Treasure Island

Everyone thinks that they know the story but they don’t really – just memorable scenes from it, especially Long John Silver and his parrot (which everyone thinks is called “Polly” but is in fact “Captain Flint”.)

I thought this was great! Despite being written specifically for children there are no punches pulled here – there is a lot of violent death and some fairly gruesome scenes.

More importantly, the characters themselves are complex, especially Jim Hawkins and Silver himself. Jim makes decisions that he himself considers to be bad ones, although the “hero” of the story he succeeds not through explicit acts of “heroism” and bravery but by making the most of some lucky breaks.

And Silver especially is an enigma. Clearly exerting a powerful (but not infallible) hold over his men, but does he care for them? Does he have a soft spot for Jim or is it an entirely opportunistic “partnership” that is convenient to him for the moment?

If this was a set text in English Literature course I’m sure that many an essay could be written on the subject of “Long John Silver – Good, Bad or just Selfish”?

A great story that deserves its enduring print run. Obviously aimed solely at boys (with barely a female character in sight) it is clearly of its time but no less a cracking story for it.

The Penguin Classics edition also has some interesting supplementary material that is worth reading as well.