Daniel Defoe tells the story of an individual abandoned to criticize society. By using the island location, similar to that of Shakespeare's The Tempest, Defoe is able to show his audience exactly what is necessary for the development of a utopian society. In The Tempest, Prospero's small island society confronts aspects of morality, the supernatural, and politics of larger British society. In Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, the natural environment of the island highlights the theme of man's individual growth, both spiritually and physically. Nature instantly exerts its power and control over man in the tropical storm that leads to the wreck of Crusoe's ship. “The fury of the sea” (Defoe, 45) drives Crusoe to the shores of the uninhabited “Island of Despair” (Defoe, 70). Isolated on the island, Crusoe is challenged to use his creativity to survive. Crusoe accepts the challenge of surviving, but he not only survives, but expands and discovers new qualities about himself. At the beginning of his time on the island, Crusoe feels extremely isolated. He fears the savages and wild beasts of the island and stands high in a tree. Having “no weapon to hunt and kill creatures for his sustenance” (Defoe, 47), he is susceptible. Defoe believed that “the nature of man lies in the capacity for improvement in the context of a material world” (Seidel, 59), and this becomes evident in his novel. The tools Crusoe possesses from the ship realize this idea, greatly improving his life on the island. He progresses rapidly and no longer feels as isolated as before on the island. Crusoe uses his tools to build a protective fence and a room inside a cave. He then builds a farm where he raises goats and grows a corn crop. Later, his ambitions take him to the other side of the island where he builds a country house. Furthermore, with the weapons created by Crusoe, he saves Friday from the cannibals and makes him his servant. Thanks to his tools, his supplies become more than sufficient for survival. He comes to learn that if he works with his surroundings instead of wallowing in the fact that he no longer has what he thinks he needs, he will be able to find and use everything he needs to carry on with life..