Student Question
What are Crusoe's attitudes towards women in the latter part of the novel?
Quick answer:
Crusoe is kind and generous to the women in his life in the latter part of the novel, but he does not call any of them by name or seem to have much sense of them as full-fleshed human beings. However, he does rely on the advice of the captain's widow. A five-paragraph formal essay should discuss each of these points.
Crusoe shows kindness and generosity toward the women in his life at the end of the novel. He is grateful to the widow of his friend the captain for taking good care of his money, left in her hands after her husband's death. He knows she is poor and helps her out as far he can. After he comes into more money, he makes sure she is given a hundred pounds, a generous amount for that time period.
We also learn that he remembers his sisters, both of whom need money, and is generous to them as well. One is a widow in need, and the other has a husband who is not kind to her. He gives each of them a hundred pounds, just he did the captain's widow.
These acts show his Christian moral principles, developed while stranded on the island. He also relies on the advice of...
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the captain's widow, who persuades him not to return to Brazil. Crusoe informs us that he has gotten married, but he mentions this only in passing after his wife is dead.
In sum, at the end, Crusoe shows charity and trust toward women, but at the same time he reveals his sexism. He never mentions the names of the women in his life: to him they seem to be made up almost entirely of their roles as widows, sisters, or wives rather than to be distinct people.
In a five-paragraph essay, you will want an opening paragraph in which you state your thesis, which would probably be something along the lines of Crusoe treating women with kindness and generosity at the end of the novel, but also with a sexist attitude. You would then want a paragraph about how he shows kindness, a paragraph on his special relationship with the captain's widow, and a paragraph about his sexism. The fifth paragraph would summarize what you have said. You have very little information to go on, so you will have to make the most of it.