Treasure Island - by Robert Louis Stevenson (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

Treasure Island is an adventure novel by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, narrating a tale of "buccaneers and buried gold." Its influence is enormous on popular perceptions of pirates, including such elements as treasure maps marked with an "X", schooners, the Black Spot, tropical islands, and one-legged seamen bearing parrots on their shoulders.

Treasure Island was originally considered a coming-of-age story and is noted for its atmosphere, characters, and action. It is one of the most frequently dramatised of all novels. It was originally serialised in the children's magazine Young Folks from 1881 through 1882 under the title Treasure Island or the mutTreasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson tells the story of Jim, a young boy who watches over an inn in an English seaside town with his mother and his gravely ill father. A new guest at the inn, Bill, terrifies everyone at the inn with his raunchy sea songs and threats of violence.

Bill falls ill and dies just as pirates descend on the inn to kill Bill and to ransack his things. Just before the pirates can burst in and find Jim and his mom, the two of them escape with a number of coins and a pouch. Jim finds out that there is a treasure map hidden in the pouch.

After showing this map to the doctor that waited on his father and Bill, Dr. Livesey, the doctor and his friend Squire Trelawney decide to set sail to uncover the treasure. Jim goes along as a member of the crew.

The squire and doctor hire a number of men to head the voyage, including Long John Silver as the ship's cook. Along the journey at sea, Jim falls asleep inside a barrel and awakes to hear that Long John Silver has planned a mutiny along with most of the crew!

Once they reach the island with the treasure, Jim slips onshore with Silver and some of the mutineers. After the mutineers kill two men that don't want to join the mutiny, Jim runs away into the jungle on the island. While there, he meets an abandoned man, Ben Gunn.

Meanwhile, Trelawney, the doctor, and the other men get ashore and find a stockade, or a giant wooden enclosure, something like a mini-fort. Eventually, after a meeting between Silver and the captain of the ship in the stockade, there is a battle. While a number of mutineers are killed, two men die and one is injured within the stockade, and Dr. Livesey goes out to find Ben Gunn and enlist his help.

Jim sneaks out of the stockade and cuts the ship loose, crashing it on the beach, securing it for the crew, and killing a pirate left on the ship in self-defense. Jim sneaks back to the stockade where, to his surprise, Long John Silver and his men are now staying! Silver explains that the captain and Dr. Livesey agreed to give up the map and the stockade for free passage. However, when the mutineers get to the treasure, they find that someone has already dug it up! Before the angry mutineers can attack Silver and Jim, the original crew pop up and ambush them with guns, having already dug up and hid the treasure.

Though Silver slips away from the crew during the journey back to England, evading a trial and hanging, Jim still has terrifying dreams of him for many months afterward.iny of the Hispaniola, credited to the pseudonym "Captain George North". It was first published as a book on 14 November 1883, by Cassell & Co.

Review Quotes

1.

Fifteen men on the 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.

Billy Bones, Part 1, Chapter 1

Billy Bones arrives at the Admiral Benbow Inn singing this chant, which foreshadows events to come. The chant is repeated throughout the story, and Jim notes that, by the end, "Drink and the devil" had, indeed, played a role in finishing off the pirates.

2.

I wish I had put his eyes out!

Pew, Part 1, Chapter 5

The blind pirate Pew is furious to learn that the treasure map possessed by Billy Bones is not among the dead pirate's belongings at the Admiral Benbow Inn. Certain that Jim Hawkins has taken it, Pew is possessed by anger and greed. He curses the boy and wishes he had made Jim as blind as himself when he had the chance.

3.

I'll be as silent as the grave.

Squire Trelawney, Part 1, Chapter 6

Dr. Livesey, Squire Trelawney, and Jim Hawkins are making plans to retrieve the gold on Treasure Island. The doctor voices doubts that the squire can keep secret the treasure map and the purpose of their voyage when off purchasing a ship and hiring a crew. In response, the squire assures him that he will not breathe a word that might endanger the cruise. As it turns out, the doctor was right, and the squire can't help but let the story leak.

4.

I don't put much faith in your discoveries, as a general thing; but I will say this, John Silver suits me.

Dr. Livesey, Part 2, Chapter 8

Dr. Livesey is complimenting Squire Trelawney on finding and hiring Long John Silver as sea cook for the voyage. The doctor has just met Silver. The man has come to him and the squire to "confess" the presence of a villainous pirate, Black Dog, in his tavern, as witnessed by Jim Hawkins. Silver's apparent openness and honesty falsely impresses the doctor.

5.

Well, sir ... better speak plain ... I don't like this cruise; I don't like the men; and I don't like my officer. That's short and sweet.

Captain Smollett, Part 2, Chapter 9

As the voyage gets underway, Captain Smollett informs Squire Trelawney that, in his opinion, the cruise is in for trouble. Someone has been "blabbing," and the crew knows about the purpose and destination of the trip. Furthermore, none among the crew are men he would have picked and may be untrustworthy, especially on a treasure voyage. The captain's fears turn out to be well founded.

6.

Pieces of eight! Pieces of eight! Pieces of eight!

Cap'n Flint, Part 2, Chapter 10

Long John Silver's parrot, Cap'n Flint, screams out this name for an old Spanish silver dollar. It calls to mind all forms of pirate treasure, and haunts Jim Hawkins's dreams long after he leaves Treasure Island behind. Jim first hears the parrot's cry aboard the Hispaniola during the cruise to the island. Later, in Chapter 27, it is this cry in the dark that alerts the pirates to Jim's return to the stockade.