Student Question
Why is Crusoe dependent on the "powder" for his food in Robinson Crusoe?
Quick answer:
Crusoe relies on gunpowder to hunt animals for food on his desert island, using it to load his musket. Protecting his gunpowder from lightning is crucial, as an explosion would leave him unable to hunt. To mitigate this risk, Crusoe divides his gunpowder into small parcels to ensure that not all of it is destroyed in case of a lightning strike.
The "powder" in question is gunpowder. Crusoe needs it to load his musket to go hunting animals on his remote desert island. It's absolutely essential, then, that he protect his gunpowder from the elements, especially lightning. Crusoe knows that just one flash will be enough to blow the whole lot to smithereens. As well as being incredibly dangerous, such a calamity would mean that he'd have nothing to load his musket with and so wouldn't be able to hunt.
To protect himself against disaster, Crusoe hits upon the idea of dividing up his supply of gunpowder into separate, tiny parcels. This way, if there's a sudden flash of lightning, not all of the gunpowder will end up being destroyed.
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