The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe · Chapter
II: Slavery and Escape explained
Crusoe recounts his ill-fated voyage to Guinea, where he is captured by Moorish pirates and enslaved.
What happens
Crusoe recounts his ill-fated voyage to Guinea, where he is captured by Moorish pirates and enslaved. After two years, he escapes with a boy named Xury, sailing down the African coast. They encounter wild beasts, including a lion, and eventually find fresh water, narrowly avoiding capture by Moors.
Themes in this chapter
Slavery and Freedom
Crusoe is enslaved by Moors and later escapes, highlighting the contrast between bondage and liberty.
Fear of the Other
Crusoe and Xury fear both wild beasts and the 'savages' of the African coast, reflecting colonial anxieties.
Mastery Over Nature
Crusoe uses guns and skill to kill a lion, demonstrating human dominance over the natural world.
Characters to notice
- Robinson Crusoe
Narrates his disastrous voyage to Guinea, capture by Moors, and escape with Xury.
- Xury
A slave boy who assists Crusoe in escaping; shows bravery and loyalty, swearing to be faithful.
- The Master
The honest captain who befriends Crusoe and teaches him navigation; dies after the first voyage.
Key passages
“That evil influence which carried me first away from my father’s house—which hurried me into the wild and indigested notion of raising my fortune...”
The same bad impulse that made me leave home and chase after wealth now led me into my worst adventure yet.
Crusoe reflects on his persistent recklessness.
“Xury, if you will be faithful to me, I’ll make you a great man; but if you will not stroke your face to be true to me—that is, swear by Muhammad and his father’s beard—I must throw you into the sea too.”
Crusoe demands Xury's loyalty, threatening to drown him if he betrays him.
Crusoe uses coercion to secure Xury's allegiance.
“I took the best aim I could with the first piece to have shot him in the head, but he lay so with his leg raised a little above his nose, that the slugs hit his leg about the knee and broke the bone.”
Crusoe shoots a lion but only wounds its leg, then finishes it with a second shot.
Crusoe's hunting skill and resourcefulness are demonstrated.