Foe

An unnamed narrator takes over the story. This narrator appears in Foe’s apartment and watches over Foe and Susan as they lay together in the bed. Meanwhile, Friday is asleep in the corner. The narrator approaches, tries to open Friday’s mouth, and then tries to pull Friday’s teeth apart. Inside the mouth, the narrator says, is the “sounds of the island” (154). The narrator looks outside the house, where a plaque has been fixed to the wall. The plaque describes how “Daniel Defoe, Author” once lived here (155). Returning into the apartment, passing the bed, the narrator returns to the place where Friday is asleep. The narrator looks at Friday, noticing in particular a scar on Friday’s neck. Elsewhere in the room, the narrator finds a manuscript. The narrator begins to read.

The manuscript is a story, written from Susan’s perspective. The story resembles the opening passages of Foe, as Susan rows until she is exhausted and then throws herself into the sea. Rather than drift to the island, however, the protagonist of this particular story swims deep down under the waves. The protagonist finds the wrecked ship on the floor of the sea and enters, finding a cabin where