Lesson 85 Assignment – “Why did Crusoe take the coins off the ship?”

The story of Robinson Crusoe was that of the prodigal son of a businessman who had expectations that his son would follow in his footsteps and embrace the middle-class lifestyle of leisure, work, and stability. This didn’t turn out to be the case, as young Crusoe wanted to find his fortune elsewhere, as a sailor, ignoring any advice given to him and all the events that were there just to tell him to give up. He found many fortunes and trials along the way, yet the fortunes didn’t stay and the sanctions of bad events remained. He becomes a slave, gets captured by pirates, goes through storms, and lastly shipwrecks on a desolate island. This is where the event of Crusoe taking the coins off the ship occurs, as he is salvaging for anything that might be of use in his current state. Out of all the things, coins are probably the most useless things one can have in a survival situation unless they’re silver or copper that can be used to filter water. Yet he did not think about it this way, he took them because he was clinging to the hopes that if someone did come about and rescue him, he would have those two coins to pay the fare if demanded of him. Months passed and no one came, Crusoe eventually decided to take full advantage of what providence had bestowed upon him and created a life of his own inside the island. In the end, he was thankful that he still had control over his life, had land all to himself, and learned to conform and be happy with what he had. The hopes of being rescued and not adapting to your circumstances ended along with his ethical rebellion, he became more spiritual and happy with the mercy God had given him.