Stevenson Treasure Island Chapter 4 Analysis

It is not difficult to at first dismiss the similarities of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Homer’s Odyssey as entirely superficial. Both are examples of the narrative pattern of The Hero’s Journey; the Odyssey presented as an epic that was so influential it birthed the entire western cannon of story telling and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn written in the tradition of the Great American Novel that defined the spirit of the age in the United States. Each respective hero embarks on a journey, encounters strange places and people, overcomes the odds they are confronted with, winning the day and ultimately returning home before their next adventure (Coupe). Beneath this pattern however, lie similarities so consistent, that one cannot help but wonder, did Twain use Homer’s Odyssey as a blueprint for The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn? By examining the story of Huck Finn’s trip down the Mississippi through the lens of the Odyssey, I endeavor to show how the deeper similarities between these two classics not only tie them together from centuries apart, but that the influence of Homer’s epic is alive and well in Twain’s novel.

Jim Hawkins in Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, possesses an innocence and idealism as he sets off on a voyage for treasure; Jim fights against the Pirates to survive, leaving him with a new realistic knowledge and experience of the world. Jim first experiences the death of his father; then in the same time frame, he loses Billy Bones. After Billy Bones death, Jim discovers a treasure map, he, the doctor and the Squire set off to find the treasure. When Jim first meets Long John Silver, he appears as a “clean and pleasant-tempered landlord” (45). Jim has a clear image in his head of what a pirate looks like, and Long John Silver appears to be completely different. This reassures Jim's fears. Jim never sees what will occur after the

The love of money is the root of all evil, a statement that has proved itself true through the centuries. Loving money traps us, as human beings. It is not a bad thing to enjoy what money can do; however, the love of money is a wasted effort that can put all in grave peril. It is at our advantage that we have the ability to choose whether we ‘want’ to fall into that trap. Unfortunately, that choice is difficult since society associates one’s character with wealth and financial management. The mishaps, deaths, and hardships that occur from the beginning of the tale are the result of deliberate deception for personal gain. In Treasure Island, greed sends the characters on a voyage. Robert Louis Stevenson makes a social commentary on

Treasure Island is a novel by Robert Louis Stevenson. The story is about a boy named Jim Hawkins who finds a treasure map that leads to Captain Flint’s treasure. Jim takes the map to Dr. Livesey, who puts together a crew, who set sail on the Hispaniola to Treasure Island. One theme that is shown throughout Treasure Island is greed. Greed is an intense and selfish desire for something, especially wealth, power, or food. (greed,1) The theme exhibited in this book, greed, causes dishonesty and betrayal. Three characters that vividly portray characteristics of greed are Long John Silver, Benn Gunn and Israel Hands.

Both the ‘Odyssey’ and ‘1001 Nights’ feature male protagonists who traverse the seas, and the concepts and themes of men seafaring is common throughout most canonical texts. For example, the allusion of Odysseus’ difficult journey is made when a minor male character in Apuleius’ ‘The Golden Ass’ describes his seafaring adventures as being ‘positively Ulyssian’ (‘Ulyssian’ thus being a reference the Roman naming of Odysseus) (pg 29). Furthermore, both texts share themes, such as: seafaring, the supernatural, trials and tribulations, tradition, belief systems, and the geographical setting and pride in the protagonist’s home city play a key role to the overarching plots of the texts in the sense of the protagonist’s endurance and motivation to both leave and return home. Likewise, the supernatural is used to further the plot of both texts.

In chapter twelve we see once again Ender’s instinct to win for all time during a battle. Even with the odds stacked against him, Ender defeated Bonzo’s army. Ender realizes that Bonzo, if he didn’t already, hates Ender to his core, “this would surely turn his rage murderous […] Bonzo will be thirsting for blood now” (195). Petra attempts to warn Ender that he is in danger but, he already knows this. All five of his platoon leaders escort him to his room that night. When he arrives, he finds that Dink has left him a message of warning, “Don’t ever be alone. –Dink” (205). Ender can only sleep because he thinks that surely the teachers will keep him safe outside of the battle room. However, Graff insists that Ender must handle things on his own, that there will be

Ship-Trap Island Has Some Pretty Crazy Things Going On. Rainsford is being told that he is going to be hunted. He is on an island with no way to get off. Zaroff Got to A Point Where He Trapped Rainsford In A Tree But Let Him Escape. Rainsford builds a Ugandan knife trap that mistakenly kills Ivan. Rainsford slept in Zaroff bedroom so we can infer he some hoe killed

The point of this book was to put aside the myths about pirates and replace them with facts. There are many fictional myths about pirates and their lives on the sea. Many books and movies have built pirates up to be romantical heroes instead of the ruthless savages they were, so this book focuses on separating fact from fiction about life as a pirate.

Now, not many people of this time were rich, Jim especially. So his family wants money. This is not easy, as you might be able to tell. And there is a problem, the captain. He is dying, for he has been drinking too much rum, and poor Jim has to help him (Stevenson, 11). Has to resist the captain’s desire for the

The main idea of the story is finding the treasure. Ben Gunn has lived on the island for three years, and knows where the treasure lies. Before the pirates find Jim and his mother, Jim grabs a key and an oilskin packet from the old sea chest. Jim’s father dies, and he and his mother flee to the nearby town and ask them to help them but they refuse to. They find a nearby bridge to hide under, and escape from the pirates. Finally, the people from the town decide to come to Jim and his mothers rescue. Later in the book, Jim hides in an apple barrel and overhears Silver and other crewmates about taking the ship once they have the treasure on the ship. When land was sighted a conflict went on between Silver and another group of pirates. Jim escapes while the fight is going on. He finds Ben Gunn and they become friends. Jim goes with Silver on the hunt for the treasure. They discover that the treasure is missing, and they fire into the surrounding area. The treasure was stowed in the Hispanolia’s lower deck. Silver steals a sack of coins and escapes.

As soon as they get to Treasure Island, Jim and his comrades escape from the wrath of Silver and hide out in a bunker in the forest. Silver soon realizes this and declares war on Jim and his men. While exploring the forest, Jim comes across a man by the name of Ben Gunn. Ben is the only inhabitant of Treasure Island, and was marooned there three long years earlier. Ben decides to stay hidden in the woods while Jim goes back to the bunker. While at the bunker, Jim and his men are repeatedly attacked by Silver. The next day, Jim boards the Hispanola and beaches it miles down shore

It’s easy to tell that the ocean is a mysterious and isolating place from all of the tragic tales we hear from sailors both real and fictional. Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” and an anonymous author’s “The Seafarer” are quite similar in that they both revolve around said tragic tales told by sailors. However, there seem to be more commonalities between their themes, tones, and messages rather than their seaward-bound settings. But before we can discuss these similar settings and deeper themes, we have to tackle their origins.

Following the death of his father, Jim took this opportunity to discover himself on the open sea. It was at this time that Jim would embark on a journey he would never forget. “I said good-bye to my mother and the cove where I had lived since I was born, and the dear old Admiral Benbow” (Stevenson 59-60).

Long John Silver, the antagonist, is the man who changes from sea cook to pirate, and back to sea cook. Although he is the antagonist, he is a fusion of good and bad into one character. Honestly, he is an authoritative and influential leader; therefore, he is able to start and lead a mutiny so that they could find the treasure themselves. His authoritative character is shown several times throughout the novel. The most interesting scene that displays these traits is when the other pirates are afraid to persist in the treasure hunt because of the ghost of Flint. Silver takes charge and brings their spirits back up by refuting the reality and threat of the ghost by stating that it is “a rum start…it’s someone…that’s flesh and blood” (Stevenson 220). Even though he is afraid, his personality allows him to pull his men back together. Without Silver’s authoritative and influential personality, the story of Treasure Island would develop differently and most likely end differently. One of Long John Silver’s most important events is his proclaimed turning points. Because he has some traits of a good leader, he also “know[s] when a game’s up” (Stevenson 195); thus, he saves Hawkins from the pirates and asks him to ask the others to “save Long John from swinging” (Stevenson 195). This emphasizes Silver’s personality that is determined but not tenacious. Long John Silver is also quite a

The following paper will briefly show arguments, and conclusions within the writings of Mark Twain’s story Huckleberry Finn. I will discuss the various themes that Mark Twain is bringing to light within his story. This paper will show how Mark Twain uses those themes within the story, and how they are specifically used. I will also briefly discuss the life of Samuel Clemons, the author known as Mark Twain, and give the reasoning behind choosing the name of Mark Twain when writing his novels. Themes of escapism will be discussed.