Robinson Crusoe
Daniel Defoe
Contributed by Tennie Sauls
Chapter 5
Summary

The fifth chapter begins with the day and year of the journal entry it reflects, September 30 in 1659. In the entry, Crusoe describes the same events he has already experienced, sleeping in a tree, going to the ship to get supplies and building his fort and cave. He recalls the events from several days and also mentions other things, like hunting trips with the dog he saved from the ship, and how he builds furniture with the tools he has. He then describes which tools he would need to make the construction of his cave easier, e.g. a wheelbarrow and shovel. He is resourceful, though, and manages to secure his cave even against collapses and landslides. He spends most of his time building himself a home on the island.

Crusoe’s records go on for months. He furthermore describes how he gets food by killing goats. When he lames a goat in December, breaking its leg, he takes it with him to nurse it back to health. This gives him the idea to domesticate animals. “This was the first time that I entertained a thought of breeding up some tame creatures, that I might have food when my powder and shot was all spent” (Defoe 96). His attempts at domesticating animals, however, are unsuccessful as he has nothing to feed them with. When he finds some rice stalks and barley, he decides to keep and plant them when the season allows it, but also mentions that it will take years to have enough to eat.

In April, an earthquake and a hurricane ravage the island. “The very next day after this wall was finished I had almost had all my labour overthrown at once, and myself killed” (Defoe 101). Crusoe thinks about building himself a new shelter but he does not have the resources for doing so, so he remains living in the cave. Instead of carrying the ship further into the ocean, the hurricane has brought it closer to shore, so Crusoe is able to get more gunpowder and wood.

Analysis

Chapter five is characterized by religious and nature themes. Crusoe sees providence in everything that happens. When he sees barley, English barley, grow on the island, he is very surprised and states that even though religion had almost escaped his mind, “I began to suggest that God had miraculously caused His grain to grow with-out any help of seed sown, and that it was so directed purely for my sustenance on that wild, miserable place” (Defoe 99). The earthquake and hurricane are hence considered to be some sort of punishment from God. When Crusoe discovers that the hurricane brought the shipwreck closer to him, and in a moment of need for more supplies like wood, he likely sees an act of providence in it as well. For the first time, Crusoe’s inventive and innovative talent becomes apparent. He knows how to build the tools he is missing, building a sled in place of a wheelbarrow, and how to sharpen the tools he has, using a grindstone machine he himself built. He secures the cave and keeps it from collapsing by using wooden posts. Crusoe is able to work with the supplies and tools he already has and can survive on his own for months, showing his self-reliance. He wants to build himself a life on the island which is close to the one he had before, not wanting to deny himself his previous comfort. He is able to plan ahead by thinking about domesticating animals to supply him with food, because eventually his weapons and ammunition will run dry. His machines are representative of the growing innovations in England during the time, leading away from nature and agriculture towards the Industrial Revolution.

The events mentioned in the journal are mostly already mentioned in the previous chapter. However, in chapter five, Crusoe writes them down as journal entries and goes more into detail about his tools, machines and work.

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