8/18/2019 f1 Literature Mahisha
1/2
The novel opens with the family in the hold of a sailing ship,
weathering a great storm.
The ships' passengers evacuate without them, and William and
Elizabeth Robinson and
their four children (ritz, Ernest, !ac" and rancis# are left to
survive alone. $s the ship
tosses about, the father % William % prays that
&od will spare them.
The ship survives the night and the family finds themselves
within sight of a
tropical desert island. The net morning, they decide to get
to the island they can see
beyond the reef. With much effort, they construct a vessel out
of tubs. $fter they fill the
tubs with food and ammunition and all other articles of value
they can safely carry, they
row toward the island. Two dogs from the ship swim beside
them. The ship's cargo
of livestoc" (including chic"ens and domesticated
geese#, guns powder, carpentry
tools, boo"s, a disassembledpinnace, and provisions have
survived.
)pon reaching the island, the family set up a ma"eshift camp.
The father "nows that they
must prepare for a long time on the island and his thoughts are
as much on provisions
for the future as for their immediate wants. William and his
oldest son ritz spend the
net day eploring the island.
The family spends the net few days securing themselves against
hunger. William and
ritz ma"e several trips to the ship in their efforts to bring
ashore everything useful from
the vessel. The domesticated animals on the ship are towed bac"
to the island. There is
also a great store of firearms and ammunition, hammoc"s for
sleeping, carpenter*s tools,lumber, coo"ing utensils, silverware,
and dishes. +nitially they construct a treehouse, but
as time passes (and after Elizabeth is inured climbing the
stairs down from it#, they settle
in a more permanent dwelling in part of a cave.
The boo" covers two years. The father and older boys eplore
various environments
about the island. $t the end, the father wonders if they will
ever again see the rest of
humanity. $ few years later, a European ship is driven onto
their island. The captain is
given the ournal containing the story of their life on the
island. The captain is unable to
return to the island because of a storm. -e returns to Europe
where the story is
published. The family continue to live tranuilly on their
island.
Characters/edit0
• William 1 The father. -e is the narrator of the
story and leads the family. -e
"nows a great deal of information on everything from roots to
hunting, demonstrating
bravery and self%reliance.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desert_islandhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desert_islandhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livestockhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chickenhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domesticated_goosehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinnace_(ship's_boat)https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Swiss_Family_Robinson&action=edit§ion=3https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desert_islandhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livestockhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chickenhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domesticated_goosehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinnace_(ship's_boat)https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Swiss_Family_Robinson&action=edit§ion=3https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God
8/18/2019 f1 Literature Mahisha
2/2
• Elizabeth 1 The mother. 2he is intelligent and
resourceful, arming herself even
before leaving the ship with a 3magic bag3 filled with supplies,
including sewing
materials and seeds for food crops. 2he is also a remar"ably
versatile coo", ta"ing
on anything from 4orcupine 2oup to Roast 4enguin.
• Fritz 1 The oldest of the four boys, he is 56.
ritz is intelligent but impetuous. ritz
is the strongest and accompanies his father on many uests.
• Ernest 1 The second oldest of the boys, he is 57.
Ernest is the most intelligent,
but a less physically active boy, often described by his father
as 3indolent3. 8i"e ritz
however, he comes to be an ecellent shot.
•
Jack 1 The third oldest of the boys, 55 years old.
-e is thoughtless, bold,vivacious, and the uic"est of the
group.
• Franz (sometimes translated as Francis# 1 The
youngest of the boys, he is 9
years old when the story opens. -e usually stays home with his
mother.
• Emily Montrose (called Jenny in :ontolieu's
version# 1 $n English girl found on
2mo"ing Roc" near the end of the novel. 2he is shy, but soon is
adopted into the
family. 2he is not a character in the original &erman, but
was invented by +sabelle de
:ontolieu.
• Nip (also called Knips or Nips in some
editions# 1 $n orphan mon"ey adopted by
the family after their dogs have "illed his mother. The family
use him as a test subect
for unfamiliar foods.
• Fangs 1 $ ac"al that was tamed by the
family.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cook_(profession)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cook_(profession)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porcupinehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penguinhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkeyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkeyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackalhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cook_(profession)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porcupinehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penguinhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkeyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackal
