Robinson Crusoe was written by Daniel Defoe. The novel was first
published in 1719. It tells the story of a young explorer who becomes marooned
on a deserted island. His experiences of the island change his outlook on life.
Daniel Defoe was a short story writer that came from an poor family.
Defoe was poor for most of his life and made his living as a butcher and a
writer. Defoe mostly wrote short stories and political essays. Robinson Crusoe
was a combination of two short stories. Many believe Defoe used Robinson
Crusoe to portray himself in a certain ways. The description was almost
identical to his own and after his wife left him, he felt as if he was marooned 
on a deserted island.
The story takes place in the 1700s on a deserted island somewhere off the
coast of Brazil. The island is fairly large in size and has a small shore. The
interior of the island has many trees, wild pigs and other small animals and a
small cave in which Crusoe stores food.
I walked about the shore lifting up my hands. Look around, 
I see nothing but water, a forest, and the remains of my
ship. At first, I was afraid of wild animals but after some
exploration of the land, the only animals I had seen were
wild pigs, squirrels, and some small birds.
The only possessions that Crusoe retrieved from the remains of his ship were a
small knife, a box of tabacco, a pipe, and a small book that would later become
his journal.
Robinson Crusoe was a young and stubborn explorer. He was extremely
tall and strong. His stay on the island changed him from a mean, stubborn man
to an open-minded protestant. 
Standing at six feet, two inches and having my long, thick 
brown hair back in a ponytail, I felt as if I was eight feet
tall. Without the permission of my parents, I was still 
sailing away from the misery. I held the cargo box is my
strong arms, waiting to board my beautiful ship.
Crusoe became a skilled craftsman and was an extremely religious man due to
his stay on the island. Being the only man on the entire island, he established a
faith in God. He also became more articulate from writing in a journal daily.
Overall, his stay on the island changed Crusoe's life greatly.
As the story begins, Robinson Crusoe defies his parents and sets out to
sea. Crusoe encounters a series of violent storms at sea and ends up in Africa.
He sets out on another voyage and is captured by the Sallee, a group of pirates.
Luckily, he manages to escape and board a Portuguese ship and sail to Brazil.
While in Brazil, Crusoe purchases a large sugar plantation. After leaving Brazil,
he encounters another storm in which his ship is destroyed and he is marooned
on an island as the only survivor.
On the island, Crusoe gathers food and builds a small shelter. He writes in
a journal to keep account of his stay. Crusoe becomes a skilled craftsman and
begins to feel a spiritual connection with God. He also builds a small boat that
he uses to sail around the island.
After living on the island for fifteen years, Crusoe discovers that savages
had landed on the island and that they perform human sacrifices. Crusoe helps a
prisoner escape from these savages. He names the prisoner Friday and teaches
him english. Together, they build a new boat and attempt to leave the island.
However, Friday learns his father is a prisoner of the savages. Crusoe and
Friday return and rescue his father and a Spaniard. The four men board a
passing boat and gain control of it. Crusoe sails back to his native land to learn
his sugar plantation has made him rich. He sells the plantation and marries. As
the novel closes, Crusoe is persuaded to take a final voyage, back to the island.
Robinson Crusoe is written using an English dialect. The narration of the
novel is simple, informal and extremely easy to understand. However, Defoe
uses verbose descriptions for characters.
He was a comely, handsome fellow, perfectly well made, 
with strong limbs, not too large, tall and well-shaped, and
I reckon he was about twenty years of age. The color
of his skin was not quite black, but very tawny; and yet 
not of an ugly, yellow, nauseous tawny, as the Brazilians
and Virginians, and other natives are; but of a bright kind
of a dun olive color that had in it something agreeable, 
though not very easy to describe.
This is a description of Friday. Defoe does an excellent job of introducing the
character. This paragraph makes a clear picture of Friday to the reader.
The theme of the novel is that nature can change the way a man thinks
and his outlook on life. Crusoe was a nasty young man who hated his family
and his life as the story began. After being stranded on an island for over fifteen
years, nature changed his outlook on life. Crusoe became grateful for what he
did have and wanted to make the best out of it. He developed a stronger will
power and became more opened minded. He also thought more about the better
aspects of his life and had faith in God.
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