Susan Barton
Susan, the protagonist of the story, is a British woman who went searching for her lost daughter. After searching for two years, she gives up and tries to return to England, only to be caught in the middle of a mutiny and marooned by the crew of the ship she riding home. The novel begins with her account of becoming a castaway and arriving on Cruso's island. Throughout the novel, Susan is obsessed with the idea of telling her story and the power of words. Although she lacks the talent to write, she is convinced that her story will find her fame. Despite her aging and impoverishment throughout the novel, she relentlessly pushes Foe to write an account of her time on the island. The nature of her character is ambiguous as although she appears good in some parts (e.g., her well-meaning attempt to send Friday back to "Africa" is an example of this), other aspects of her character (e.g., her anger that Friday won't do as she says, or her possible attempt of harm on the girl claiming to be "Susan," her daughter), suggest a less well-natured character. She can be seen throughout the novel attempting to control the narrative, in particular in the third section when she becomes Foe's lover (or as she sees it, his "Muse") in an attempt to inspire him to write the story in the way she wishes. In the last few sections, she appears to lose her mind as her speeches become longer and more erratic and she convinces herself that Foe and the others in the room are not real.
Cruso
Cruso, a parody of Daniel Defoe's character Robinson Crusoe, is first seen living on the island that Susan washes up on. He is shown to have made a life for himself on the island, but Susan notes his lack of enthusiasm to be "rescued" and he is portrayed as somewhat stubborn by her. Cruso tries to exert his dominance over all things on his island, whether it's the monkeys that share the island with him, or the new addition of Susan. He is shown to be an aging man and takes ill a number of times in the first part before dying on board the ship that saves them. He also enjoys telling stories about how he ended up on the island and how he found Friday, all which contradict each other and vary greatly, suggesting to the reader either forgetfulness due to old age or that Cruso repeatedly tells lies to suit his needs and in this case, the story. Both cause Cruso to be portrayed as a highly unreliable character.
Friday
Friday is first introduced when he discovers Susan on the shore of the island. He is a black African man, though it is never said where in Africa he is from, and he is introduced as Cruso's slave. According to Cruso, Friday has no tongue, and knows only a few relevant words that Cruso taught him so that Friday can follow orders. Indeed, he never speaks and Cruso has several different stories relating to how he found or "saved" Friday, resulting in Friday's loyalty to him. When Susan, Cruso, and Friday are rescued from the island and Cruso dies, Friday follows Susan to and around England, with Susan assuming the role of master despite her verbal declarations that he is "free." As Friday is a predominately silent charter, many of the other characters in the book try to impose a meaning onto his silences or speak for him. Susan becomes obsessed with Friday's lack of a tongue, convinced his perspective is the missing piece to her castaway story. Despite Friday not speaking, he is shown to express himself in different ways multiple times in the novel, such as by dancing in robes at Defoe's house and drawing on the chalk board. Yet in general his mind is left closed to Susan and Foe and therefore also to the reader.
Foe
Foe is the author that Susan turns to when she wants her story to be told. He is seen initially through the lens of Susan’s letters as giving them money to live on and aiding them, yet he quickly falls into obscurity as he stops replying to letters and goes into hiding from debt collectors. Foe can be seen as a parody of Daniel Defoe (Author of Robinson Crusoe and Roxana) himself. Coetzee plays on the reputation of Daniel Defoe as the father of the modern novel through the emphasis Susan places on his talent to turn her story into a bestseller. Daniel Defoe was also known for making his novels appear to be based on facts, while Coetzee's Foe constantly tries to rework and twist Susan's story to included fantastical elements such as cannibals (which can be found in the original Robinson Crusoe) to make her story more interesting. He is seen as a dominating figure who eventually succeeds in subduing Susan’s wish for a true and plain story. The good impression a reader usually has of a famous author is tainted by the implication that Foe is hiding from debt collectors (alluding to his dishonesty), and that he is enthusiastic to bend the truth of Susan’s story. Yet Foe being in debt also highlights the struggles of writing for money. Foe's insistence on writing a story that is interesting and that people will want to hear can be seen as his desperation to write a novel that will sell well and make money, rather than a commitment to the truth.
Susan (Jr)
A mysterious girl who goes by the same name as the protagonist, she appears in the second part of the novel, claiming to be the long lost daughter of Susan (Barton). She is rejected countless times by Susan but perseveres, even standing outside Foe's house for long amounts of time in the hopes Susan will come out to meet her. It is implied that Susan (Barton) deliberately takes her deep into the forest and leaves her there in an attempt to rid herself of her, but to her horror the girl Susan appears again later in part three of the novel at Foe's hideaway. It is never fully made clear whether she is truly Susan’s daughter or not, but she can be seen as the catalyst for Susan's subsequent breakdown. Her character can also be linked to Daniel Defoe's other famous novel Roxana, in which Roxana's daughter Susan appears to expose her mother's lies. Taking this into consideration, readers may want to debate whether the girl Susan is telling the truth and whether it is Susan Barton who is lying.
Amy
Amy is a minor character that appears with the girl Susan in the third part as her nurse and also insists that the girl Susan is the "true child" of Susan (Barton). Like the girl Susan, her character can be seen as a nod toward Roxana, in which there is a maid to the protagonist Roxana (who incidentally was born with the name Susan).
Jack
Jack is a minor character that appears in the third part of the novel. He is a young homeless boy who runs errands for Foe in return for money and also noted to be a pickpocket. Susan suggests that he should be made to live an honest life, but Foe disagrees, claiming that being honest on the streets results in being taken to the workhouse. He insists it is better he learns well how to survive through skills like petty theft.
