Treasure Island Novel Analysis

Young Men Come of Age through Adventure: Compare and Contrast between Yann Martel’s Life of Pi and Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island
Life is either an adventure or nothing. An adventure novel, Treasure island, written by Robert Louis Stevenson and a Canadian novel, Life of Pi, written by Yann Marte both talk about transformation of young teenagers through adventures. In Life of Pi, The adventure of the protagonist – Pi – is seeking for survival on Pacific Ocean, but in Treasure Island, the adventure of the protagonist – Jims Hawkins – is looking for treasure on a mysterious island. Although Life of Pi and Treasure Island have different types of adventures, both novels develop the theme that young men come of age in adventures through
fear, suffering a lot and fighting against antagonist.
In Life of Pi, fear force Pi to overcome himself and grow. First of all, Pi overcomes the fear of the main antagonist, Richard Parker. When Pi tried to tame Richard Parker, he looked at him face-to-face, “full of fearful wonder. There being no immediate threat, [his] breath slowed down, [his] heart stopped knocking about in my chest, and [he] began to regain [his] senses” (Martel 181). Although Pi’s heart is full of fear, he tries to manage the fear and clamed down. Pi’s conquest of fear to Richard Parker identifies his growth of bravery in the adventure. Secondly, the fear of anther carnivorous animals, a hyena, strengthens the bonds between Pi and Richard Parker. As the hyena killed both a zebra and an orangutan, Pi was “dumb with pain and horror” (Martel 145), but after Richard Parker showed up, Pi was “no longer afraid of [the hyena]. It wasn’t ten feet away, yet my heart didn’t skip a beat”(Martel 150). Pi overcome the fear of hyena after Richard Parker showed up and finally killed the hyena. The fear of hyena bonds Pi and Richard Parker, which helps Pi’s growth in his adventure. Last but not least, the fear of the magic island makes Pi to have a better understanding of faith. When Pi reaches the magic island, “blind faith takes place as he steps onto the island” (Dyer 149), but after finding a human teeth, “ understanding dawned upon Pi, who realizes, to his horror, that the island is carnivorous ” (Dyer 149). The “horror” makes Pi realizing the danger of the island and putting back his blind faith, which helps Pi grows understanding of what is true faith. To conclude, the fear of Richard Parker, the hyena and the magic Island pushes the growth of Pi in the adventure.
In Treasure Island, Jim Hawkins comes of age through fear.
Similarly, Jim overcomes the fear of the main antagonist, Long John Silver. When Jim was trapped in the enemy’s camp, he said, “I no more fear you than I fear a fly. Kill me, if you please, or spare me”(Stevenson 164), to Long John Silver and all pirates. Jims used to be fearful of John Silver, but now he was not. Jim’s overcoming of the fear to Long John Silvers clarifies that he grew to a brave boy in the adventure. Differently, Jim’s fear of pirates becomes part of his curiosity. When Jim was hiding under a bridge and pirates were coming, “[his] curiosity, in a sense, was stronger than [his] fear, for [he] could not remain where [he] was, but crept back to the bank again” (Stevenson 25). Although Jim is afraid of pirates, his fear enhances his curiosity, which leads him to the adventure, where is different that in Life of Pi, Pi’s fear of hyena strength the relationship between Pi and Richard Parker. As well, to contrast with Life of Pi, Jim and his family’s fear of Billy Bones gives him chances to go adventure and grow. At every beginning of the story, “the first monster that confronts Jim in this tale is the seaman Billy Bones, the bully who terrorizes Jim’s family at the Admiral Benbow Inn and seems to cause the death of Jim’s father” (Livingston par.2) Jim’s father’s fear of Billy Bones leads to his death, which frees Jims to the adventure, and Jim’s fear of Billy Bones works in an opposite way that increases
his interest on adventure, where is different that Pi’s fear of magic island increases his understanding of faith. In conclusion, in Treasure Island, the fear of Long John Silver, pirates and Billiy Bones helps Jims growx braver, more curious and more interested in adventure, where the fear of Richard Parker, the hyena and the magic island forces Pi to become braver, have closer relation ship with partner and grow understanding of faith in adventure.

Work Cited
Martel, Yann.
Life of Pi. Toronto: Vintage Canada, 2011. Print.
Klay Dyer, Critical Essay on Life of Pi, in Novels for Students, Gale, Cengage Learning, 2008.
Print.
Livingston, James L. "Treasure Island." Masterplots II: Juvenile & Young Adult Fiction Series
(1991): 1-3. Literary Reference Center. Web. 7 Dec. 2015.
Web.