♥Themes♥

 

 

Coming of Age

  

     Treasure Island is a book about Jim Hawkins, a young country boy that knows little about the outside world. On his way to becoming a man Jim has experienced many adventures, on the high seas, risking death, and being rewarded with treasure.

 

      Meanwhile, Jim’s father had passed away, and Jim meets some possible role models to follow. He was presented with a man of leadership known as Captain Smollet, and a man with care known as Dr. Livesey, and lastly an old sailor cook known as Long John Silver.

 

     Although, Jim does not want to be just like his friends, he did use many of the things those friends taught him. He still turned toward Long John Silver for help, because he thought he was a kind and happy person. He later ends up turning away from Long John Silver because he is not the man he thought he was.

 

         Jim’s religious values lead him though stormy times and times when he needs help making decisions. Due to Jim’s beliefs, he will never consider becoming a pirate. Therefore, his friends will never fully trust him because of this decision.  His trustworthiness always focuses on his faith.

 

        In the end, Jim meets two different members of the ships crew. Abraham Gray is a man that is on the edge of joining the conspirators, but later in the story he makes the right choice, and does not. Dick is another man on the ship, and he makes the choice to join the conspirators. Dick later becomes a mutineer, because he was unable to face Long John Silver’s temptations. Later, his luck changes, when the pirates are alerted by the sound of Flint’s ghost. Jim, tells everyone that Dick has a bible out and is praying.  Jim and Dick both have been raised in religious families. However, Jim has made some wonderful and good choices in his life, and Dick made the opposite.

 Thoughout the story Jim makes  many choices that help him grow from a boy into a man.

 

 

 

 

 

    The Search of the Heroic Role Models

 

Jim Hawkins was a boy who had a lot of role models in his young life. Treasure Island descibes a lot of men who come in and out of Jim’s childhood.  You would think the most important would be his father, but it turns out it’s a pirate.

 

First, there was his father.  He died when Jim was a young boy so he didn’t know him very well and could not relate to him as much as he could others in the story.  Then there was Dr. Livesy and Squire Trelawney.  Both of these men were upstanding citizens and represented the civilized world.  They were not exciting enough for Jim.  He found them boring.

 

           Long John Silver became his mentor.  Jim begins to imitate Silver’s behavior.  He killed people, stole a ship and became captain.  The pirate side of Jim can’t be ignored.  Even Long John Silver comments that he reminds him of himself when he was young.

 

          At the end of the novel, all the qualities that Jim displays are from the pirate, Long John Silver.  You would think that this would  be a bad thing but most of his traits are good; courage, strength and independence.  He doesn’t even talk about the other men in his life.  He mentions Long John Silver and the pirates he met and wishes them a good life.

 

 

 

 

 Loss of one's soul in searching for the treasure-

 

 

   If you search for a treasure your whole life your inner soul will become corrupted if you can not find the treasure, but if you find the treasure your soul will not become corrupt and your whole life will change. But if you are marooned on an island for 12 years like Ben Gunn your soul will be so corrupted you might do something that you would never do in your whole life. Ben Gunn has been searching for the treasure for 12 years and he has still not found the treasure.     

 

 The Days of Piracy

 

 

 

     Piracy is like an act of war. Piracy can happen at sea, river, and sometimes on shore. Robbery and criminal violence is a form of piracy.For example, the pirates took over other pirate ships,and stole from other pirates. The pirates took guns, bullets, and more that they could use on there ships.

 

  Jims life is very different from his early life in the story. His life hhas changed from cabin boy to a pirate on the waters. He lives,sleeps, eats, and fights on the ship. They had better food then other pirates. They also did not steal from other ships or houses.

 

 A story suggested by Billy Bones's son

 

 

  People were coming down the stairs; they left a candle by an empty chest. They retreated out the door. My mother and I went outside into the fog. We made our first step of escape half way to the hamlet. This was not all for the sound of footsteps coming there way. When we looked back in their direction a light is tossed our way. And we still ran until the newcomers came our way. My mother and I took the money and ran on. My mother fainted. So I dragged her under an ark way.

 

 

Motifs

 

 

 

 Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, or literary devices that can help to develop and inform the text's major themes.

 

 

 Solitude

 

     Solitudes- When all the important stuff happens it is usually to Jim when he is alone. Like when he sees

 Pew who gives Billy Bones the Black spot. He is alone in the barrel while hearing talk about the mutiny. He

 meets Ben Gunn alone again in the woods. He is also alone when he cuts the ship into a drift. This shows he

 is growing up and using bravery.

 

 

 

 Animals

 

     Animals- The main animal in the story is a parrot. A parrot is mainly a sign of being a pirate captain. The person in

 the book that has a parrot is Long John Silver. He is the captain of the mutineers. Long John Silver’s parrot is a loud

 mouth and, in the story Long John Silver’s parrot mocks him most of the time in the story. Ben Gunn can be compared to

 a deer in the story. This is because he is fast, wiry, and gets scared easily. The pirates can be examples of sheep. They

 are so scared of Long John they obey his every command.

 

 

 

The Color Black

 

     The color black- The color black is associated with the pirates. The flag is black and white. They give

 out a black spot which is like a death wish. The pirate who finds Billy Bones is Black Dog. Pew the blind

 pirate is in a black state. Black means bad.

 

 

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