Student Question
What is Robinson Crusoe's condition upon arriving in the city?
Quick answer:
When Robinson Crusoe arrives in England after a thirty-five year absence, he is not the man he once was, and he feels like a stranger to society. He has a new set of values, for one thing, and he also is poor. Yet he is generous and kind to the widow who has held his trust, and with the reward he has received, he sets out for Lisbon, where he eventually discovers that he is actually a rich man.
When Robinson Crusoe returns to England and to regular human society at the end of the novel that bears his name, he is not at all the same person he was when he left. He has, after all, been away for thirty-five years, most of those stranded alone on an island. During those years, Crusoe has learned to fend for himself. He has met God in new ways and experienced a religious conversion. He has grown his own food, made his own shelter and other necessities, and learned to live in the society of animals. He has become a solitary man for the most part, and his values have greatly changed.
This is why Crusoe comments that when he comes to England, he is "as perfect a stranger to all the world as if I had never been known there." He hardly knows how to get along in society any...
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more. Further, the widow with whom he entrusted his money when he left so long before has come upon hard times and has nothing much to pay back to him. Crusoe might once have been extremely angry at this, but now he is forgiving and generous. He actually helps the widow out of the little he has to his name and thanks her heartily for her faithfulness. He has learned that there are many more important things in life than money.
Crusoe also discovers that he is largely alone in the world. His parents are dead, as are many of his family members. He has two sisters and two of his brother's children left, but they have nothing to offer him. He does, however, unexpectedly receive 200 pounds as a reward for saving the ship and its men. This gives him all he needs to continue.
Crusoe decides not to stay in England, for there is nothing there for him now. He goes to Lisbon and receives an account of his holdings in Brazil. His agent also gives him a large amount of money. Crusoe only takes part of it, letting the man keep the rest out of gratitude for his honesty and care. Again, this is very different from what the old Crusoe would have done. However, when the business about his Brazilian estate is settled, Crusoe is a rich man, and he makes sure that his agent is well rewarded.
Crusoe decides to return to traveling for a while. Then he marries and raises a family. But when his wife dies, the call of the sea once more appeals to him, and he sets out on a new set of voyages.