finding out who

the footprint belongs to.

• For a moment, he tried to convince himself that it may belong to the devil

himself and that was a bit comforting since he believed that God will protect

him for the devil, yet the reality strikes again and he is again filled with fear.
Analysis

• As much as he is desperate to find another human, he is aware he is

much safer without them.

• He confines himself in his cave for a long time and resorts to God’s
protection and trusts that he will protect him from any sort of evil and
will never abandon him.

• Crusoe is much more taken up by fear and admits that Fear is more
destructive than being attacked by the natives and the imminent threats.
 Chapter 12; Summary
• Crusoe is at a loss. Then he is resolved to protect his food sources. He divides the
goats into groups and places them in different positions.

• While strolling, he comes to the part of the island he’s never visited before and
he discovers a horrible thing.

• He finds out the shore is spread with human skulls and hand and feet bones and
he also sees a fire pit. He concludes that the natives are men eaters (Cannibals).

• Terrified more than ever, Crusoe decides to take more precautions and hides
himself.
Summary

• Every now and again he makes excursions to the beach and there’s still no
trace of the natives at the place he found the human bones.

• He’s occupied much with the thought that cannibals are close by and may
attack him at any time.

• He keeps watching up hills and sets traps as a defense mechanism. Still he

thinks that it’s not his place to judge the natives because they don’t know
that what they’re doing is wrong and they haven’t done any harm to him. So
it would be unfair and wrong to cause them harm.
Analysis

• He thinks that judgement and punishment is the divine’s authority and not his.

• The plan he has got is preparing himself for defense and also concealing himself.

• He finds a cave and he uses it as a hideout if needed. He stashes his guns and
ammunition in the cave.

• Until this chapter, Crusoe didn’t have any evidence that there may be cannibals and now
he has proof that they exist and they may kill him. So he plans to eliminate them before
they do. This incidence is also another instance of colonialism where the colonizer kills
the natives to control other peoples’ land.
 Analysis
• Crusoe is doubtful that he can overpower the natives and this is not

entrenched in the Christian Morality where a good Christian shouldn’t think

of murdering anyone.

• Although he is well armed he is hesitant to attack first for fear of being

outnumbered. This unusual position affects his logic and his actions. His

thought of letting God to be the judge is just an excuse because he fears

being outnumbered by the natives.