Robinson Crusoe

Robinson Crusoe
What would I have done different? – By Madison Nef

I am going to write this paper as I read the book, so I get everything in. I am only into the 3^rd chapter of the book and I have already found a choice of Crusoe’s that I would have done differently. Instead of letting his fellow slave swim away from the boat alive and back to the captor, I would have killed him! Who knows how loyal that slave is! If he tells the master that would mean you’d be caught. I’d rather just kill the guy so I don’t worry about being followed.

I also wouldn’t have sold Xury to the Portugese captain, even if it meant no passage. I would have kept him to help me and continued to Brazil, just taking a longer time to get there. Without someone to talk to and/or help me, I’d go crazy! And selling a child in order for ONE TRIP is just cruel. In exchange for one ride you have just ruined a child’s life. However, Crusoe does not, and sells Xury to the captain. Once in Brazil, he starts a plantation and is soon successful- but this does not satisfy him for long. He gets excited about the thought of slave labor and it’s advantages and goes off on an expedition to Africa.

I would never have been interested in slave labor in the first place- but that would cut the story short. But this paper doesn’t have to go according to timeline I guess, so there is something I wouldn’t have done. As I said above, I think that slavery is wrong. So I wouldn’t have gone on the boat.

I agree with Crusoe’s choices once shipwrecked. I too would have collected as much as I could from the ship and built myself a makeshift house. However, I would have taken my supplies in a different order than Crusoe. I would have taken supplies for a tent and the guns/ammo first, then the food, and then extra. I would have taken only one extra outfit- because with the island being uninhabited, who is going to see me anyway? In fact, if I was alone and knew it, I would walk around naked all day- to heck with clothing, especially in the hot sun!

I also would not have built a tent. I would have built a small cabin, having found hammer and nails on the shipwreck. I would have taken as much wood as I could from the wreck and made a small cabin, that way I KNEW I wouldn’t be rained upon. Then I would have set up a smaller tent over to the side for extra goods. I agree with his building of a fence, but I would have made a gate for myself instead of the ladder- heaven forbid I got injured and couldn’t climb the ladder!

Crusoe soon finds out that there are goats inhabiting the island. He figures out a setup in which he can shoot them easily, and on his first shot kills a she goat. When he goes down to retrieve his food, he finds a young sheep standing by it’s deceased mother. It follows him right back to his home, where he tries to domesticate it. However, it will not eat and he eventually kills it.

Crusoe makes a calendar for himself made out of wood, marking the day he first arrived on the island and carving in the months and days as they passed by. Finding paper and ink in one of his unsearched chests, he begins a journal of his daily events, taking note of the things he is learning, such as candle making. I think that keeping a journal was a good idea. I would have explored the island, and tried to make a map for myself, being Crusoe had found some mapping books and compasses.

Crusoe was very resourceful- when he ran out of beeswax with which to make candles, he took some tallow off of the goats and baked it into clay. He then created a lamp for himself from this. He also dug himself a cellar in the back of his house using supplies found on the ship, which I think was a good idea- but I would have stored not my treasure, but my gun powder and things that would be bad to get wet.

Crusoe falls ill, however, and takes awhile to recover. I again state I would have chosen different things from the ship- such as ANY MEDICINAL ITEMS. Those items would have been on the first boat I took back to the island. Crusoe obviously had no medicine whatsoever, or would have tried to heal himself. However, I guess Crusoe staying ill was a good thing, because he had a religious experience, showing him how God had forgiven his past sins by granting him salvation and supplies on the island.

Crusoe made up for not taking any medicine with him, however, by making his own- tobacco steeped in rum. He was soon better. For food, Crusoe dried grapes into raisins, hunted turtle eggs and fowl, and of course, goat. He also explores the island a bit more, discovering a whole FIELD of grapes and building himself a small shelter there. In his journal he is very optimistic, describing himself as the “king” of the island.

I think that creating medicine was also very resourceful and smart. I also think that his way of finding food was good, and drying out the grapes for later was smart. However, I think that building a shelter near the grapes was pointless- why use up good material for THAT. Instead, I would have built an additional fenced in area for the goats (since Crusoe took some goats and domesticated them).

Crusoe explored the island further and discovered crops of barley, rice, and surprisingly, tobacco. He is able to care for the crops and reap them once they are grown. Crusoe also chops down a cedar tree and carves it into a canoe, with intentions to row around the island- but it is too heavy and cannot be moved. Defeated but not de-motivated, Crusoe builds a smaller boat and takes a trip around the island. However, it is one of his last as he is almost killed during a large current, and is washed ashore.

I think that the boat was a waste of time and energy JUST for rowing around the island. Heck, if I was stranded and could build a BOAT?! I would be off that island in no time! I would load up my boat and then try to get as far as I could. If I tried and did not succeed, then back to the island.

Crusoe lived happily in his house for years, hunting and farming. One day, however, things changed. Crusoe was walking along the beach and was shocked to come across a human footprint! At first he is very afraid, thinking that the devil is on the island to harm him, but soon calms down and thinks logically- the footprint likely belongs to one of the cannibals rumored to inhabit the nearby islands.

Crusoe goes directly back to his shelter, and hears gunshots in the night. The next day, Crusoe explores along the beach and is surprised to discover a new shipwreck on the beach- but by the time he arrives at it, nothing is left but human entrails… leading Crusoe to believe there was a cannibal feast. He is very frightened and builds himself another underground shelter for his goats and himself, and looks for ways to cook and eat underground.

I wouldn’t have even gone out after seeing that footprint! I would have survived off of my resources for at LEAST a week- to make sure that I was not the next victim of the cannibals. I think that building a second underground shelter was a wise move, especially for the animals. Well, maybe not for the animals now that I am thinking about it. They are cannibals, and would focus on attacking Crusoe, not the goats.

Crusoe thinks of shooting all the cannibals for the sins they have committed, but after re-thinking it realizes he has no right to do so- since the cannibals do not know that they are committing a sin. Crusoe’s chain of thought soon switches back to slavery- the same mess that got him shipwrecked to begin with. He dreams of taking the cannibals’ prisoners and rescuing them, and making them his slaves.

Slavery, slavery… why always slavery!? Couldn’t Crusoe want to make a friend, and not a slave, for once? I guess it was just the time period. I would have wanted to rescue the captives too… but not make them my slaves. I would have housed them for a bit and then sent them out to live on the island. Rescue enough captives and BOOM! Suddenly you have a colony.

Crusoe soon got his wish. The cannibals walked their captives out for execution. One was killed… and then one escaped, not wanting to be beheaded and eaten. He was pursued, but Crusoe shot down most of the cannibals and took the captive into his home. He named him Friday, being it was the day he had been saved and had arrived at Crusoe.

Friday knew no English, so Crusoe taught him how to speak English and also about God and the bible. Once he was able to talk, Friday told Crusoe of the cannibals- how they each had a colony, and that they would only eat their enemies. Crusoe taught Friday, housed him, and fed him. I think this was nice of Crusoe to teach Friday this- at least he wasn’t mean to him.

Only a few days later, more cannibals came to the island with another host of prisoners. This time, Friday and Crusoe attacked, killing the cannibals and saving two people- one of them being Friday’s father, and another is a Spaniard. The Spaniard tells Crusoe and Friday that the other Spaniards got wrecked on the mainland and are waiting there, and that he and Friday’s father will get them, bring them back, build a ship, and then sail to a Spanish port. All is agreed upon and the pair depart for the mainland.

I would have gone with the two of them- safer and then you could just build the ship on the mainland! No need to cart everything around. But as it were, they went alone, and before they got back, and English ship sailed to the island. The ship was full of mutineers, who planned to leave the captain and any crew members who were against mutiny on the island. Crusoe and Friday discover this, and strike a bargain with the ship captain- they then help him overthrow the mutineers and leave THEM on the island, while they make a voyage to England. Crusoe tells the mutineers before leaving about the island and how he survives, and tells them that more men will be back soon.

Back in England, Crusoe discovers he was left nothing in his parents’ will, as they believed him dead. Sad, he then collects his money from his plantation in Brazil. Friday travels with him. I guess that after that VERY long voyage, Crusoe got a slave after all… he just got a little more than he bargained for.