Treasure Island Summaries

8/8/2019 Treasure Island Summaries

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Chapter 7

Summary

This part begins while Jim is staying at the Hall,

the squires' estate, supervised by old Redruth,

the gamekeeper, while Dr. Livesey is in London

finding someone to take over his practice and

Trelawney is in Bristol finding a ship and crew.

A letter comes from Trelawney, indicating that

the ship, the Hispaniola, is ready to sail. Jim istroubled by the fact that Trelawney has let

everyone in Bristol find out about their treasure

hunt. Trelwaney writes that he has purchased a

ship. As a ship's cook, the squire has engaged a

one-legged old sailor named Long John Silver,

who, in turn, found a crew of very tough sailors.Trelawney instructs Jim to go visit his mother

before coming to Bristol. Jim is thrilled by the

news and goes the next day to the Admiral

Benbow to say goodbye to his mother. The

squire fixed dup the inn and found a boy to take

Jim's place at his mother's side. Feeling sad atthe realization that he is leaving home, Jim is

extremely critical of the boy.

The next day, Jim and Redruth travel to Bristol
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by coach. Jim, never having seen Bristol before,

is enthralled by the sights, the sea, the tall ships,

and the old sailors. In front of an inn, they come

upon Squire Trelawney, who is dressed like an

officer and has adopted the walk of a sailor. He

informs the pair that the ship will sail the next

day.

Analysis

The most symbolic figure in this chapter is theboy that Squire Trelawney has hired to help

Jim's mother. It is not until Jim sees this boy,

whom he treats very harshly, that he realizes that

he is indeed going to be gone for a prolonged

period of time. The boy symbolizes Jim's

childhood and the fact that no longer will hemerely be a help at the family's inn, but he has

been forced to grow up through circumstances

that were of no fault of their own. The boy,

therefore, represents what Jim used to be,

something that he cannot return to.

In this chapter, again, Robert Louis Stevenson is

a master of using foreshadowing in order to

increase the suspense of the novel. Several clues

are dropped that indicate to the reader that
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treachery is ahead of the adventure seekers.

Readers can infer that Flint's desperate crew has

realized that Trelawney has the treasure map,

since the squire has not kept it secret. In

addition, readers can guess that the sailor with

one leg, Long John Silver, is probably the same

one-legged seaman that Billy Bones worried

about.

Another foreshadowing element is added to theplot when Trelwaney informs the others that

Long John Silver probably wants to sign on as a

cook to get away from his wife "of color." This

comment is not only racist, but can also be

viewed as a sign that Long John Silver is

actually a pirate, since readers of Robert LouisStevenson's day would know that pirates often

had their headquarters in the islands of the

Caribbean, which had a large black population,

and often married the women of the islands.

Chapter 8

Summary

At the beginning of this chapter, the squire sends

Jim to the "spy-glass" to deliver a note to the

new captain of the ship, Long John Silver. In
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stark contrast to the inn, Jim notices the

cleanliness and brightness of the tavern. The

new captain of the ship is also the landlord, a

tall, strong cheerful man whose left leg is

missing and consequently the man moves with a

crutch. Jim harbors suspicions that the man he is

sent to look for might be the one-legged man

that Billy Bones was wary of, but upon meeting

him, he is assured by his calm, cheerful manner

that this is not the same man. Suddenly, out ofthe corner of his eye, Jim sees Black Dog run

out of the tavern. Again, his suspicions that

Long John Silver is the same pirate that Billy

Bones was so terrified of resurface. Long John

Silver, however, surprises Jim by being angry

and upset over the sudden flight of Black Dog.He sends someone to catch him and then sets off

to see Livesey and the squire, promising to

report the incident to them.

As Long John Silver and Jim proceed to meet

the other two, Silver "made himself the mostinteresting companion," talking about the sea

and various other things. By the end of the

chapter, Jim was convinced that he was the "best

of possible shipmates." When they get to the inn


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where the squire and Dr. Livesey reside, Long

John tells the story and the two gentlemen

regretted that Black Dog escaped but agreed

there was nothing to be done. As the three go to

board the ship, Dr. Livesey admits to being very

impressed with John Silver.

Analysis

In this chapter, the reader gains his first

introduction to Long John Silver, a famouspassage in literature. Silver is initially presented

with considerable economy of words "His left

leg was cut off close by the hip, and under the

left shoulder he carried a crutch . . he was very

tall and strong with a face as big as a ham - plain

and pale, but intelligent and smiling. Indeed, heseemed in the most cheerful spirits, whistling as

he moved about among the tables, with a merry

word or a slap on the shoulder for the more

favored of his guests." Not only is Silver himself

drawn with real conviction, but the ambiguity

which is inseparable from his character ispresent from the moment that we meet him.

Notice, even from his personal description, he is

both "plain and pale" and "intelligent and


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smiling," two contradictory sets of descriptions.

Through Jim's eyes, initially, we see only one

side of his dual personality. Silver appears to bephysically weak because of the loss of one of his

legs, but notice in his description that Jim never

describes him as weak or incapable of

movement, instead he describes Long John

Silver as a hero, through a boy's eyes, someone

ho is capable, competent, engaging, andextremely nice to the young boy. Long John

Silver, in this chapter, begins to develop a bond

with Jim that is again akin to a father-son

relationship. At first, as demonstrated in this

chapter, Jim is nave about the glory of Long

John Silver but soon this attitude will change.Again, Stevenson makes good use of the notion

of foreshadowing in this chapter. With Jim's

original suspicions that Long John Silver is

associated with Black Dog and is the one-legged

pirate that Billy Bones feared, it places a certain

amount of doubt in the reader's head as well. AsJim dismisses this notion, the reader dismisses,

but does not forget, as well.

Chapter 9


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Summary

Finally, after much anticipation, Jim gets to

board the Hispaniola, and meets Mr. Arrow, aold sailor who is the ship's mate. Soon after

boarding, Jim realizes that all is not well

between Mr. Trelawney and the captain of the

ship, Captain Smollett.

The first thing that Captain Smollett makes it

clear that he is unhappy with both the cruise andthe men that Mr. Trelwney has selected to go on

the expedition. Confused, the doctor intervenes

and concocts that the reason that Captain

Smollett is angry is for two reasons. First, he

was not told the reason behind the expedition

but all his hands were. Once he found out that itwas a treasure hunt, he was more upset because

of the dangers involved. Second, he was upset

because he was not able to choose his own crew.

He believes that the first mate is far too friendly

with the crew, "soft," to have proper authority

over the rest of the crew. At the conclusion ofthis conversation, in order to scare the men and

make them believe that this is a dangerous trip,

the captain reveals that he has overheard the


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exact longitude and latitude identified on the

map. Trelawney protests that this was not

possible because he has not revealed it to

anyone, and, naively, the narrator believes him.

After his dire predictions, Captain Smollett

proceeds to give advice about how the ship

should be set up. If this advice is not followed,

he threatens to resign. First, he demands that all

of the squire's men should live together near thesquire's cabin, and that the firearms and

ammunition be placed under the cabin.

Trelawney, not happily, reluctantly agrees to the

captain's wishes but Livesey believes that both

the captain and Long John Silver are "honest

men."Finally, Long John Silver comes on board as the

men have changed the ship to meet the captain's

wishes. Long John Silver, however, interrupts

and says that if the ammunition is changed they

will miss the morning tide. Angrily, the captain

orders the cook, Long John Silver, to preparesupper, and for Jim to help him.

Analysis

This chapter's primary purpose within the book


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is to increase the suspense. Again, Stevenson

uses foreshadowing to accomplish this purpose.

The basic warning in this chapter is Smollets'

apprehension about the crew and the fitness of

the pirates, that the crew is too soft, and that too

many people know about the location of the

treasure. This foreshadowing creates suspense,

the goal of this type of novel. Another aspect of

suspense is the ending of the chapter on a high

note, making the reader want to turn the pageand begin the next chapter.

The other major addition to the book from this

chapter is the further characterization of

Trelawney, Livesey, and the captain, and the

addition of their characterizations to the eventualtheme of the struggle between good and evil.

Trelawney is again depicted as brash, hot-

tempered, and a know-it all. In contrast, Livesy,

through the excellent use of dialogue, is even

tempered, perceptive, and intelligent. The

Captain is depicted as someone who is blunt andtactless, but overall, as someone who is honest,

businesslike, and someone who knows how to

lead a successful mission.


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Historical background is also important in this

chapter, as it is throughout the next few

chapters. First, fore and aft describe the forward

and rear ends of the sip, the bow and the stern;

astern means towards the rear-end. Port is the

left-hand side of a boat, while starboard is the

right-hand side. The forecastle of the boat is the

section of the upper deck located at the bow.

Finally, a schooner is a ship with two or more

masts that are fore-and aft rigged.

Chapter 10

Summary

In this chapter, Jim is introduced to the

handwork that accompanies sea work. All night,

he slaves to help the crew get the boat ready to

sail in the morning. As the boat gets ready to

sail, Long John Silver begins a rambunctious

version of Billy Bones' song "Fifteen men on the

dead man's chest."

This chapter is a count of the majority of thevoyage to the island, and the narrator explains

for brevity sakes, he only recounted the

highlights of the voyage. Apparently, the first

significant thing that happened on the trip was


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that the first mate, Mr. Arrow, was useless

because he was always drunk. One night, he

disappeared, most probably, having fallen over

the side of the ship when he was drunk. As a

consequence of his absence, many people have

taken over his job, including the boatswain, Job

Anderson, Mr. Trelawney, who took a watch

(but only in good weather), and the coxswain,

Israel Hands, an experienced seaman and a close

friend of Long John Silver.

Although he only has one leg, Long John Silver

(whose nickname is Barbeque) moves around

the ship thanks to ropes and contraptions that are

set up. At times, he uses rope around his neck to

carry his crutch with him as he travels to and froon the contraptions. Jim notices that Long John

Silver has befriended all on the ship, doing

favors for them in order to make them indebted

to him. He is extremely well liked, and as the

coxswain tells Jim, he is courageous and well

educated. Throughout this time, the captain andthe squire get along no better than they did in the

previous chapter. The captain, however,

concedes that so far, the journey has been better

than he has expected and that the men have been


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behaved. He is still upset, however, that the

squire treats the crew too nicely and that they

will eventually not be able to do their jobs.

As the ship approaches the island, Jim is not

allowed to reveal the exact location of the island

but everyone anticipates landing and finding the

treasure. Jim, wanting an apple, goes searching

in the apple barrel. Although the apples are

gone, he falls asleep in the apple barrel. Whenhe awakes, he was in for a surprise: he heard

Silver's voice. All that the narrator tells us at the

conclusion of the chapter is that he realized the

safety of all the "honest men" aboard depended

upon his escaping safely.

Analysis

The symbolic nature of the pirates' nickname for

Long John Silver, "Barbeque," deserves

attention in this chapter. This name is indicative

of a familiarly and personal attachment which

some of the pirates, as well learn later in the

book, have experienced. Not only does Silver's

power reign on the sea (despite his handicaps),

he also successful tends to the customers and the

kettle over the fire in his enterprise on the sea.


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During this chapter, Israel Hands admits an

uncanny reverence for the man, something that

was quite surprising. Jim's own relationship with

Silver also points to the duality of his character;

he is far from the one-dimensional pirate that the

word usually conjures, but instead, a "dual

character."

The ship, the Hispanolia, is a major symbol and

representative of some of the themes in the bookas well as the only transportation of the crew.

The ship serves in this chapter, as in the novel,

as a mechanism between savagery and

civilization. It is the in-between stage between

the romantic notion of adventure and the reality

that will set in once those onboard reach theisland. Stevenson accomplishes this task by the

everyday routine of the ship being impinged on

by the picturesque and the unfamiliar on the

familiar. This is far different than the island,

representing savagery, where unfamiliar and the

strange will become a part of everyday life. Theship is also a contained space that does not

easily allow intrusion (like the secluded inn and

the island), a theme in the settings of this

romantic adventure.


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Another interesting aspect of this chapter is

Jim's relationships with both Long John Silver

and the captain. Long John Silver and Jim

continue their easygoing relationship, and Jim is

clearly in awe of the man (not unlike many of

the pirates on the ship). He is especially

impressed that he "treated him like a man." This

relationship is countered by Jim's relationship

with the hatred. Although neither the captain nor

Jim ever give a reason for it, there is clearlyhatred between the two characters. This is

interesting, especially given the fact that Long

John Silver will turn out to be the more evil of

the characters, and the captain, although

authoritarian at times, is clearly the more

respectable figure.

Also contained within the pages of this chapter

are the building of suspense and the use of

chapters in order to further heighten the reader's

apprehension. By ending the chapter on a note

where Jim only tells us of the evil and warns usof the danger that he heard in the apple building,

Stevenson again makes the book more

adventuresome and scarier.


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Chapter 11

Summary

As this chapter opens, Jim is still in the applebarrel and overhears Long John Silver telling

someone else stories about the time he served as

Captain Flint's quartermaster. Excitedly, he

remembers that he lost his leg at the same time

that the pirate Pew lost his sight, in an explosion

of gunfire. As he is bragging about his previousexploits, Silver begins to recruit the youngest

sailor aboard, calling himself a "gentleman of

fortune." Jim is offended that he uses the same

words to lure the youngest pirate that he used to

gain Jim's friendship. Silver tells the young

pirate that the life of a pirate is rough and risky,but worth it because of the great wealth there is

to gain. More impressive, he tells, is that after

this voyage, because of the money he has saved

and the money he plans to garner from this

voyage, he is going to retire and live like a

gentleman. In the mean time, he has instructedhis wife to sell his tavern and take his money to

a clandestine location where Silver will meet her

after the end of the voyage.


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In rough pirate dialogue, a far cry from the

language he used when flattering Jim, he brags

that he is even more feared than the famous

pirate Flint. With these words, the young sailor

(named Dick), agrees to become a pirate.

After this conversation, Israel Hand, a

despicable man, joins Silver and Dick, inquires

when Silver plans the mutiny. Silver's plans to

exploit both Captain Smollett's skill at "setting acourse" and the squire's and doctor's knowledge

of the location of the treasure. The plan is to take

the ship over, killing those on board who are not

with the pirates, in order that Silver can return to

live his perfect life as a gentleman.

At this point in the chapter, Silver orders Dick toget him an apple which scares Jim to death.

Luckily, Jim is saved when someone suggests

that they have a drink of rum instead. Finally,

after the men have their drink, Dick leaves and

Silver and Hand discuss the fact that this is the

last sailor that will join, a fact that implies thatthere are still some honest sailors left onboard.

At the conclusion of the chapter, Jim sees a

bright moon and someone cries, "Land Ho!"


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because Treasure Island is finally within sight.

Analysis

The dual personality of Long John Silver,something that has been hinted at in the previous

parts of the book, is finally revealed in this

chapter. Hawkins's attitude towards Long John

Silver, becomes not one of reverence and awe,

but instead, instantly, one of repugnance, as he

remarks, "I think, if I had been able, that I wouldhave killed him through the barrel." He feels

betrayed, not only by Long John Silver's

involvement with the pirates, but also because of

the betrayal of their personal relationship

between the Silver and Jim. Jim is most

disturbed by the use of the same language thatSilver used to talk to him that Silver uses to lure

the new young pirate. This turn in the

relationship between Silver and Jim marks

another significant change in the book, a point at

which Jim must again leave behind his

childhood and grow up.

The most important literary technique in this

chapter is the use of dialogue. The dialogue that

the pirates use is some of the most colorful and
http://treasure-island/http://treasure-island/


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deliberate of the entire book. For example,

consider this scene, a superb use of pirate

speech: "Billy was the man for that," said Israel.

"Dead men don't bite.' Says he. Well, he's dead

no his self; he knows the long and short on it

now; and it ever a rough hand come to a port, it

was Billy." "Right you are," said Silver; "rough

and ready. But mark you here, I'm an easy man -

I'm quite the gentleman, says you; but this time

it's serious. Dooty is dooty, mates. I give myvote - death. When I'm in Parlyment and riding

in my coach, I don't want none of these sea

lawyers in the cabin a coming home, unlooked

for, like the devil at prayers. Wait is what I say;

but when the time comes, why, let her rip!"

The theme between the struggle of good and bad

is also set up most brilliantly in this chapter.

While there have been hints in the book, like the

hints of Long John Silver's true character, in this

chapter the true nature of the pirates and their

plan of mutiny, as revealed through theirdialogue, clearly predicts the future conflict

between the "good" and the "bad" on the boat. In

addition, Jim's worries that the future of the

honest men on the boat also set up this paradigm


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of conflict between good and bad that will

eventually come to pass.

Chapter 12Summary

Saved by the discovery of Treasure Island, Jim

is able to escape from the apple barrel and joins

the other in perusing the island. The island, as

they discover, has three hills, one higher than the

surrounding two.

At this point, Long John Silver admits that he

has been on the island before, claiming that he

was there as a cook on trading shop that was

forced to stop on the island for water. While

there, he claims that he learned the pirates'names for places on the island and offers to help

the captain find the best place to anchor. He

claims that the best place is an islet denoted as

Skeleton Island, and that the previously

identified highest hill is called Spy-glass, since it

was the pirate's lookout. Because of hisknowledge Captain Smollet asks Silver to look

at a chart and identify the place the ship should

anchor. Jim, astutely, recognizes that Silver

merely wants to look at the chart in order to find


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out where the treasure is buried, but luckily,

from Silver's disappointment, it is clear that the

mark that Silver looks for was not on the map.

During this time, Silver speaks to Jim and gives

the boy a pat on his back, a friendly gesture, Jim

coils inside and finds it extremely difficult to

hide his feelings. Following this incident, Jim

discretely tells Dr. Livesy that he has terrible

news and asks that the doctor, squire, and

captain meet in the cabin for him to tell themthis news.

In the cabin, Jim tells the gathered group the

terrible news that he overheard. Immediately,

the squire apologizes to the captain,

acknowledging that the captain was right fromthe beginning of the expedition. The doctor,

however, explains that only Long John Silver's

authority has kept the crew from showing any

signs of the coming mutiny to this point. The

captain realizes that the rest of the men must

proceed like they know nothing or riskimmediate mutiny. When the men least expect it,

they will attack. They also realize that they must

know who will be on their side. From the initial

count, it seems only six grown men and a boy


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will be against nineteen other men. At the

conclusion of the chapter, the squire and the

doctor tell Jim that they are relying on him to

learn more about the pirate's plan.

Analysis

At this point in the book, it is relevant to

consider the fact that Robert Louis Stevenson

used real men from history to model the pirates

from. Although he is a larger than life creation,Long John Silver was inspired by the pirate

Henly. Having lost a leg, Henly provided a

physical disability that would become an

integral part of pirate lore. Many critics also

believe that Silver's surname was suggested

while he was on his honeymoon, part of whichwas spent at the Silverado mine in California.

Other characters might have also had historical

precursors, including Ben Gun (Benjamin Gunn

of Rio Pun go), Blind Pew (Thomas Pew,

admiral of the pirate fleet at Madagascar), and

Darby McGraw (Darby Mullins, who washanged with Captain Kidd in the early 18th

century).

Another theme of the book becomes clear in this


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chapter, as the crew learn of the pirates planned

mutiny. Robert Louis Stevenson plays almost a

game of balancing knowledge against ignorance.

First, the reader and Long John Silver's gang

know the truth, while Jim and his friends remain

in ignorance; then Jim and his friends learn the

truth about silver's gang, but still Silver and his

gang do not know that Jim and his friends know.

Careful balance between knowledge and

ignorance greatly enriches the possibilities ofsuspense, and Stevenson makes good use of the

opportunities that he provides himself.

The role of the narrator, Jim, is also evident in

the actions of the last two chapters. Because he

is the narrator, Jim is central to the action of theplot. For example, it is through his overhearing

the conversation in the apple barrel that the plot

has taken another twist. Because Jim is a boy, he

is small enough to escape depiction at many

points and thus can learn more than the other

characters can. Jim is also central to the plotbecause through the boy, the reader responds

emotionally to what Jim is experiencing. For

example, in this chapter, when Jim is trying to

conceal his anger at Silver's touch, the reader


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learns of the cruelty of the pirate and the feelings

of a young boy at trying to conceal his hatred

and anger for the safety of the honest men

aboard the ship.

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Treasure Island Summaries