All 26 Uses of

oblige

in

The Swiss Family Robinson

These useful articles of course took the place of the ballast I had hastily thrown in the day before; even so, the boys had brought so many things that we were obliged to leave some of them for a future trip.
Chpt 1

obliged = required (to do something)

I was anxious to land the two casks which were floating alongside our boat, but on attempting to do so, I found that I could not get them up the bank on which we had landed, and was therefore obliged to look for a more convenient spot.
Chpt 1

All this—with nails, tools and agricultural implements—completed our cargo, and sank our boat so low, that I should have been obliged to lighten her had not the sea been calm.
Chpt 2

She seemed, however determined not to leave the ship; she kicked, struggled and squealed so violently, that I really thought we should be obliged to abandon her.
Chpt 2

Having no suitable needle, she had been obliged to bore the hole for each stitch with a nail, and gained great praise for her ingenuity and patience.
Chpt 3

After so strongly expressing my own enjoyment of the wine, it seemed unreasonable to deny them this, and I let them come in turns, but was speedily obliged to call a halt; for the rogues got so eager and excited that I had to reprove them for their greediness, and warn them of the risk they ran of being intoxicated.
Chpt 5

Their mother, therefore, left them to their own devices, and attended to the hungry animals, unharnessing the ass to graze, and giving cocoanut milk to the poor little monkey, who had been obliged to travel in a covered basket for some time, lest he should be lost in the woods.
Chpt 6

We followed for a short distance, and I sent the dogs in chase, but they returned without our friend, and, as it was late, we were obliged to abandon the chase.
Chpt 7

This he did, with graphic power certainly, but with so much boasting and self-glorification, that I was obliged to check him, and give a plain and unvarnished account of the affair.
Chpt 7

Though the former batch had greatly delighted us at first, yet we were soon obliged to acknowledge that the light they gave was imperfect, and their appearance was unsightly; my wife, too, begged me to find some substitute for the threads of our cotton neck-ties*, which I had previously used as wicks.
Chpt 8

One objection to Falconhurst was the absence of any spring close by, so that the boys were obliged to bring water daily from the stream; and this involving no little trouble, it was proposed that we should carry the water by pipes from the stream to our present residence.
Chpt 8

To continue in our nest we found impossible, and we were obliged to retreat to the trunk, where we carried such of our domestic furniture as might have been injured by the damp.
Chpt 8

The smoke from the fire, which we were occasionally obliged to light, was not agreeable; but in time even that seemed to become more bearable.
Chpt 8

The place soon had the appearance of a ghastly battlefield; for we were obliged to do our part with the clubs and sticks, till the din of howling, yelling, barking, in every conceivable tone of rage and pain, gave place to an awful silence, and we looked with a shudder on the shocking spectacle around us.
Chpt 10

Little Franz, on the other hand, whom I would willingly have kept with us, was wild to go with his brothers, and I was obliged to consent, as I had made the proposal open to all, and could not draw back.
Chpt 12

The ostrich continued so refractory that we were obliged to make him again march between Storm and Grumble, and as these gallant steeds were thus employed, the cow was harnessed to the cart, laden with our treasures.
Chpt 13

Vague ideas passed through my mind, but every one I was obliged to reject.
Chpt 13 *

I was justly proud of my contrivance, but, before I could really test its utility, I was obliged to make a saddle.
Chpt 13

The marvellous speed of the bird again revived the dispute as to the ownership, and I was obliged to interfere.
Chpt 13

Oh, father, you can't think what grand fun hunting on an ostrich is; we flew along like the wind; sometimes I could scarcely breathe, we were going at such a rate, and I was obliged to shut my eyes because of the terrific rush of air; really, father, you must make me a mask with glass eyes to ride with, or I shall be blinded one of these fine days.
Chpt 14

During these operations our poultry paid the threshing-floor many visits, testifying a lively interest in the success of our labours, and gobbling up the grain at such a rate that my wife was obliged to keep them at a reasonable distance; but I would not have them altogether stinted in the midst of our plenty.
Chpt 14

Much as I wished that we could obtain a constant supply of these fish fresh, I was obliged to reject the naive proposal from Jack, that we should tether a shoal of salmon by the gills to the bottom of the bay as we had secured the turtles.
Chpt 15

We did not, therefore, suppose that the mighty animals remained hidden in the woods of our territory; but concluded that, after this freebooting incursion, they had withdrawn to their native wilds, where, by greatly increasing the strength of our ramparts, we hoped henceforth to oblige them to remain.†
Chpt 15 *

oblige = grant a favor

A week after she had left Calcutta, a storm arose and drove the vessel far out of her course; more bad weather ensued; and at length, leaks having been sprung in all directions, the crew were obliged to take to the boats.
Chpt 17

obliged = required (to do something)

They considered themselves our entertainers, and waited upon us most attentively, carving the joints, filling our glasses, and changing the plates; for, as Jack declared to Miss Montrose, the servants had all run away in our absence, and for the next day or two, perhaps, we should be obliged to wait upon ourselves.
Chpt 17

But father, he is yanking my hair terribly, and I shall be obliged to you to try once more to get him off.†
Chpt 2

Definitions:

(1) (oblige as in: I am obliged by law.)
require (obligate) to do something
(2) (oblige as in: I obliged her every request.)
grant a favor to someone
(3) (obliged as in: I'm much obliged for your kindness)
grateful or indebted
(4) (meaning too rare to warrant focus)
Much more rarely, in classic literature you may see oblige as a synonym for ask as when Jules Verne wrote "I obliged the Professor to move his lamp over the walls of the gallery," in Journey to the Center of the Earth.