In
theof , Crusoe's father does everything to discourage his son from his
adventurous dreams, telling him, Crusoe narrates, "God would not bless me." Moved by
his father's words, he remains home for a year; however, nearly a year later when Crusoe learns
that a friend is taking a voyage from Hull to London, the temptation is too great. In
retrospect, Crusoe reflects upon his foolhardy actions made
...without asking God's Blessing, or my Father's, without any Consideration or
Circumstances or Consequences, and in an ill Hour.
Certainly, Crusoe's adventures are life-changing. On this boat there is a terrible
storm and Crusoe prays and promises God that he will never go on a ship again if he is saved.
However, he soon breaks his vow and succumbs to "that evil influence" which caused him
to disobey his father: He boards a vessel bound for the coast of Guinea. Then, when this voyage
proves profitable, Crusoe goes on another towards the Canary Island and the African shore;
unfortunately, Turkish pirates of Sallee chase them, kill some of the crew, and Crusoe and taken
prisoner and made a slave to the captain. But, after a while, Crusoe manages to throw the Moor
overboard on their outing with the fishing boat, and he and a slave name Xury make their escape.
And, yet Crusoe still abandons his faith. Having made enough money to be middle-class as he
could have been had he stayed in England, Crusoe agrees to sell to Africa to purchase slaves
with thirteen others on board and the cabin boy. As he sails away in 1659, he remembers the
words of his father, but greed propels him forward. After a dozen days a tremendous storm
arises; the crew tries to make shore in a boat, but the waves are twenty feet high, and two or
three of these carry Crusoe forward, dashing him against rocks. But, he makes it to the shore,
and thanks God that his life has been saved. It is only later that he realizes he is the only
survivor. The next day he begins salvaging what he can from the ship before it sinks.
Like a good Puritan of the work ethic, Crusoe builds himself shelters, fences his area,
and arranges his possessions as safely as possible. Further, he decides to count the good things
against the bad in columns in a journal. He notes that God has singled him out of the crew to be
a survivor and
God wonderfully sent the ship in near
enough to the shore that [it has] enabled me to supply myself as long as I live.
When he has first arrived on shore, Crusoe is not grateful to God,
but, instead, he exclaims upon his misery, crying out that he has been "undone." Now,
however, Crusoe returns to the Protestant faith of his father, by reading from the New Testament
each day and by working hard to improve his existence. He writes,
In a word, as my life was a life of sorrow one way, so it was a life of mercy another;
and I wanted nothing to make my sense of God's goodness to me, and...[let that] be my daily
consolation....
Rather than boldly acting as he has
before, Crusoe resigns himself to the will of God whereas he has hitherto been himself willful;
moreover, he throws himself "wholly upon the disposal of His providence." In fact,
Crusoe finds that prayer is far better than the enjoyment of human society. (This conversion
follows the pattern of narratives in Defoe's era.) Still, he does enjoy the company of his man
Friday.
After years of deprivation while he is "lost in the
wilderness" in keeping with Puritan-conversion tales, Crusoe, the prodigal son, who has
employed the Puritan creed of reason, work, and religious faith, returns home repentant and
finds the forgiveness he seeks although his parents have died. He compensates the poor widow who
has kept his papers and money safe, and he sails for Brazil to check on his plantation. It has
done well and the captain has taken care of everything. Crusoe considers staying, but it is a
time of persecution of Protestants, so he departs, not wanting to practice Catholicism as he has
done in the past. So, he will retain his Protestant work ethic in line with England's Puritan
roots.
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