Treasure Island

A detailed Summary of Treasure Island

Set in the days of sails and ships, buried treasure and pirates, Treasure Island is an epic tale of a young boy by the name of Hawkins, and his search for the buried treasure of the notorious Captain Flint. Treasure Island is written by Robert Louis Stevenson (1850 - 94), his other texts include The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Kidnapped. I choose to read and review this book because I was familiar with some of Stevenson's other work and I had also watched and enjoyed the children's version of Treasure Island. As a reader, I like reading books in which I have an idea of the plot, as it heightens my enjoyment of the reading experience.

The plot of the novel concerns Jim Hawkins's adventures on his quest for Captains Flint's treasure guided by an old map left with his first mate. The story starts out with a simple plot, but on the way Hawkins meets a one-legged cook who is planning mutiny, a marooned ex-pirate on his way to insanity and a longing for the chance to prove himself worthy to Captain Smollett and the rest of his crew. It is a tale of pirates; a map, treasure, mutiny and a one-legged sea cook by the name of Long John Silver.

Throughout the review, I am discussing the nature of the re

R.L Stevenson has written a very fast paced book. On almost every page, something significant happens. He uses this method to entice the reader into reading more and more, one of the qualities of Stevenson's writing. The book begins in first person narrative with Jim; this is continued throughout the book, except for a brief period in the middle of the novel where the doctor takes over the narrative. Jim resumes narrative a few chapters later.

Robert Louis Stevenson's strongest element in this book is that he does not need description to inform the reader of the types of characters in his novel. In chapter two we learn much about Billy Bones and Black Dog, as well as the doctor, particularly from the manner in which they speak. It is the language Stevenson uses with comments such as "this'll be as good as drink to my mate" and "we have seen a sight of times" which give the impression that Billy Bones and Black Dog are from a lower social class because of their dialect. Likewise, the doctor's use of language, so precise as "come now, make an effort" and "I clear my conscience" shows that he is a respectable gentleman used to being obeyed, and is from a higher social class. The doctor seems to me like a very noble and wise character. He comes across as caring very much for Hawkins because of the concern he carries for his safety. Billy Bones might seem like an irresponsible drunk but I believe that he is, deep down, a likable and respectable person. His just scared that his old shipmates will find him.

In drawing conclusions, I feel that I have provided sufficient information to conclude that Long John was only using Jim's friendship to his own advantage. Even though Silver saves Jim's life, he does it only to ens

Some common words found in the essay are:
Island Jim's, RL Stevenson, John Silver, Treasure Island, Black Dog, Island Caribbean, Billy Bones, Captains Flint's, Louis Stevenson's, Captain Smollett, treasure island, buried treasure, billy bones, john silver, bones black dog, jim hawkins, events begin, jim's friendship, hawkins john, saves jim's life, saves jim's, silver saves jim's, social class, hawkins john silver, billy bones black,

Approximate Word count = 1164
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels