Robinson Crusoe
The novel’s protagonist and narrator. Crusoe begins the novel as a young middle-class man in York in search of a career. His father recomends the law,but Crusoe yearns for a life at sea, and his subsequent rebellion and decision to become a merchant is the starting point for the whole adventure that follows. His vague but recurrng feelings of guilty over his disobedience color the first part of the first half of the story and show us how deep Crusoe’s religious fear is.
6
The Widow
Appearing briefly, but on two separate occasions in the novel the widow keeps Crusoe’s 200 pounds safe in England throughout all his thirty-five years of journeying. She returns it loyally to Crusoe upon his return to England and,like the Portuguese captain and Friday,reminds us of the goodwill and trustworthiness of which humans can be capable,whether European or not.