The idea of foreignness is introduced as an important
foreshadowing of Crusoe’s later long existence as a castaway in
an alien land. Interestingly, despite the story’s beginning in Hull
and London, Crusoe does not focus much attention on any Englishmen
in his narrative. The friend who tempts him on board the ship is
not named, and Crusoe shows no real affection for him. Not even
Crusoe’s family members are named. The English simply do not appear
to excite his interest. By contrast, Crusoe is quick to tell us
the names of the other slaves, Ismael and Xury, on the Moorish fishing
boat. The Portuguese captain is not named, but he is described with
much more vividness than the first English captain. Crusoe reveals
a basic predisposition toward foreigners that underscores his early
inclination to go to sea and leave England. As the son of a foreigner—his father’s
name was Kreutznaer—this roaming may be his fate. Perhaps like Odysseus
in The Odyssey, he is simply destined by nature to
leave home.
