English Literature books summary

English Literature books summary

which causes Eliza to be hurt. She throws Higgins' slippers at him in a

rage because she does not know what is to become of her, thereby

bewildering him. He suggests she marry somebody. She returns him the hired

jewelry, and he accuses her of ingratitude.

The following morning, Higgins rushes to his mother, in a panic

because Eliza has run away. On his tail is Eliza's father, now unhappily

rich from the trust of a deceased millionaire who took to heart Higgins'

recommendation that Doolittle was England's "most original moralist." Mrs.

Higgins, who has been hiding Eliza upstairs all along, chides the two of

them for playing with the girl's affections. When she enters, Eliza thanks

Pickering for always treating her like a lady, but threatens Higgins that

she will go work with his rival phonetician, Nepommuck. The outraged

Higgins cannot help but start to admire her. As Eliza leaves for her

father's wedding, Higgins shouts out a few errands for her to run, assuming

that she will return to him at Wimpole Street. Eliza, who has a lovelorn

sweetheart in Freddy, and the wherewithal to pass as a duchess, never makes

it clear whether she will or not.

Act I

A heavy late-night summer thunderstorm opens the play. Caught in the

unexpected downpour, passers-by from distinct strata of the London streets

are forced to seek shelter together under the portico of St Paul's church

in Covent Garden. The hapless Son is forced by his demanding sister and

mother to go out into the rain to find a taxi even though there is none to

be found. In his hurry, he knocks over the basket of a common Flower Girl,

who says to him, "Nah then, Freddy: look wh' y' gowin, deah." After Freddy

leaves, the mother gives the Flower Girl money to ask how she knew her

son's name, only to learn that "Freddy" is a common by-word the Flower Girl

would have used to address anyone.

An elderly military Gentleman enters from the rain, and the Flower

Girl tries to sell him a flower. He gives her some change, but a bystander

tells her to be careful, for it looks like there is a police informer

taking copious notes on her activities. This leads to hysterical

protestations on her part, that she is only a poor girl who has done no

wrong. The refugees from the rain crowd around her and the Note Taker, with

considerable hostility towards the latter, whom they believe to be an

undercover cop. However, each time someone speaks up, this mysterious man

has the amusing ability to determine where the person came from, simply by

listening to that person's speech, which turns him into something of a

sideshow.

The rain clears, leaving few other people than the Flower Girl, the

Note Taker, and the Gentleman. In response to a question from the

Gentleman, the Note Taker answers that his talent comes from "simply

phonetics...the science of speech." He goes on to brag that he can use

phonetics to make a duchess out of the Flower Girl. Through further

questioning, the Note Taker and the Gentleman reveal that they are Henry

Higgins and Colonel Pickering respectively, both scholars of dialects who

have been wanting to visit with each other. They decide to go for a supper,

but not until Higgins has been convinced by the Flower Girl to give her

some change. He generously throws her a half-crown, some florins, and a

half-sovereign. This allows the delighted girl to take a taxi home, the

same taxi that Freddy has brought back, only to find that his impatient

mother and sister have left without him.

Act II

The next day, Higgins and Pickering are just resting from a full

morning of discussion when Eliza Doolittle shows up at the door, to the

tremendous doubt of the discerning housekeeper Mrs. Pearce, and the

surprise of the two gentlemen. Prompted by his careless brag about making

her into a duchess the night before, she has come to take lessons from

Higgins, so that she may sound genteel enough to work in a flower shop

rather than sell at the corner of Tottenham Court Road. As the conversation

progresses, Higgins alternates between making fun of the poor girl and

threatening her with a broomstick beating, which only causes her to howl

and holler, upsetting Higgins' civilized company to a considerable degree.

Pickering is much kinder and considerate of her feelings, even going so far

as to call her "Miss Doolittle" and to offer her a seat. Pickering is

piqued by the prospect of helping Eliza, and bets Higgins that if Higgins

is able to pass Eliza o_ as a duchess at the Ambassador's garden party,

then he, Pickering, will cover the expenses of the experiment.

This act is made up mostly of a long and animated three-(sometimes

four-)way argument over the character and the potential of the indignant

Eliza.

At one point, incensed by Higgins' heartless insults, she threatens to

leave, but the clever professor lures her back by stuffing her mouth with a

chocolate, half of which he eats too to prove to her that it is not

poisoned. It is agreed upon that Eliza will live with Higgins for six

months, and be schooled in the speech and manners of a lady of high class.

Things get started when Mrs. Pearce takes her upstairs for a bath.

While Mrs. Pearce and Eliza are away, Pickering wants to be sure that

Higgins' intentions towards the girl are honorable, to which Higgins

replies that, to him, women "might as well be blocks of wood." Mrs. Pearce

enters to warn Higgins that he should be more careful with his swearing and

his forgetful table manners now that they have an impressionable young lady

with them, revealing that Higgins's own gentlemanly ways are somewhat

precarious. At this point, Alfred Doolittle, who has learned from a

neighbor of Eliza's that she has come to the professor's place, comes a-

knocking under the pretence of saving his daughter's honor. When Higgins

readily agrees that he should take his daughter away with him, Doolittle

reveals that he is really there to ask for five pounds, proudly claiming

that he will spend that money on immediate gratification and put none of it

to useless savings.

Amused by his blustering rhetoric, Higgins gives him the money. Eliza

enters, clean and pretty in a blue kimono, and everyone is amazed by the

difference. Even her father has failed to recognize her. Eliza is taken

with her transformation and wants to go back to her old neighborhood and

show o_, but she is warned against snobbery by Higgins. The act ends with

the two of them agreeing that they have taken on a difficult task.

Act III

It is Mrs. Higgins' at-home day, and she is greatly displeased when Henry

Higgins shows up suddenly, for she knows from experience that he is too

eccentric to be presentable in front of the sort of respectable company she

is expecting. He explains to her that he wants to bring the experiment

subject on whom he has been working for some months to her at-home, and

explains the bet that he has made with Pickering. Mrs. Higgins is not

pleased about this unsolicited visit from a common flower girl, but she has

no time to oppose before Mrs. and Miss Eynsford Hill (the mother and

daughter from the first scene) are shown into the parlor by the parlor-

maid. Colonel Pickering enters soon after, followed by Freddy Eynsford

Hill, the hapless son from Covent Garden.

Higgins is about to really offend the company with a theory that they

are all savages who know nothing about being civilized when Eliza is

announced. She makes quite an impact on everyone with her studied grace and

pedantic speech. Everything promises to go well until Mrs. Eynsford Hill

brings up the subject of influenza, which causes Eliza to launch into the

topic of her aunt, who supposedly died of influenza. In her excitement, her

old accent, along with shocking facts such as her father's alcoholism, slip

out. Freddy thinks that she is merely affecting "the new small talk," and

is dazzled by how well she does it. He is obviously infatuated with her.

When Eliza gets up to leave, he offers to walk her but she exclaims,

"Walk! Not bloody likely. I am going in a taxi." The Mrs. Eynsford Hill

leave immediately after. Clara, Miss Eynsford Hill, is taken with Eliza,

and tries to imitate her speech. After the guests leave, Mrs. Higgins

chides Higgins. She says there is no way Eliza will become presentable as

long as she lives with the constantly-swearing Higgins. She demands to know

the precise conditions under which Eliza is living with the two old

bachelors. She is prompted to say, "You certainly are a pretty pair of

babies, playing with your live doll," which is only the first of a series

of such criticisms she makes of Higgins and Pickering.

They assail her simultaneously with accounts of Eliza's improvement

until she must quiet them. She tries to explain to them that there will be

a problem of what to do with Eliza once everything is over, but the two men

pay no heed. They take their leave, and Mrs. Higgins is left exasperated by

the "infinite stupidity" of "men! men!! men!!!"

Act IV

The trio return to Higgins' Wimpole Street laboratory, exhausted from

the night's happenings. They talk about the evening and their great

success, though Higgins seems rather bored, more concerned with his

inability to find slippers. While he talks absentmindedly with Pickering,

Eliza slips out, returns with his slippers, and lays them on the floor

before him without a word. When he notices them, he thinks that they

appeared out of nowhere.

Higgins and Pickering begin to speak as if Eliza is not there with them,

saying how happy they are that the entire experiment is over, agreeing that

it had become rather boring in the last few months. The two of them then

leave the room to go to bed. Eliza is clearly hurt ("Eliza's beauty turns

murderous," say the stage directions), but Higgins and Pickering are

oblivious to her.

Higgins pops back in, once again mystified over what he has done with

his slippers, and Eliza promptly flings them in his face. Eliza is mad

enough to kill him; she thinks that she is no more important to him than

his slippers.

At Higgins' retort that she is presumptuous and ungrateful, she

answers that no one has treated her badly, but that she is still left

confused about what is to happen to her now that the bet has been won.

Higgins says that she can always get married or open that flower shop (both

of which she eventually does), but she replies by saying that she wishes

she had been left where she was before. She goes on to ask whether her

clothes belong to her, meaning what can she take away with her without

being accused of thievery. Higgins is genuinely hurt, something that does

not happen to him often. She returns him a ring he bought for her, but he

throws it into the _replace. After he leaves, she finds it again, but then

leaves it on the dessert stand and departs.

Act V

Higgins and Pickering show up the next day at Mrs. Higgins' home in a

state of distraction because Eliza has run away. They are interrupted by

Alfred Doolittle, who enters resplendently dressed, as if he were the

bridegroom of a very fashionable wedding. He has come to take issue with

Henry Higgins for destroying his happiness. It turns out that Higgins wrote

a letter to a millionaire jokingly recommending Doolittle as a most

original moralist, so that in his will the millionaire left Doolittle a

share in his trust, amounting to three thousand pounds a year, provided

that he lecture for the Wannafeller Moral Reform World League. Newfound

wealth has only brought him more pain than pleasure, as long lost relatives

emerge from the woodwork asking to be fed, not to mention that he is now no

longer free to behave in his casual, slovenly, dustman ways. He has been

damned by "middle class morality."

The talk degenerates into a squabble over who owns Eliza, Higgins or

her father (Higgins did give the latter five pounds for her after all). To

stop them, Mrs. Higgins sends for Eliza, who has been upstairs all along.

But first she tells Doolittle to step out on the balcony so that the she

will not be shocked by the story of his new fortune.

When she enters, Eliza takes care to behave very civilly. Pickering

tells her she must not think of herself as an experiment, and she expresses

her gratitude to him. She says that even though Higgins was the one who

trained the flower girl to become a duchess, Pickering always treated her

like a duchess, even when she was a flower girl. His treatment of her

taught her not phonetics, but self-respect. Higgins is speaking

incorrigibly harshly to her when her father reappears, surprising her

badly. He tells her that he is all dressed up because he is on his way to

get married to his woman. Pickering and Mrs. Higgins are asked to come

along. Higgins and Eliza are finally left alone while the rest go o_ to get

ready.

They proceed to quarrel. Higgins claims that while he may treat her

badly, he is at least fair in that he has never treated anyone else

differently. He tells her she should come back with him just for the fun of

flithe will adopt her as a daughter, or she can marry Pickering. She swings

around and cries that she won't even marry Higgins if he asks. She mentions

that Freddy has been writing her love letters, but Higgins immediately

dismisses him as a fool.

She says that she will marry Freddy, and that the two will support

themselves by taking Higgins' phonetic methods to his chief rival,

Nepommuck. Higgins is outraged but cannot help wondering at her character

he finds his defiance much more appealing than the submissiveness of the

slippers-fetcher. Mrs. Higgins comes in to tell Eliza it is time to leave.

As she is about to exit, Higgins tells her off handedly to fetch him some

gloves, ties, ham, and cheese while she is out. She replies ambivalently

and departs; we do not know if she will follow his orders. The play ends

with Higgins's roaring laughter as he says to his mother, "She's going to

marry Freddy. Ha! Freddy! Freddy!! Ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!"

ТИХИЙ АМЕРИКАНЕЦ Роман

Олден Пайл — предстаитель экономического отдела американского посольства в

Сайгоне, антагонист Фаулера, другого героя романа. Будучи обобщенным

изображением вполне конкретных политических сил и методов борьбы на мировой

арене, фигура О. П. несет в себе и более глубокий и широкий смысл. Перед

нами достаточно знакомый тип человеческого поведения, сформировавшийся

именно в XX в., в эпоху острого идеологического противостояния государств и

систем, когда идейная убежденность человека, не способного мыслить

самостоятельно и критически, оборачивается на психическом уровне

своеобразной запрограммированностью суждений и действий, шаблонностью

мышления, стремящегося заключить сложность людских отношений в уже готовые

рамки и схемы.

Для О. П. не существует ничего индивидуального, частного, неповторимого.

Все, что он видит, переживает сам, он стремится подвести под систему

понятий, соотнести с некими якобы навсегда данными правилами, моделью

отношений: свой любовный опыт он сопоставляет с выводами статистики Кинси,

впечатления о Вьетнаме — с точкой зрения американских политических

комментаторов. Каждый убитый для него либо «красная опасность», либо «воин

демократии». Художественное своеобразие романа основано на сопоставлении и

противопоставлении двух главных действующих лиц: Фаулера и О. П. Гораздо

более благополучным выглядит О. П.: он закончил Гарвард, он из хорошей

семьи, молод и довольно богат.

Все подчинено правилам морали, но морали формальной. Так, он уводит у

своего друга Фаулера девушку, причем объясняет это тем, что ей будет с ним

лучше, он может дать ей то, что не может Фаулер: жениться на ней и дать ей

положение в обществе; жизнь его разумна и размеренна. Постепенно О. П.

превращается в носителя агрессии. «Напрасно я уже тогда не обратил внимания

на этот фанатический блеск в его глазах, не понял, как гипнотизируют его

слова, магические числа: пятая колонна, третья сила, второе пришествие...»

— думает о нем Фаулер. Той третьей силой, которая может и должна спасти

Вьетнам, а заодно помочь установлению господства США в стране, по мнению О.

П. и тех, кто направляет его, должна стать национальная демократия. Фаулер

предупреждает О. П.: «Эта ваша третья сила— это все книжные выдумки, не

больше. Генерал Тхе просто головорез с двумя-тремя тысячами солдат, никакая

это не третья демократия». Но О. П. переубедить нельзя. Он организует взрыв

на площади, и гибнут ни в чем не повинные женщины и дети, а О. П., стоящего

на площади, заполненной трупами, волнует ничтожное: «Он взглянул на мокрое

пятно на своем башмаке и упавшим голосом спросил: — Что это? — Кровь, —

сказал я, — никогда не видели, что ли? — Надо непременно почистить, так

нельзя идти к посланнику, — сказал он...» К моменту начала повествования О.

П. мертв— он предстает перед нами в мыслях Фаулера: «Я подумал: «Какой

смысл с ним говорить? Он так и останется праведником, а разве можно

обвинять праведников — они никогда ни в чем не виноваты. Их можно только

сдерживать или уничтожать. Праведник — тоже своего рода душевнобольной».

Томас Фаулер — английский журналист, работающий в Южном Вьетнаме в

1951—1955 гг. Усталый, душевно опустошенный человек, во многом схожий со

Скоби — героем другого романа Грэма Грина— «Суть дела». Он считает, что его

долг — сообщать в газеты только факты, оценка их его не касается, он не

хочет ни во что вмешиваться, стремится остаться нейтральным наблюдателем. В

Сайгоне Т. Ф. уже давно, и единственное, чем он дорожит, что удерживает его

там, — любовь к вьетнамской девушке Фуонг. Но появляется американец Олден

Пайл, который уводит Фуонг. Роман начинается с убийства Пай л а и с того,

что Фуонг возвращается к Т. Ф. Но дальше идет ретроспекция. Полиция ищет

преступника, а параллельно с этим Т. Ф. вспоминает о Пайле: тот спас его во

время нападения вьетнамских партизан, буквально отнеся в безопасное место,

рискуя собственной жизнью. Как будто бы добрый поступок?

Пайл раздражает Т. Ф. своими идеями, своим безапелляционным поведением,

граничащим с фанатизмом. Узнав наконец, что взрыв на площади, устроенный

американцами, в результате которого погибли женщины и дети, дело рук Пайла,

Т. Ф. не выдерживает и передает его в руки вьетнамских партизан: «Вы бы на

него посмотрели... Он стоял там и говорил, что все это печальное

недоразумение, что должен был состояться парад... Там, на площади, у одной

женщины убили ребенка... Она закрыла его соломенной шляпой». После смерти

Пайла как-то сама собой устраивается судьба Т. Ф.: он остается во Вьетнаме

— «этой честной стране», где нищета не прикрыта стыдливыми покровами;

женщина, некогда легко оставившая его для Пайла, с той же естественностью

выгоды легко и грустно приходит теперь назад.

The Quiet American by G.Greene

Олден Пайл - представитель экономического отдела американского посольства в

Сайгоне, антагонист Фаулера, другого героя романа. Будучи обобщенным

изображением вполне конкретных политических сил и методов борьбы на мировой

арене, фигура О. П. несет в себе и более глубокий и широкий смысл. Перед

нами достаточно знакомый тип человеческого поведения, сформировавшийся

именно в XX в., в эпоху острого идеологического противостояния государств и

систем, когда идейная убежденность человека, не способного мыслить

самостоятельно и критически, оборачивается на психическом уровне

своеобразной запрограммированностью суждений и действий, шаблонностью

мышления, стремящегося заключить сложность людских отношений в уже готовые

рамки и схемы. Для О. П. не существует ничего индивидуального, частного,

неповторимого. Все, что он видит, переживает сам, он стремится подвести под

систему понятий, соотнести с некими якобы навсегда данными правилами,

моделью отношений: свой любовный опыт он сопоставляет с выводами статистики

Кинси, впечатления о Вьетнаме - с точкой зрения американских политических

комментаторов. Каждый убитый для него либо "красная опасность", либо "воин

демократии". Художественное своеобразие романа основано на сопоставлении и

противопоставлении двух главных действующих лиц: Фаулера и О. П. Гораздо

более благополучным выглядит О. П.: он закончил Гарвард, он из хорошей

семьи, молод и довольно богат. Все подчинено правилам морали, но морали

формальной.

Так, он уводит у своего друга Фаулера девушку, причем объясняет это тем,

что ей будет с ним лучше, он может дать ей то, что не может Фаулер:

жениться на ней и дать ей положение в обществе; жизнь его разумна и

размеренна. Постепенно О. П. превращается в носителя агрессии. "Напрасно я

уже тогда не обратил внимания на этот фанатический блеск в его глазах, не

понял, как гипнотизируют его слова, магические числа: пятая колонна, третья

сила, второе пришествие..." - думает о нем Фаулер. Той третьей силой,

которая может и должна спасти Вьетнам, а заодно помочь установлению

господства США в стране, по мнению О. П. и тех, кто направляет его, должна

стать национальная демократия. Фаулер предупреждает О. П.: "Эта ваша третья

сила- это все книжные выдумки, не больше. Генерал Тхе просто головорез с

двумя-тремя тысячами солдат, никакая это не третья демократия". Но О. П.

переубедить нельзя. Он организует взрыв на площади, и гибнут ни в чем не

повинные женщины и дети, а О. П., стоящего на площади, заполненной трупами,

волнует ничтожное: "Он взглянул на мокрое пятно на своем башмаке и упавшим

голосом спросил: - Что это? - Кровь, - сказал я, - никогда не видели, что

ли? - Надо непременно почистить, так нельзя идти к посланнику, - сказал

он..." К моменту начала повествования О. П. мертв- он предстает перед нами

в мыслях Фаулера: "Я подумал: "Какой смысл с ним говорить? Он так и

останется праведником, а разве можно обвинять праведников - они никогда ни

в чем не виноваты. Их можно только сдерживать или уничтожать. Праведник -

тоже своего рода душевнобольной".

Томас Фаулер - английский журналист, работающий в Южном Вьетнаме в 1951-

1955 гг. Усталый, душевно опустошенный человек, во многом схожий со Скоби -

героем другого романа Грэма Грина- "Суть дела". Он считает, что его долг -

сообщать в газеты только факты, оценка их его не касается, он не хочет ни

во что вмешиваться, стремится остаться нейтральным наблюдателем. В Сайгоне

Т. Ф. уже давно, и единственное, чем он дорожит, что удерживает его там, -

любовь к вьетнамской девушке Фу-онг. Но появляется американец Олден Пайл,

который уводит Фуонг. Роман начинается с убийства Пай л а и с того, что

Фуонг возвращается к Т. Ф. Но дальше идет ретроспекция. Полиция ищет

преступника, а параллельно с этим Т. Ф. вспоминает о Пайле: тот спас его во

время нападения вьетнамских партизан, буквально отнеся в безопасное место,

рискуя собственной жизнью. Как будто бы добрый поступок? Пайл раздражает Т.

Ф. своими идеями, своим безапелляционным поведением, граничащим с

фанатизмом. Узнав наконец, что взрыв на площади, устроенный американцами, в

результате которого погибли женщины и дети, дело рук Пайла, Т. Ф. не

выдерживает и передает его в руки вьетнамских партизан: "Вы бы на него

посмотрели... Он стоял там и говорил, что все это печальное недоразумение,

что должен был состояться парад... Там, на площади, у одной женщины убили

ребенка... Она закрыла его соломенной шляпой". После смерти Пайла как-то

сама собой устраивается судьба Т. Ф.: он остается во Вьетнаме - "этой

честной стране", где нищета не прикрыта стыдливыми покровами; женщина,

некогда легко оставившая его для Пайла, с той же естественностью выгоды

легко и грустно приходит теперь назад.

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

Part 1 Summary:

The narrator introduces himself as Robinson Crusoe. He was born in

1632 in the city of York to a good family. His father is a foreigner who

made money in merchandise before settling to down and marrying his mother,

whose surname is Robinson. His true last name is Kreutznaer, but has been

corrupted into Crusoe by the English. There are two older brothers in the

family; one died in the English regiment, and Robinson does not know what

became of the other.

Crusoe's father has designed him for the law, but early on his head is

filled with "rambling thoughts" of going to sea. No advice or entreaties

can diminish his desire. His father gives him "excellent advice and

counsel," telling him that only men of desperate and superior fortunes go

abroad in search of adventures, and that he is too high or too low for such

activities. His station is the middle station, a state which all figures,

great and small, will envy eventually, and his happiness would be assured

if he would stay at home. Nature has provided this life, and Robinson

should not go against this. After all, look what happened to his brother

who went into the army. The narrator is truly affected by his father's

discourse, but after a few weeks he decides to run away. He prevails upon

his mother to speak to his father and persuade him to allow one voyage. If

Robinson does not like it, he resolves to go home and think of the sea no

more. She reluctantly reports their conversation, but no headway is made,

no consent given. About a year later, he is able to procure free passage on

a friend's boat heading to London. Asking for no blessing or money, he

boards the ship and leaves.

Misfortune begins immediately. The sea is rough, and Robinson regrets

his decision to leave home. He sees now how comfortably his father lives.

The sea calms, and after a few days, the thoughts are dismissed. The

narrator speaks with his companion, marveling at the "storm." His companion

laughs and says it was nothing at all. There is drinking that night, and

Robinson forgets his fear of drowning. Within a few more days, the wind is

behaving terribly, and then a true and terrible storm begins. Robinson

spends much time in his cabin, laying down in fright. He sees nothing but

distress, and is convinced he is at death's door. The ship is being

flooded, and he is commissioned to help bail water. At one point Robinson

faints, but is roused quickly. The water is coming too fast, so they board

life boats. People on shore are ready to assist them, if they can reach

land. The boats arrive at Yarmouth, and the magistrate gives the men rooms.

They must decide whether or not to continue to London or return to Hull.

His comrade notes that Robinson should take this as a sign that he is not

meant to go to sea. They part in an angry state. Robinson travels to London

via land. He is ashamed to go home and be laughed at by neighbors. Finally

he decides to look for a voyage. He is deaf to all good advice, and boards

a vessel bound for Guiana because he befriends the its captain. This

voyage, save seasickness, goes well, but upon arrival the captain dies.

Robinson resolves to take his ship and be a Guiana trader.

On a course towards the Canary Islands, they are attacked by Turkish

pirates, who capture them and take them into Sallee, a Moorish port.

Robinson is now a slave. His new master takes him home for drudgery work.

The narrator meditates escape for the next two years. An opportunity

presents itself when his master sends Robinson, along with some Moorish

youths, to catch some fish. Robinson secretly stores provisions and guns on

the ship. They set out to fish. Robinson convinces the helmsman that they

will find fish further out. He goes behind one of the Moors and tosses him

overboard, saying that he should swim for shore because he the narrator is

determined to have liberty. Robinson turns to the other boy, called Xury,

and says he must be faithful or be tossed as well. Xury resolves fidelity

and says he will see the world with Robinson. They sail for five days, as

the narrator is anxious to get far away. They land in a creek and resolve

to swim ashore and see what country this is. For two days they are anchored

there. They observe "mighty creatures" yelling on shore and swimming

towards the ship. Robinson fires a gun to discourage them from swimming

further. They are not sure what animal this is.

Although the two are scared, they need water. Together they will go

ashore, and either they will both live or both die. The land appears

uninhabited. They are able to kill a hare-like animal for dinner and obtain

fresh water. Robinson is sure they are on the Canary or the Cape Verde

Islands. He hopes to come upon English trading vessels that will allow them

to board. The two men remain in the creek. Together they kill a lion for

sport as they pass the time. Xury cuts off a foot for them to eat. They

begin to sail along the land in search of a river. Eventually they see the

land is inhabited by naked black people. Robinson and Xury go closer to

shore. The people leave food at the water's edge. They keep great distance

from the two men. Another creature swims toward the boat. Robinson kills

it, and sees that it is a leopard of some sort. The black people accept the

killing happily, so Xury goes ashore for water and food. In the distance

Robinson spies a Portuguese ship, but it is too far to make contact. They

leave immediately, trying to follow the ship. Robinson fires a gun to get

their attention. Joyfully, Robinson finds they will let Xury and himself

board, and the captain does not demand any money from them. The ship is

headed for Brazil.

Part 2 Summary:

The sea captain is extremely kind to Crusoe. He buys Robinson's boat,

all of his worldly goods, and Xury. At first the narrator is reluctant to

part with his servant, but the captain promises to free him in ten years if

he has turned Christian. As Xury finds this agreeable, Robinson allows the

exchange. The voyage to Brazil goes well. The narrator is recommended by

the captain to the house of an "honest man." This man lives on a

plantation, and Robinson lives with him for a while. Seeing how rich the

plantation owners are, he resolves to become a planter, and begins

purchasing much land. Once Robinson is planting, he becomes friendly with

Wells, his Portuguese neighbor. They slowly increase the diversity of their

stock. At this juncture Robinson regrets having sold Xury. He is in a trade

that he knows nothing about, and he has no one to talk to but the neighbor.

If he had listened to his father, he would have been comfortable at home.

Still, he is sustained by his augmenting wealth.

The captain returns and tells Robinson to give him a letter of

procuration so that he can bring the narrator half of the fortune he has

left with the English captain's widow. He returns not only with money, but

with a servant. Robinson is now infinitely richer than his neighbor, and

purchases a "Negro slave" and a "European servant." Each year he grows more

tobacco and thrives. But he is not completely happy with this life.

"Nature" and "Providence" stir him so that he is not content, and winds up

throwing himself into the pit of human misery once more. Having made

friends during his four year residence in Brazil, he has spoken much of

voyages to Guinea, where one can buy desirable items, but especially Negro

servants for plantation work. It is a highly restricted trade, though.

Three merchants come to him and say they want to buy the Negroes privately

for their own plantations. They ask if he will join and manage the trading

on Guinea. Ignoring the inner voice of his father, Robinson wholeheartedly

agrees to go. He makes the investing merchants promise they will look after

his plantation if he "miscarries." He boards the ship on the first of

September, eight years after he ran away from home.

Good weather lasts for a while, but then it turns stormy. One man dies

of sickness; a little boy is washed overboard. After 12 days it is clear

that the ship will not make it due to leakiness. They decide to try and

make it to Africa, where they can get assistance. For 15 days they sail,

and another storm hits. There is land in the distance, but they are afraid

it might be inhabited by savages who will eat them. The ship crashes into

sand, and the sea powerfully washes over it. They use their oars to edge

closer to shore, but their hearts are heavy because they know as soon as

they get there, the ship will be dashed to pieces and they will be

overtaken by the undercurrent and drowned. They have to at least try and

swim. Once they jump into the sea, Robinson has some good luck and is

helped to shore by a wave. He runs as the sea continues to chase him. The

water fights him, but he manages to land safely on shore. Robinson thanks

God for his deliverance. He looks around, sees nothing to help him, and

runs about like a madman until he falls asleep in a tree. The next day is

calm and sunny. The narrator now sees that if they had stayed on board, the

ship would have made it to land without being dashed. But the rest of the

company is dead, and Robinson grieves. He swims out to the ship and takes a

few pieces to build a raft. On this he loads the provisions, everything

from food to weaponry. Robinson looks about the island for a good place to

live and store his supplies. There are no people, only beasts. A tent

serves as his lodging. He makes a number of voyages to the ship in the next

few weeks and brings back everything salvageable. In order to guard against

possible savages, the narrator moves his tent near a cave with steep sides.

He sets up a home with cables and rigging. A hammock is his bed. He makes a

cave behind the tent to serve as a cellar. Discovering goats on the island,

Robinson goes out daily to kill his food. This leads to his making a

cooking area. When desolation threatens to overwhelm him, he forces himself

to remember the dead company, and how much better off he is. At the very

least he has housing and guns to kill food.

Part 3 Summary:

After having been there about 12 days, Robinson decides to keep a

calendar by marking a large wooden post. He is very happy to have some pen

and paper, three Bibles, two cats and a dog, all from the ship. The work

upon his home is tedious without proper tools, but he improvises. After

all, he has nothing else to occupy his time. To comfort himself the

narrator makes a list of pros and cons about his shipwreck. Ultimately he

decides to be joyous because God has delivered and provided for him. He is

raising a wall around his home. After about a year and a half, he has

rafters and a thatched roof. Robinson realizes there is nothing he wants

that he can't make: thus he creates entrance and exit to his home, table

and chairs that he might truly enjoy writing and reading. The narrator

begins a journal, in which he documents his initial misery, and all of his

tasks and duties that he performs in acclimating to the island. A scheduled

routine forms for his hunting and building. Every animal he kills, he keeps

the skins and hangs them as ornaments. Robinson goes about the business of

making chests to store his provisions, as well as tools such as a

wheelbarrow. The cave/cellar appears to be finished when a quantity of

earth falls from the ceiling; Crusoe repairs this. He builds storage

shelves to create "order within doors." A more solid fence begins to form

around his dwelling. The narrator takes frequent walks and discovers

pigeons, a very good meat. The darkness is his greatest annoyance; he

decides to make candles from the tallow of slaughtered goats. While

emptying sacks from the ship, Robinson shakes out come pieces of corn.

After the rains, husks of barley appear. The narrator is astounded and

thanks God. He manages to plant some rice as well.

Robinson builds a ladder to the entrance of his home. While in his

cave/cellar, an earthquake occurs and much of the walls crumble. He is

frightened and prays profusely. It rains violently. He resolves to move his

tent a bit to prevent untimely death from other earthquakes. Pieces of the

shipwreck wash up on shore. Robinson gathers them to use on his new home.

He finds a large tortoise that provides a good meal. Soon he falls ill and

has chills for many days. The narrator sleeps restlessly and has nightmares

about dark men coming to kill him. He reflects once more on how good God

has been to him, and assumes that this sickness is a punishment for not

realizing this goodness sooner. He regrets not listening to his father.

Robinson prays what he refers to as his "first prayer." He makes a homemade

remedy in the form of rum, tobacco and water. When his sickness grows worse

he wonders what he has done to deserve this. His conscience answers that he

has led a "dreadful misspent life." Robinson takes up reading the Bible. He

becomes better.

Part 4 Summary:

It takes some weeks for Robinson to recover his full strength. He

marvels at this deliverance from sickness. More serious reading of the

Bible commences. The narrator now looks at his past life with complete

horror. His thoughts are directed to a "higher nature." The rainy season is

dangerous to his health, so he spends little time walking about. Crusoe's

habitation is set; he feels that he wants to explore the rest of the

island. When the weather improves, he goes about and sees many meadows. He

also finds some tobacco growing. In the woods there is fruit growing in

great abundance, and a spring of fresh water. Robinson tries to being fruit

back, but he is gone so long it spoils. He resolves to try again. Returning

to his home, Crusoe finds that some of his grapes have been trod upon.

There must be wild creatures thereabouts. He hangs the remaining grapes to

dry them into raisins. Robinson loves the wilder part of the island so

dearly that he resumes his thoughts of a new habitation, and decides to

simply build another one and have two homes: a "sea coast house" and a

"country house." He finishes in time for the next rainy season. His cats

are breeding with wild cats on the island, so he is forced to kill some of

them, that his food supply is not entirely diminished. The year anniversary

of his arrival is unhappy. He prays again to God.

He has learned the rainy season from the dry season, and decides to

plant crops of rice and corn. The first crop is a good one, so Robinson

extends the arable land. He busies himself with the farming and with making

finer household items, like baskets. He moves frequently between his two

homes. His greatest desire at the moment is for a pipe. On an exceptionally

clear day, he spies a line of land, but he cannot be sure where it is. He

is sure, however, that the inhabitants are cannibalistic savages. He

discovers more animals on his rambles around the island. Many times the

narrator sleeps outdoors, in trees to protect himself. When he comes home,

however, he is always very happy. He has tamed a parrot and a young goat,

who follow him endlessly. The two year anniversary arrives, and it is still

solemn, but with much more joy in Robinson's heart. His desires in life are

completely altered. He decides he can be more happy in this existence than

in his previous one. Scripture reading is done daily and methodically. The

narrator finds that his crops are being eaten by birds. He shoots one and

uses it successfully as a scarecrow. The next goal is to try and make

bread. His parrot Poll now talks.

Robinson makes some very good pots and jars. He then forms a stone

mortar to beat the corn into meal, and a sieve to dress it. Over hot embers

he bakes the batter and gets corn bread. This new technique leads to an

enlargement of the barns, to hold more corn.

Part 5 Summary:

Robinson is growing curious about the land on the other side of the

island. He believes from there he might spot a mainland and obtain escape.

Yet he does not think about falling into the hands of savages. The narrator

wishes for Xury and the boat they sailed. He resolves to try and repair the

wrecked ship's boat, but it sinks repeatedly. He then decides to build his

own boat. Crusoe is unsure as to how he will get the boat off land, but

decides to worry about this later. In retrospect this is referred to as

"preposterous method" of work. The boat is well-made, but Robinson is

unable to get it to the water due to its weight. The only way is to build a

canal to the ocean, which will take a long while. The fourth anniversary

comes, and Crusoe observes it with respect, marveling that there is no

wickedness here. Ironically, all the money he has is worthless--he longs

for a tobacco pipe or a handmill. He reflects upon the goodness of

Providence, and spends much time remembering important dates in his life.

Robinson's clothes have begun to wither. He manages to use the skins

of creatures he has killed to make a "sorry shift." The skins keep him very

dry in the rain, so he decides to make an umbrella. He also makes another

boat, small enough that he can get it to the water. In the sixth year of

his "reign or captivity," he sets out on a voyage around the island. The

current is strong and sweeps him away from the island. Crusoe begins to

fear that he will not be able to return. Gradually the wind changes, and

the narrator immediately goes back to shore, drops to his knees, and thanks

God. He is able to reach his country house by nightfall. He is terribly

frightened to hear a voice calling his name, asking where he is, until he

sees it is the parrot Poll. For the next year Robinson lives a quiet,

sedate life. He perfects his carpentry skills and is able to make a wheel

tool to aid in his building. His powder supply is decreasing, so he begins

to set traps to catch the goats and have his own flock. Eleven years have

past. The goats provide him with milk, from which the narrator is able to

make butter and cheese. He now dines like a "king among his subjects."

Still the narrator longs to sail around the island, but he is afraid of

being swept away. Thus he decides to have a boat on either side of the

island. One day going to visit his boat, he spies a man's footprint near

it. Robinson is thunderstruck with fear: it must be a savage from nearby

lands. He wonders if there are on the island, if it is the mark of the

devil. His religious hope is abating. But the narrator resolves to let God

decide--if he is not to be delivered from the evil, so be it.

Part 6 Summary:

Robinson begins to think that he might have made the footprint

himself; this makes him bolder and he goes out again to milk his goats. But

he walks with incredible fear, always looking behind him. He concludes that

since he has not seen anyone in fifteen years, the people must come from

abroad in boats. He wants to hide himself even more, so he reinforces his

walls and plants groves of trees that develop into a forest in six years

time. He moves his goats to a more remote location and divides them into

two groups. Crusoe makes his way to the shore opposite to the one on which

he landed, and finds it littered with human bones. His fear of

cannibalistic savages is confirmed. He thanks God that he was not eaten and

that he is distinguished from these people whom he sees as abhorrent.

Gradually the narrator becomes comfortable again, but he is cautious about

firing his gun, and prefers to tend his livestock, so he does not have to

hunt. Aside from this, he sets his mind to other tasks, such as learning to

make beer.

Crusoe is not fearful but vengeful. He longs for the chance to hurt

these savages and save the victims. Several times he imagines the proper

mode of ambush and attack. He picks the exact sniper spots. A daily tour

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