Treasure Island

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1883

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

Rum

From the old sea captain in Part 1 through the adventures on Treasure Island, rum features prominently in many of the descriptions of the pirates and their behavior. The sea captain sings loudly and inappropriately after Jim’s father’s death, doesn’t pay his bills, and falls onto the floor after an encounter with Black Dog. It’s suggested that such dissolute behavior is connected to the sea captain’s regular consumption of rum. The novel’s attitude toward abundant rum consumption is best illustrated by the doctor’s interactions with the old sea captain, when he says, “the name of rum for you is death” (22). When the captain continues to drink rum then dies shortly thereafter, it foreshadows the fate of the pirates on Treasure Island, who likewise drink abundantly and likewise mostly perish. As Jim notices, it is “drink and the devil” (222) that kill most of the pirates.

The Hispaniola and the Coracle

The Hispaniola is a symbol of the captain’s integrity and ability. It is said to handle “heavy weather” (97) well, just as the captain handles the challenges of first the squire’s disagreements and later the pirates’ mutiny. It is for this reason that the captain takes “a downright fancy” (97) to the ship and says of it, “She’ll lie a point nearer the wind than a man has a right to expect of his own married wife, sir” (97). Similarly, the small boat that Jim takes out on the water in Part 5 symbolizes his blooming independence. Jim is inexperienced on the water, and his small boat is difficult to manage. Consequently, Jim makes mistakes and requires some luck and effort in order to be successful. Through persistence, Jim is able to navigate the small boat to the Hispaniola, which he commandeers. This action symbolizes his growing maturity and integrity like that of the captain.

The Bible

When the pirates write up a black spot for John Silver, they tear a page out of a Bible. This immediately becomes a cause for concern among them, as Silver says, “Well, you’ve about fixed it now, among you […] You’ll all swing now, I reckon. What softheaded lubber had a Bible?” (283). In this way, the Bible becomes a symbol for the pirates’ lack of loyalty to anything, be it religious faith or each other. This lack of faith makes them easy to exploit, which is what Silver does both here and elsewhere. He tells the man who tore out the page that he can “get to prayers” (283), and this man later gets a severe fever. Similarly, all of the pirates become afraid when they believe they hear a ghost in the woods, demonstrating that they are highly susceptible to superstitions due to their lack of faith. The Bible’s presence in the novel suggests that if the pirates were capable of loyalty, they would not be so susceptible to fear, exploitation, and superstition.