Robinson Crusoe, written by Daniel Defoe in 1719, tells the story of a young Englishman who defies his father's wishes and goes to sea. After a shipwreck, he becomes the sole survivor stranded on a remote tropical island, where he remains for twenty-eight years. Using salvaged tools and supplies, he builds shelter, farms crops, and tames animals, gradually transforming despair into self-reliance. Years later, he rescues a native man from cannibals, naming him Friday, who becomes his loyal companion. Eventually, an English ship arrives, and Crusoe returns home, discovering that his Brazilian plantation has made him wealthy.
