# Return to England explained — The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe

> Chapter companion for The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe.

## What happens

Crusoe leaves the island, returns to England after 35 years, discovers his family is gone, receives a reward from the ship's owners, travels to Lisbon to reclaim his Brazilian plantation, and becomes wealthy. He rewards his old captain and the widow who helped him, and considers his future.

## Themes in this chapter

### Providence and Divine Justice

Crusoe attributes his wealth and deliverance to Providence, and rewards those who helped him, reflecting divine justice.

### Self-Reliance and Individualism

Crusoe's independent actions in reclaiming his plantation and managing his newfound wealth highlight his self-reliance.

### Colonialism and Imperialism

Crusoe's plantation in Brazil, worked by slaves, and his ownership of land underscore colonial economic structures.

## Character check-ins

### Robinson Crusoe

Leaves the island, returns to England, travels to Lisbon, inherits wealth, and rewards his benefactors.

### Friday

Accompanies Crusoe faithfully on his travels to Lisbon.

### The Captain

Helps Crusoe reclaim his plantation; receives reward and annuity from Crusoe.

### The Master

The ship's master whom Crusoe saved; arranges a reward of £200 from the ship's owners.

## Key lines

> I left the island, the 19th of December, as I found by the ship's account, in the year 1686, after I had been upon it eight-and-twenty years, two months, and nineteen days; being delivered from this second captivity the same day of the month that I first made my escape in the longboat from among the Moors of Sallee.

Crusoe departed the island on December 19, 1686, after 28 years, 2 months, and 19 days, noting the coincidence that it was the same date he had escaped from the Moors.

_Highlights the symmetry of Crusoe's deliverances._

> I arrived in England the 11th of June, in the year 1687, having been thirty-five years absent.

Crusoe reached England on June 11, 1687, after being away for 35 years.

_Marks his return to civilization after decades of isolation._

> I was now master, all on a sudden, of above five thousand pounds sterling in money, and had an estate, as I might well call it, in the Brazils, of above a thousand pounds a year.

Crusoe suddenly found himself with over £5,000 in cash and a Brazilian estate yielding more than £1,000 annually.

_Describes his sudden wealth and change in fortune._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/robinson_crusoe_se/chapters/xix-return-to-england
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/robinson_crusoe_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/robinson_crusoe_se/chapters