Treasure Island Blog

Joseph Baird

Honors World History

Mrs. White

Treasure Island Blog

Characters to Know:

Jim Hawkins – Protagonist

Dr. Livesey – Friend, Advisor, and Protector of Jim

Squire Trelawney – Dr. Livesey’s Assistant

Billy Bones – Pirate at Inn (This Character has the treasure map Jim finds.)

Black Dog – Pirate who finds Billy Bones at Jim’s Inn/ Old Member of Flint’s Crew

Captain Smollett – Captain of the Hispaniola

Long John Silver – Main Antagonist

Captain Flint – Long John Silver’s Original Captain (His Treasure is Buried on Treasure Island), and the name of Long John Silver’s Parrot

Ben Gunn – Part of Flint’s Original Crew who was marooned on Treasure Island

Israel Hands – Coxswain for Hispaniola who also serves as the Ship’s guard

Summary: 

Treasure Island is a story about a boy named Jim Hawkins, who lives in an inn that his parents own. An old sea captain named Billy Bones takes residence at the inn, but has a stroke and dies after being presented with a Black Spot (A Pirate summons of Guilt) by Black Dog. After Billy’s death Jim uses a key found around his neck to unlock a chest   in Billy’s room, where they discover a mysterious map, which Jim takes to Dr. Livesey. They become exited when they realize the map is a treasure map and that it leads to a long since forgotten island with buried treasure. Squire Trelawney goes to buy a boat (The Hispaniola) and then hires a crew, not realizing the men he hires (Long John Silver and Crew) were the original members of Captain Flint’s crew. The men set sail for the Island, and all is well, until one day Jim overhears of Long John Silver’s plan for a mutiny (Much like of a Coup) of Captain Smollett. When a landing crew goes to shore, Jim sneaks aboard their boat, and then sneaks off into the island alone. He becomes even more frightened when he witnesses Long John Silver murder a crewman who refuses to join the mutiny. He flees deeper into the Island where he finds Ben Gunn, a man who was marooned on the Island years earlier when he was a part of Flint’s crew. Jim takes Ben with him to a stockade that the pirates had built on the island, and finds Long John Silver trying to negotiate with Smollett, who refuses to talk to him. Jim sneaks away to find a boat built by Ben, which he uses to drift out to the Hispaniola. Jim has a plan to cut the rope tethering the boat the shore, thereby cutting off the pirates means of escape. However, when Jim arrives at the Hispaniola, he finds one of the ship’s guards, Israel Hands has killed the other guard in a drunken stupor and he then turns on Jim. Jim is wounded but manages to kill Israel. Upon returning to the Stockade, Long John Silver has seized control and takes Jim hostage, however, the men begin to accuse Long John of treachery. The men present Long John a black spot and denounce him as their commander. In an attempt to regain his crew, Long John shows them the Treasure Map, and leads them to the spot to find the treasure, only to find the spot unearthed and the treasure missing. At the same time, Dr. Livesey, Squire Trelawney, and Ben Gunn (Who were hiding) fire on the pirates causing them to scatter all over the island. Ben then leads them to his cave, where the treasure actually is, himself having unearthed it long before the Hispaniola arrived. After spending a few days carrying the loot to the boat, Jim and the rest decide what to do with the mutineers. As their fate they are left marooned on the island, all except Long John Silver, who is decided to be taken back to England. One night after they arrive however, Long John sneaks off with a portion of the treasure and is never heard from again. Jim then settles to a peaceful life as a lodge-keeper, but still suffers from nightmares about pirates and gold.

Quotes/ Themes: (This is a Part of the Summary)

·         One of the main themes of the book is Jim’s change from a boy to a man. He matures greatly over the course of the voyage, as he must make tough decisions and plans of his own accord. By the end of the book, Jim is a considered a man rather than the boy he was at the beginning.

·         “Fifteen men on a dead man’s chest, yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of Rum. Drink and the devil had done for the rest, yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum.” (Pg. 2) – This is the song sung by Billy Bones throughout his time of living at Jim’s Inn. This quotes symbolizes the wickedness, death and despair that often followed in the wake of pirates. The rum mentioned in the song, also signifies this was the pirates drink of choice, and a state of constant drunkenness was one that could be found aboard a pirate ship.

·         “I have only one thing to say to you, sir that if you keep on drinking rum like that the world will soon be quit of a dirty scoundrel!” (Pg. 11) – This quote civilizes the stark juxtaposition of the lawless world of pirates (Billy Bones), and the civilized world (Dr.Livesey). Though Billy holds no economic, political or other power, he holds control over people through fear and intimidation. By the end of the novel, it also shows that neither world is exactly right, and each one has its flaws.

·         The bar silver and the arms still lie, for all that I know, where Flint buried them; and certainly they shall lie there for me. Oxen and wain-ropes would not bring me back again to the accursed island; and the worst dreams that I have are when I hear the surf booming on the coasts, or start upright in bed, with the sharp voice of Captain Flint still ringing in my ears, “Pieces of Eight!, Pieces of Eight!”. (Pg. 340) – The final lines of the book signify the irony in Jim’s words, that what he thought he wanted (Adventure and Treasure) is not actually what he ends up wanting. Jim’s dreams signify that adventure is with him for better or for worse and that the pirates have made a profound impact on his life. Now that Jim is back in the civilized world, the line “Pieces of Eight!”, yelled by the parrot Captain Flint at the end shows that even though the civilized world is peaceful, the spirit of the Pirates will always be there to haunt it.

Author and Sources:

Stevenson was apparently always meant to be a writer. As a child Stevenson wrote stories before he could even read them, and would often tell them to his family. When he became an adult, he became an author, and even though he received a law degree, he became an author against his father’s wishes.

Treasure Island has gone on to be adapted into movies, T.V. shows, theater productions, and has received numerous awards, thereby showing Stevenson not only to be a great storyteller, but possibly one of the best of all time.

Critique:

This book is amazingly constructed and told. After all, it’s not considered one of the greatest books of all time for no reason. With the tale of the swashbuckling pirates, huge ships, buried treasure and more, it’s hard not to get caught up in the action and adventure in the story. However, most of the book is not historically accurate. Most of the things discussed in the book: Treasure Maps, X marks the Spot, Peg Legs, talking birds, and more is all historically false. The reason this book is a success for me is because even though Stevenson created a façade of what a pirate is from his imagination, the stereotypes created in this book still take hold in peoples mind today. Some people truly believe pirates were treasure burying, peg leg walking, parrot on the shoulder, swashbucklers. And the fact that these legends still hold true today in my mind makes Treasure Island one of the most successful and greatest novels of all time.