little on the side of that delicious vale, surveying it with a secret kind of pleasure, though mixed with my other afflicting thoughts, to think that this was all my own; that I was king and lord of all this country indefensibly, and had a right of possession; and if I could convey it, I might have it in inheritance as completely as any lord of a manor in England.

The arrival of Friday does not lead to equality or mutual exchange but to Crusoe asserting and imposing his individual values and using Friday for his own needs.

Individualism is shown most strongly by Robinson Crusoe himself, who acts to keep himself alive without help for a long time. Since he is the only survivor of his shipwreck, there is no one to help him in the first months of his solitude. Refusing to give up, Crusoe begins to build a shelter out of debris even before the wrecked ship floats closer to shore. Once he has access to tools and better supplies (such as tarp canvas from the ship's sails) Crusoe begins to create an entire household for himself, including farmlands and domestic animals. Although he comes to a religious conversion, he does not give over his personal responsibility, instead thanking God for helping him while still working to help himself. In this fashion, his individualism comes into full force because of his trials, and is the primary factor in his continuing survival and success.

At the beginning of Robinson Crusoe, the narrator's father attempts to dissuade him from a seafaring career by invoking his group identity as a member of the middle class. People in families like theirs, his father tells him, do not go to sea to win glory and change the fates of nations, nor do they go because they are forced to accept a wretched life below decks to avoid starvation. Theirs is the middle path, between greatness and poverty and more comfortable than either.

Crusoe says that even his father cannot have known at the time how "truly prophetic" his words were. His own individualist focus throughout the book finally brings him to a place where there are no constraints on him at all. On a desert island, there is nothing to interfere with his autonomy. This, however, is too much of a good thing, and it is a profound relief to Crusoe when he is able to enjoy society again, in the form of Friday. It is the perversity of human nature to need society while at the same time to desire a degree of autonomy incompatible with living together.

Crusoe, however, solves this problem, if only for a few years. He says that his relationship with Friday "was such as made the three years which we lived there together perfectly and completely happy." This seems to be because living with Friday on the island, Crusoe has the best aspects of both society and solitude. He can talk to Friday, teach him, and convert him to Christianity. On the other hand, Friday never attempts to limit his autonomy. He has found the perfect balance between individualism and the social requirements of human nature.

Capitalist ideology puts a high value on working hard, being productive, and increasing the value of one's assets. Ownership of property is the cornerstone of capitalism because it directs the flow of wealth solely into the hands of the property owner. Throughout the novel, these values are shown in the most positive light possible and not critiqued.

Crusoe has deeply internalized this capitalist ideology. He claims ownership of the deserted island where he is shipwrecked and is very pleased when he can make it more productive through hard work. For instance, he grows corn, cultivates wild grapes so he can he have a store of raisins, and domesticates animals. He knows, too, that he benefits from not having any competition for the abundant resources at hand. He understands himself as lord of the manor.

Crusoe also understands the law of supply and demand. He only, for example, plants so much corn because there is a limit to what he can consume or store, and he knows the rest would simply rot. He knows that items have no value without a market, as he illustrates by saying:

The most covetous, griping miser in the world would have been cured of the vice of covetousness if he had been in my case; for I possessed infinitely more than I knew what to do with.

The quote above shows that Crusoe, understanding capitalism, values goods not for themselves, but for the profits they can produce. It is worth noting too that Crusoe is well pleased when he returns to civilization that the reinvestments of his "rents" from his Brazilian plantation has made him a wealthy man while he has been stranded. Capitalist is tied strongly to colonialism and slavery, as Crusoe profits from the lands taken from native peoples and the labor of slaves.

In the early eighteenth century, writers such as Jonathan Swift and Daniel Defoe, spurrred on largely by the Cook's exploration in the South Pacific, set their stories in the exotic locales about which they had read.  In Defoe's Robinson Crusoe specifically, the author integrates the novel's setting into the themes he examines in the text.  Foremost among them is the idea of individualism and the individual's ability to survive in the world.

Defoe's protagonist, Robinson Crusoe, though certainly not a brave or courageous character, finds himself on a remote, deserted island, a setting that should demand both.  At the very least, Crusoe's situation requires him to find a way to survive on his own.  Crusoe's relative lack of bravery or courage make him a good candidate for this "experiment."  He is not particularly suited for the task at hand.  Throughout the early stages of the novel, Crusoe, assuming the role of an adventurer, embarks on adventures around the island to search for food, shelter, and hopefully, a means of escape.  When his hopes of rescue begin to fade (and by this time he has encountered Friday), Crusoe is presented with a greater challenge. Having no cues for how to define his relationship with Friday, Crusoe adapts the social system with which he is familiar, relegating Friday to the level of servant. 

As the novel progresses, Defoe presents Crusoe with continued challenges to test his ability to overcome them.  Ultimately, Defoe implicitly argues for an individual's ability to survive, even when presented with such daunting circumstances. 

Capitalism and individualism both appear in Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe. Let's look at some examples to help you better understand these themes.

When we think about capitalism in the story, we might point to Crusoe's profession. He is the son of a merchant, but his father wants him to get away from that variety of money-making and study law. Crusoe, however, wants to go to sea. He is tempted by the idea of lucrative trade and the money he could make. This is an example of capitalism, and it is also what gets Crusoe stranded on the island.

We can see Crusoe's individualism here, too. He is determined to make his own way in life no matter what anyone else says. Then, when he ends up stranded, he must rely on himself completely. Look at everything Crusoe learns to do to survive. He has only himself and God, and he is determined to do his best. You might also examine how Crusoe's individualism continues even after his rescue. While he does marry, when his wife dies, Crusoe once against sets out to sea to resume his chosen life as a trader. He is still determined to go his own way.