The Swiss Family Robinson

The Swiss Family Robinson is a fiction novel published in 1812 by Swiss author Johann Wyss. It chronicles the adventures of a family of Swiss immigrants shipwrecked in the East Indies. According to the Afterword of the 2014 Townsend edition, the story was conceived by Wyss, a Swiss minister, as an entertaining life lesson for his four sons, which he told them orally before eventually writing it down. Years later, Wyss’s son edited and published the manuscript. The straightforward simplicity of the narrative places The Swiss Family Robinson squarely in the Young Adult genre. A childhood favorite for generations, the book is the source of over a dozen film and television adaptations, including a 1960 Disney film.

This study guide refers to the 2014 edition published by Townsend Press.

Plot Summary

Set in the late 1700s, The Swiss Family Robinson recounts the ten-year adventure of Robinson, his wife Elizabeth, and their four sons, Fritz, Ernest, Jack, and Franz on an uninhabited island in the south Pacific. En route to Australia, the Robinsons’ ship is wrecked in a turbulent storm. The crew escapes in the lifeboats, leaving the family stranded aboard the shattered vessel. The wreckage is wedged between rocks within sight of land, giving the family precious little time to fashion a makeshift canoe in which they make landfall on the nearby island. They establish camp on the beach and, after several trips back to the wreckage, gather enough supplies for short-term survival.

The family immediately explores the surrounding area. They build a bridge across a stream, granting them access to the territory beyond the beach; they arm themselves with guns and ammunition from the ship’s stores and hunt for food; they retreat from the oppressive heat of the beach to a shady wooded grove where they build a treehouse; and they assemble a small sailing vessel found packed in the ship’s hold. Along the way, the ever-resourceful Robinson schools his sons in arcane species of plants and animals, and the devout family prays regularly to thank God for the island bounty.

As the weeks turn into months, seasonal monsoons force the Robinsons to look for warmer, drier accommodations. Exploring the cliff face along the beach, they discover a massive cavern behind the rock wall. Full of useful minerals and providing defensible cover, the cave is transforms by the family into a habitable dwelling complete with a workshop, a kitchen, and sleeping quarters. Settling in for the long haul, the family explores further inland, planting crops, amassing a menagerie of indigenous animals as pets and pack animals, and continually finding ingenious ways to use the island’s resources for their survival and comfort.

As time passes, Robinson finds endless projects to keep himself and his family occupied. He builds a loom for Elizabeth; they block a gap in the cliff wall to prevent the incursion of hungry animals into their garden; and they explore the rocky outcrops in the shallows. After months of relative peace, the first life-threatening danger comes in the form of a gigantic boa constrictor, forcing the family to retreat into the cave for three days before they formulate a plan to slay it. All the while, Robinson reflects on his sons’ physical and spiritual growth.

After ten years on the island, the boys are now robust, confident young men. Robinson marvels at the passage of time and contemplates his mortality. One day, Fritz finds a message attached to an albatross—a call for help. He sets out in his kayak to search for whoever sent the message and finds Jenny Montrose, the lone survivor of a ship bound for England three years prior. The Robinsons quickly accept Jenny as part of the family, and she and Fritz develop a romantic relationship.

Soon after, a Royal Navy ship searching for Montrose discovers the island and rescues the family. Having acclimated to their new home—christened “New Switzerland”—Robinson and Elizabeth decide to remain on the island with Ernest and Jack. Fritz and Franz return to Europe. Robinson entrusts his journals to Fritz, hoping they will be published so they can serve as a moral and educational guide for other families.