John Silver Quotes

Captain Long John Silver “ … I would see him in a thousand forms, and with a thousand diabolical expressions… now he was a monstrous kind of a creature… “ (Stevenson 3; ch. 1). At the start of the book, Long John Silver was feared because of his bad reputation and other’s perspective of him. Other’s saw him as a bad seafaring man with one leg (3; ch. 1), but was then known as a “bland, polite, obsequious seaman of the voyage out,” (190; ch. 33). In Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson, Long John Silver’s ambitions changed by his knowledge of the treasure, his attitude changed when he joined Captain Smollett’s crew, and his personality changed after his experience. Captain Long John Silver's knowledge of the treasure caused his ambitions to change. At the beginning, Silver was ambitious to locate the treasure (61; ch. 11). He had a plan to locate the treasure and anyone who stood in his way he killed (77; ch. 14). He wanted to find the treasure no matter what the situation. When he finally locates the treasure, (176; ch. 31) he then finds that he was not the first one there (184; ch. 32). Silver’s knowledge about the treasure changed him, “ … in a single second, dead… “ (185; ch. 33). His ambitions towards the treasure were now dead.

Silver was, at first, greedy. He, as mentioned before, would do anything to get his hands on the treasure (77; ch. 14). Captain Smollett was in possession of the treasure(191; ch. 34). Silver was now on Smollett’s crew, but Silver was unconcerned with the treasure (195; ch.34). He was now humble and cooperative with Smollett’s crew. As the crew was in Ben Gunn’s cave, Silver was “… prompt to spring forward when anything was wanted, even joining quietly in our laughter…” (190; ch. 33). Then, he left without the treasure and was never seen again (195; ch.