Oppositely, Crusoe wants to become a sailor and be adventuresome. Crusoe defies his father by partaking in a voyage that went bad when the ship hit violent weather. He came back safe, but he did not take these as omens. Crusoe soon went on another voyage only this time he was not so lucky, the ship wrecked and pirates captured him. He escaped the pirates and a Portuguese ship rescued him and took him to Brazil. Here he made friends with the people living there, and even started a plantation of his own. The villagers convinced Crusoe to go on another voyage to capture slaves for their plantations. He reluctantly agreed. Crusoe headed this voyage, but soon found himself deserted on an island. As the sole survivor, he quickly made plans for food and shelter. After many trips to the shipwreck, Crusoe finally had the tools of survival. He survived on the island for almost fifteen years as he developed his craftsmanship and hunting abilities before discovering the footprint of another man. .
Savages also came to the island periodically for human sacrificial rituals. Crusoe saved one of these savages. His name was Friday. Under Crusoe's instruction, Friday became a civilized Christian gentleman. Crusoe and Friday were rescued from the island by a ship, which took them to England. Here, Crusoe settled down and built a family, but not without taking one last adventure back to visit the island. This is the general plot summary of Robinson Crusoe.
Many critics have fathomed to understand the complexities that this novel portrays through its themes. The first theme being discussed is individualism in the economic world. How can this possibly be related to Robinson Crusoe, a man stranded on a deserted island with little more than shelter and a will to survive? Ian Watt believes that all of Defoe's heroes in his novels pursue economic individualism. He states, "Robinson Crusoe is a symbol of the processes associated with the rise of economic individualism.