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Robert Stevenson's Treasure Island Essay

Decent Essays

In Robert Stevenson’s Treasure Island, Jim, the protagonist, tried to get Captain Flint’s legendary treasure while fighting lying, deceitful pirates. Robert Louis Stevenson used suspense, imagery, and foreshadowing as part of his craft to tell the story of Treasure Island. Each literary technique had a significant impact on the plot and characters. One example of author’s craft in Treasure Island is suspense. One way suspense is used is leaving cliffhangers at the ends of many of the chapters, making the reader want to continue. One such cliffhanger is at the end of chapter 10, when Jim climbs into the apple barrel. The chapter ends with, “I found out that the lives of all the honest hands on board depended on me, and me alone.” Another …show more content…

The imagery gives the reader clues about who this man is and what he does. Imagery in Treasure Island is used in many ways to develop mood and develop characters. The final example of author’s craft used in Treasure Island is foreshadowing. Foreshadowing was used on page 53, when it said, “‘There’s only one man I’m afraid of.’ ‘And who’s that?’ cried squire. ‘Name the dog sir!’ ‘You’, replied the doctor ‘for you can not hold your tongue.’” This quote gives the reader enough information to have a good idea what will happen next, but doesn’t give it away. The book also read “ ‘Well Silver’, replied the doctor, ‘if that is so, I’ll go one step further: look out for squalls when you find it.’” This quote allows the reader to make a prediction that there will be a fight or argument when they find the treasure. The use of foreshadowing in Treasure Island help build anticipation on what might happen next therefore, adding more of a dramatic element to the storyline. Suspense, imagery, and foreshadowing were elements used in Treasure Island to enhance the story. One example being that imagery was used to set the mood

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