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The widow is the wife of one of the early captains who guided Crusoe on his journey. Before Crusoe departs England, he leaves the savings he earned with the widow for safekeeping. The widow’s tie to the helpful captain and her overall consideration for Crusoe mark her as a kind and trustworthy character.
Like other minor characters such as Xury and the Spaniard, the widow serves as more of a tool for Crusoe’s characterization than a complex character in her own right. Her role in the beginning of Crusoe’s journey raises the question for the reader of whether or not Crusoe will ever get his money back, instilling in the narrative a sense of background tension. The widow’s role also serves as an example of how Crusoe sees white Europeans as inherently trustworthy, a contrast to the suspicion he often initially affords nonwhite characters.
