12. "I improv'd my self in this time."

"I improv'd my self in this time." through "I was like to have too much" (pp. 105-108)
Summary: Crusoe is now in the eleventh year of his island exile. His ammunition running low, he resolves to find a way of snaring live goats instead of having to depend upon shooting them. At first, the goats simply rob the bait from his traps; eventually, however, he captures several goats, both male and female. After some time raising the goats, he finds it necessary to create a barrier between the wild and the tame ones. In a year-and-half's time, he has a flock of about a dozen goats, and is able to feed on both their meat and their milk. Crusoe interprets this development as evidence of God's goodness; once again, he sees divine providence as spreading a table for him the wilderness.
Analysis
This section offers further evidence of Crusoe's ability to learn from experience as he, for instance, achieves "an unexpected Perfection in [his] Earthen Ware." It also shows us further instances of Crusoe acting as an 18th-century Adam: for example, exercising dominion over the wild goats of the island. The section reintroduces imagery we have glimpsed earlier (for example, Crusoe as "master" in section 8): Crusoe is his "Majesty the Prince and Lord of the whole Island." He is not, however, unaware of the irony of his situation, for he knows he is "king" only over animals, including his favorite subject, Poll the parrot; he still keenly feels the need for the human companionship that is lacking. This observation may be meant, as have previous observations, to prepare the readers for the introduction of Friday still to come.