Foe

Susan is a castaway. However, in an era when castaways are treated as celebrities, she is a woman. Her gender distinguishes her from other castaways, as the patriarchal society presumes her to be weaker than an equivalent male castaway: She is not expected to survive. Further, since she is a woman, she is not permitted to tell her story. In this sense, Susan’s status as a castaway is echoed throughout society. She may be lost and isolated on the island, but she finds herself in a similarly precarious position when she returns to England and tries to tell her story. In England, she is equally adrift in a society that presumes her to be Cruso’s wife and does not permit her the privilege of writing her own story on her own terms. She must seek out a writer to tell her story, as no one is willing to publish her own words. Even finding work is difficult, as no one trusts a female castaway. The society presumes Susan to be a woman of low morals while at the same time fetishizing male castaways as dashing heroes. Wherever she goes, Susan is stranded. She is stranded physically on the island, socially in England, and professionally when she tries to tell her own story.