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Long John Silver As A Character In Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island

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When Robert Louis Stevenson first wrote his famed novel Treasure Island he did so with the claim that, ’If kids do not like this book, why they have gone rotten since my day’. It includes a host of characters, good and bad, but the one I will be focusing on in this essay will be the main antagonist, Long John Silver. He has heavily influenced the view of a classic pirate, like having a parrot on his shoulder and holding a crutch because of his missing leg. He is portrayed in many different ways, negative and positive. He is introduced as a likable and quite successful landlord, but by the end he seems to shed this mask and becomes the charismatic leader of the pirate mutiny against Captain Smollett and all his supporters. In this essay, I …show more content…

In fact, at the start of the journey, Dr. Livesey says ‘You have managed to get two honest men on board with you- that man [Captain Smollett] and Long John Silver. Even the reader can think that he is a good character until we learn of his plans of mutiny. It is also evident that he easily can get people to like him, for he sees, and talks about, the best of the people he meets. Despite the fact that Tom Morgan lacks intelligence, when other ship-mates jeer at him, Silver defends him by saying ‘he is a honest man’. He does this to other people, including Jim, and as a result, he earns their trust. Everyone in the book respected and/or was loyal to Silver at some point in the book, even though some characters(the pirates) are usually disloyal and disrespecting, and this is a definite showcase of his charisma.. As a final point, he leads the mutiny, with a band of lazy, drunk pirates, and nearly succeeds, and leading them would not have been an easy task; only someone as charismatic as him would be able to accomplish this without being

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The character of Long John Silver is constructed deliberately from ambiguity in the very beginning of the story, when Billy Bones pays Jim Hawkins to keep a “weather-eye open for a seafaring man with one leg” (Stevenson 3). This elusive attitude of wariness continues throughout. Silver becomes something more than himself: it is remarked that all were afraid of Captain Flint, but even Flint was afraid of Silver. Thus he is distinguished in the reader’s mind as distinct from the other pirates-- more intelligent, less base, more admirable, less vile. The distinction from other pirates and the enigma produce in readers a sort of admiration and allows for a construction of who the real Silver might be.

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1. Jim Hawkins is the main charterer/narrator in the book treasure island. He is only twelve or thirteen years old and is very loyal to his family, which owns a hotel near England. If long john silver would have been the main character in the book I think that the book would have been more towards how he would have deceived the crew and get the treasure. The characters are a like because they are both after something that they want greatly.

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Marcus Rediker has been concentrated on the seafaring studies for more than thirty years. Looking back on his previous studies, he published an article about pirates arguing that for a short period in the early eighteenth century Anglo-American pirates created their unique social order as egalitarianism that they throw down the caste system and exploitation of labor which is typical in the capitalist world (Rediker 1981). In his book Villains of All Nations: Atlantic Pirates in the Golden Age published in 2004, he attempts to elaborate, refine, and expand his thesis in a further step. The book answers questions as who these pirates were, what let them to turn pirates, and how they conceived of and governed themselves. Organized with attractive

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After some time passed when Jim was sitting in the apple barrel, he hears some chatter above and takes those words to heart, “I would not have shown myself for the world, but lay there, trembling and listening, in the extreme fear and curiosity for from these dozen words I understood that the lives of all the honest men aboard depended on me alone” (Stevenson 72). This is one of the many examples that prove that Jim is willing to accept such challenges for the betterment of his crew. Close to the end of the book, Doctor Livesey states that running away from Long John Silver and the rest of the Mutineers would be a good idea, however, Jim declines “You know right well that you wouldn’t do the thing yourself, neither you nor the squire, nor the captain; and no more will I. Silver trusted me; I passed my word, and back I go” (Stevenson 212). This not only shows that Jim is loyal to his own shipmates who aren’t associated with the Mutiny but also being loyal to his closest enemies. Jim is a good example of a young boy, who focuses and puts his duty above adventure and

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Jim is intrigued by this, even leaving his post to see what happens. Further on, after Silver stops Morgan from killing Jim, he degrades his crew and tells them that Jim is “more a man than any pair of rats of you in this here house” (165-166) Although Jim is still scared, he has “a ray of hope now shining in [his] bosom” (166) and even tells the Doctor how “‘I should have been dead by now, if Silver hadn’t stood for me’” (178). Long John, although a con man, genuinely likes Jim and Jim most definitely looks up to him.

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The deaths of friends and family begins, with the passing of his own father (Stevenson 9). After the death of his father Jim had to lean to the Captain as a sort of father figure. As we know, the captain is not the greatest of role models, matter of fact Jim is probably a better role model for the captain than vise-versa. Unfortunately, more sorrow was yet to come when Blind man Pew comes to the Admiral Benbow. After quite some time of arguing the Captain was struck sober (31).

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He had never really done such a thing before, but this was a long, harsh one. He soon figured out that a cook on his ship was a famous pirate trying to steal the treasure from him (Stevenson 37). Since this conflict was created and getting the treasure would be harder and in the end he didn’t even get the treasure. Earlier in the story, when Jim was on his adventure, he had a lot of up and down moments of good and bad. This really put a change in him because he went from a normal, shy boy to an outgoing person who is risking their

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