Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 Novel, Treasure Island: Character Analysis
In Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 novel Treasure Island, the character Long John
Silver, known by his fellow pirates as Barbecue, brags that "there was some that was feared of Pew, and some that was feared of Flint; but Flint his own self was feared of me"
(Stevenson 58). J. M. Barrie references Treasure Island and alludes to this quote in his
1911 novel Peter Pan when his character Captain Hook remarks, "I am the only man whom Barbecue feared, and Flint himself feared Barbecue" (Barrie 121). Not only does
Peter Pan indirectly reference Treasure Island, the novel also shares thematic similarities. While Treasure Island relates the coming-of-age of its protagonist Jim
Hawkins, Peter Pan concerns the maturation of its protagonist Wendy Darling and, to a larger extent, children in general. The novels present these youthful characters in a state of innocence, still under the wing of their parents. These main characters adopt opposing role models when they embark on journeys away from their parents, as Wendy flies to
Neverland and Jim sails to Treasure Island. When the two characters arrive at their respective islands, a confrontation occurs between their dreams and reality. As the children lose their innocence, the children strike a balance between their opposing role models, thus undergoing a transition from childhood to adulthood. While this path into experience involves choices, the authors present it as inevitable, bound by fate. Although they deal with similar themes, an analysis of the treatment of these themes shows the authors' differing views of the transition from innocence to experience.
Silver, known by his fellow pirates as Barbecue, brags that "there was some that was feared of Pew, and some that was feared of Flint; but Flint his own self was feared of me"
(Stevenson 58). J. M. Barrie references Treasure Island and alludes to this quote in his
1911 novel Peter Pan when his character Captain Hook remarks, "I am the only man whom Barbecue feared, and Flint himself feared Barbecue" (Barrie 121). Not only does
Peter Pan indirectly reference Treasure Island, the novel also shares thematic similarities. While Treasure Island relates the coming-of-age of its protagonist Jim
Hawkins, Peter Pan concerns the maturation of its protagonist Wendy Darling and, to a larger extent, children in general. The novels present these youthful characters in a state of innocence, still under the wing of their parents. These main characters adopt opposing role models when they embark on journeys away from their parents, as Wendy flies to
Neverland and Jim sails to Treasure Island. When the two characters arrive at their respective islands, a confrontation occurs between their dreams and reality. As the children lose their innocence, the children strike a balance between their opposing role models, thus undergoing a transition from childhood to adulthood. While this path into experience involves choices, the authors present it as inevitable, bound by fate. Although they deal with similar themes, an analysis of the treatment of these themes shows the authors' differing views of the transition from innocence to experience.