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Treasure Island
Robert louis stevenson.
The protagonist of Treasure Island , Jim Hawkins , has been asked by his acquaintances Doctor Livesey and Squire Trelawney to write down his recollections. He begins by discussing the “Admiral Benbow” inn that his family owned when he was a boy, not far from the English port of Bristol. One day a strange, ragged-looking, and intimidating man arrives: he asks only to be called captain , and asks Jim to keep a lookout for a man with only one leg. The captain spends much of the time drunk on rum , and after a pirate named Black Dog comes to see him, he is so nervous that he has a fainting fit. Afterwards, he tells Jim that Black Dog was after something in his sea chest: if he ever dies, he tells Jim, the boy should find what’s in it and follow the instructions inside.
Soon Jim’s father falls ill and dies. The very day after the funeral, a blind man (Pew) arrives and gives the captain the black spot , which deposes him from power among the other pirates. Shocked, the captain falls down dead. Since he hasn’t paid his rent for months, Jim and his mother decide to break into his sea chest chest and seize what they’re owed, even though they’re now afraid of being alone at the inn, given the various people who have pursued the captain. But they succeed in opening the chest: Jim’s mother counts out some of the gold, while Jim grabs a small oil-cloth packet. Hearing voices, they rush out of the house and hide by the road: it’s a group of pirates who seem to be looking for what Jim has seized. Later, Jim makes his way to the squire and doctor, who help him open the oil-cloth bag: there’s a map of an island with a place marked on it that holds treasure. The squire and Dr. Livesey are thrilled: they decide to get a ship together and travel to the island in order to find the treasure, enlisting Jim as the cabin boy.
The squire is responsible for discreetly hiring a responsible, loyal crew, though he’s been unable to keep quiet about the purpose of the ship’s journey. Still, he’s optimistic about the crew and especially about the ship cook, Long John Silver . Jim is initially suspicious when he hears that Silver has only one leg. But once he meets the man, Silver’s clean-cut appearance and kindly demeanor reassures him that Silver can’t have anything to do with the other pirates. He much prefers Silver to Captain Smollett , who is strict and rule-abiding—the squire, too, is displeased with the captain. Nonetheless, after the ship, called the Hispaniola , embarks on its voyage, little goes wrong initially—other than that the mate, Mr. Arrow , proves useless, and eventually drinks so much that he falls overboard.
Jim enjoys being included on the voyage, and especially appreciates the welcoming attitude of Long John Silver, who often invites Jim into his cabin to sit with him and his parrot, named Captain Flint (after an infamous pirate). But one evening, Jim manages to overhear Silver talking with the other crewmen about a plan to mutiny: Silver will lead other members of the crew—many of whom, it turns out, are pirates—in taking over the ship and obtaining the treasure for themselves. As soon as he can, Jim tells the squire, doctor, and captain about these plans. When the ship soon arrives at Treasure Island, the captain decides to allow a few of the pirates to go to shore in order to gain time for them to plan a defense. Jim, too, sneaks off to the island, where in the midst of exploring he meets a former pirate named Ben Gunn , who has been marooned there for three years.
The crewmen loyal to the captain manage to sneak off the Hispaniola and make it to an old log house, which they make into their fort—while the pirates have secured the ship, even though there’s not one of them who can satisfactorily steer it. Long John Silver comes to the log house to propose that the captain surrender and allow the pirates to get the treasure, but the captain staunchly refuses. Silver angrily retreats, and the first battle takes place not long after—while the captain’s group kills more pirates than vice versa, they are still at a disadvantage in terms of numbers.
The doctor goes off to meet Ben Gunn, and Jim begins to grow restless. Although he acknowledges that he is acting immaturely, Jim decides to sneak off and attempt to find the small white boat that Gunn had mentioned to him. He does find it, and once he sees the lights of the Hispaniola , now captain-less and rocking side to side, he paddles out to it. Finding aboard a pirate, Israel Hands , who is wounded and has killed his mate, O’Brien , in a drunken rage. Jim and Israel initially work together in order to navigate the ship back to shore, but the pirate soon begins to plot to kill Jim too. After a fight, Jim manages to shoot Hands dead and get the ship ashore, where he docks it, hidden in an out-of-the-way part of the island. When he arrives back to the log house, it turns out that the pirates have taken it over, and he’s taken prisoner. But after Jim declares his lack of fear, Long John Silver seems to take a greater liking to Jim, and defends him from the other pirates. It also becomes clear that the pirates are growing dissatisfied with Silver as their leader, and now debate giving him the black spot. At the same time, the pirates continue to allow the doctor to stop in periodically in order to tend to their wounds. The doctor gives Jim and Silver an enigmatic message about the treasure. He’s finally given the treasure map to the pirates, though Jim and Silver can’t imagine why.
The pirates, though, are not concerned about this, and—dragging Jim by a rope—they march across the island. After hearing a voice mentioning Darby (one of Captain Flint’s pirates) they’re almost too scared to go on, until Silver cries that it’s the voice of Ben Gunn. Finally the pirates reach the x-marks-the-spot on the map—but there’s only a hole with no treasure. Quickly recognizing his own peril, Silver immediately begins to back away with Jim at his side, and when one of the pirates, George Merry , starts to declare mutiny against Silver, Silver shoots him and another. The other pirates race away through the trees, just as the doctor and Ben Gunn emerge themselves.
As they walk back to their hiding place, they tell Jim that, in fact, Ben Gunn had found this treasure during his time on the island, and had hidden it elsewhere—which is why the doctor had given the treasure map to the pirates. After the crew loads up the Hispaniola (thanks to Jim’s ability to hide it out of sight), they sail away, leaving the remaining pirates ashore. While Jim feels more positively about Long John Silver, the others continue to be suspicious of him, and none of them is surprised when Silver slips away at the first port where they stop. The rest of the crew makes it back to Bristol unscathed, where each spends his part of the fortune according to his own character. Jim vows never to return to Treasure Island.
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Treasure Island
By robert louis stevenson.
'Treasure Island,' also sometimes referred to as 'The Sea Cook', is one of Robert Louis Stevenson's most recognized books. The adventure novel encompasses pirates, buried treasure, into an action-packed setting.
About the Book
Article written by Mizpah Albert
M.A. in English Literature and a Ph.D. in English Language Teaching.
Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic adventure novel ‘Treasure Island’ was originally published as a serial from October 1881 to January 1882 under the title ‘The Sea-Cook’, or ‘Treasure Island’ in the Young Folks magazine. He has published it under the pseudonym “Captain George North.” Later it was published in book form in 1883. Set in the days of exploration and piracy, it narrates Jim Hawkins’ quest for unearthing the treasure of the evil pirate – Captain Flint. In the fight between good and evil, one could see a clear picture of pirates’ life.
Key Facts about Treasure Island
- Title : Treasure Island (Originally titled The Sea Cook: A Story for Boys )
- When/where written : between October 1881 and January 1882
- Published : 1883
- Literary Period : Victorian Age
- Genre : Adventure
- Point-of-View : First Person in Jim Hawkin’s Perspective
- Setting : 18th Century (about 1770s)
- Climax : Crew finds the treasure missing in the location given in the map
- Antagonist : Long John Silver
R.L. Stevenson and Treasure Island
Treasure Island is an adventurous novel of “piracy” and “buried gold,” flawlessly presented with atmosphere, character, and action, interwoven to gear one another. It is considered a climax of a then-popular adventure that included shipwrecked or marooned characters confronted by treasure-seeking pirates or angry natives.
R.L. Stevenson wrote the novel Treasure Island in April 1881, when he was traveling across Switzerland amidst his failing health due to his tuberculosis. He was accompanied by his wife and his stepson, Lloyd Osbourne. Despite his illness, he started off Treasure Island as a game with Lloyd and published it as a serial in Young Folks, from October 1881, under the title ‘The Sea-Cook.’ Unprecedented, it turns out to be Stevenson’s first work to receive financial and critical acclaim.
As mentioned in a letter (July 1884) to Sidney Colvin from Stevenson, he has deliberately borrowed material from previous authors. “The Dead Man’s Chest” from Kingsley, Captain Flint’s pointing skeleton from Poe’s The Gold-Bug, and Billy Bones’ history from Tales of a Traveller by Washington Irving.
Further, Stevenson’s experience on the French Riviera, followed by his travel in France and the Alps, impacts his writings. Thus, more than the inspiration he received from the literary works, he has adeptly explored the human ambiguity torn between good and evil in his unique way.
Books Related to Treasure Island
‘Treasure Island’ is a novel of adventure during the time, sea voyages and piracy were at their peak. Literature of the time has received enough resources from the coast, and life co-existed. At the same time, the young protagonist of the novel Jim Hawkins goes through a physical and mental evolution during the novel. For this reason, the novel is often categorized as young adult fiction too.
For ‘Treasure Island’, he has adopted the “desert island romance” form, which featured shipwrecked characters confronted by pirates or angry natives. The genre became one of the most popular fictional styles in Great Britain in the early 19th century with Rousseau and Chateaubriand’s ‘Noble Savage’ publication. ‘ Treasure Island ‘ is often referred to as the end product of this genre, which paid for future writings.
Some of the notable works of similar style could be Daniel Defoe’s ‘Robinson Crusoe’, S. H. Burney’s ‘ The Shipwreck ’ (1816), and Sir Walter Scott’s ‘ The Pirate’ (1822). Also, the mid-19th-century works include James Fenimore Cooper’s ‘The Pilot’ (1823) and Edgar Allan Poe ’s ‘MS Found in a Bottle’ (1833), and ‘ The Gold-Bug’ (1843).
The Lasting Impact of Treasure Island
Stevenson’s ‘ Treasure Island’ was serialized in the pages of Young Folks magazine in 17 weekly installments from October 1, 1881, through January 28, 1882. Later, it was republished as a novel titled ‘Treasure Island’ in 1883 . It has become a celebrated novel in modern times more than its time of publication. It has made a visible impact on the way modern readers perceive the image of pirates. It is said to be the first children’s literature book to speak of pirates. As a literary piece, the novel has created a lasting effect on literature and film, and pop culture in general.
The novel’s protagonists Jim Hawkin, Dr Livesey, Squire Trelawney, and others go on an expedition to unearth the buried treasures of Captain Flint. They were not aware of it until they reached the island because half of their crew members were pirates. Long before they could realize the situation at hand, they land in a chaotic situation. Both good, evil, and bad have to fight their way through before the treasures reach the right hands. Stevenson’s characterization gives a lively sensation of being among the pirates, who are capable of cold-blooded murder for the sake of gold.
Especially, the 1950 movie adaptation directed by Byron Haskin gave the archetypal image of pirates and pirate talk. Also, Long John Silver always has a parrot on his shoulder, and other pirates in the movie wear eye patches and have hooks for hands, creating a stereotype. Similarly, the subsequent films produced from “The Goonies” (1985) to Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) show the influence of the mannerisms, speech, and even costuming established by ‘ Treasure Island .’
Though written centuries ago, the visible impact created by this piece of literature could be seen clearly by the appreciation of the work set forth by Stevenson. Over the period of time, many scholars and critics have come up with explanations for pirates having pets, wearing eye patches etc. Still, evidence of these practices is lacking. In the end, the stereotypical “image of pirates” and “Pirate talk” were largely established by ‘Treasure Island’, and the impact is lasting even as one thinks or speaks of it.
Notwithstanding, the novel could leave any reader dreaming of a childhood with a map in hand to the quest for a secret treasure on a distant island. Evidently, it is a powerful interplay of fiction and reality.
Treasure Island Historical Context
Treasure island review ⭐, treasure island characters, treasure island plot summary, treasure island themes and analysis, treasure island quotes, about mizpah albert.
Mizpah Albert is an experienced educator and literature analyst. Building on years of teaching experience in India, she has contributed to the literary world with published analysis articles and evocative poems.
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