Crusoe is the narrator and protagonist. He is the son of a merchant, and younger brother to two. At age 18, he leaves home for his first sea voyage against his parents’ wishes, and without their knowing. He becomes stranded for twenty-eight years on an uninhabited island, which cannibals visit for sacrificial ceremonies every eighteen months. Crusoe’s journal of his twenty-eight years cast away accounts for the surplus of the novel’s contents. Crusoe makes his journey from young man, to successful merchant in Guinea, to slave in Morocco, to plantation owner in Brazil to cast away, before returning to Europe. During this time, Crusoe’s character greatly changes, from a confident wayfarer to a devoted reader of Scripture and believer in God’s providence.

Friday comes from a Caribbean tribe that practices cannibalism. Friday gets rescued by Crusoe before Friday is to be devoured by a rival tribe. At the moment of his rescue, Friday kneels to the ground, then places Crusoe’s foot on his head, signaling Friday’s devotion. Friday is the first human Crusoe communicates with after being cast away. Friday helps Crusoe overtake a mutinied English ship, which ultimately delivers both men from the island to England.