The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe · Chapter
A Dream Realised explained
Crusoe, now settled back in his habitation after salvaging the wreck, spends nearly two years in restless contemplation, dissatisfied with his station and obsessed with escaping the island.
What happens
Crusoe, now settled back in his habitation after salvaging the wreck, spends nearly two years in restless contemplation, dissatisfied with his station and obsessed with escaping the island. His reflections on his past mistakes and his 'original sin' of disobeying his father lead him to a feverish desire to reach the mainland. After a vivid dream in which he rescues a savage who becomes his servant and pilot, he resolves to capture a prisoner from the cannibals to facilitate his escape.
Themes in this chapter
The Middle Station of Life
Crusoe laments his inability to be content with his current station, contrasting his present misery with the settled prosperity he could have had as a planter in Brazil, echoing his father's earlier advice.
Providence and Divine Justice
Crusoe reflects on Providence's role in hiding future dangers from mankind, and acknowledges his gratitude for unknown deliverances from cannibals, while also questioning why God allows such inhumanity.
Characters to notice
- Robinson Crusoe
Crusoe reflects on his dissatisfaction with his station, his 'original sin' of disobeying his father, and his obsessive desire to escape the island. He experiences a prophetic dream about rescuing a savage.
Key passages
“I have been, in all my circumstances, a memento to those who are touched with the general plague of mankind, whence, for aught I know, one half of their miseries flow: I mean that of not being satisfied with the station wherein God and Nature hath placed them”
Crusoe sees himself as a warning to others about the universal human flaw of discontent with one's God-given place in life, which he believes is the source of most suffering.
This reflects the theme of 'The Middle Station of Life' and Crusoe's regret over his restless ambition.
“How infinitely good that Providence is, which has provided, in its government of mankind, such narrow bounds to his sight and knowledge of things; and though he walks in the midst of so many thousand dangers, the sight of which, if discovered to him, would distract his mind and sink his spirits, he is kept serene and calm, by having the events of things hid from his eyes, and knowing nothing of the dangers which surround him.”
Crusoe marvels at the mercy of Providence in limiting human knowledge of future dangers, allowing people to live peacefully unaware of the threats around them.
This highlights the theme of 'Providence and Divine Justice' and Crusoe's gratitude for his ignorance of the cannibals' presence.