Robinson Crusoe

By: Daniel Defoe
Reviewed By: Vibhu Iyer

When I read Robinson Crusoe, I imagined myself stranded on an Island, living off of fruits,
vegetables, and water. Though the whole book was really good, what really popped out to me
were the characters and conclusion.

The description of the characters allows me to get a good picture of all the characters’
personalities, which helps me relate to the characters and the story. The characters of Robinson
Crusoe that I am talking about are Robinson’s father, Robinson, and Friday. Robinson’s father
is presented as, I quote, “a grave man with stern eyes and a sharp mind”. The author describes
Friday, the escaped prisoner, as, “a very tall man. He had long, dark hair that fell right down to
his back. He was dressed in skins as well, but not quite as many as I did”. Robinson himself
is described as a determined and focused man. While he wants to be a sailor, his parents want
him to stay home and become a lawyer. He says, “My parents would be hurt, but I can’t spend
my whole life trying to make them happy. I am finally going to become a sailor!” These
descriptions help me understand the characters better and see things from the characters’ points
of view.

The ending of Robinson Crusoe is bittersweet. At the end of Robinson Crusoe, an English ship
comes to the island where Robinson lives. Three men are left on shore, bound and gagged,
without food or water, while the other people from the ship explore the island. Robinson
and Friday untie the three men and find out that these men are Captain Walsh and his first
mates, Morgan and Pace, from the English ship. The others on the ship had mutinied under the
command of two people. When the others come back after exploring the island, the mutineers
are surrounded by Robinson, Friday, and their new friends. The two people leading the mutiny
are left behind on the island and the others join Captain Walsh. Then, Robinson, Friday, Captain
Walsh and his people leave for England. After reaching home, Robinson finds out that his
parents are dead. Then Robinson settles down and has a quiet life. I think that this conclusion is
sad and happy at the same time because Robinson returns home, which is happy, but he finds out
that his parents are dead, which is sad because he had run a way when he was young and didn’t
see them for quite a long time.

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