Treasure Island Questions and Answers
Treasure Island
Why was Jim haunted by nightmares in Treasure Island?
When the old sea captain first came to stay at the Admiral Benbow Inn, he was quite silent and kept to himself. Jim noticed he would scan the area regularly with his spyglass, and eventually the...
Treasure Island
What is a flag of truce? When it is used?
A flag of truce is a white flag used to indicate that a party in a conflict wishes to surrender. In Treasure Island, Long John Silver approaches the British fort waving a white flag, indicating...
Treasure Island
What happens at the end of Treasure Island and what could be an alternate ending?
The Long John Silver character was such a great one that I hated to see him disappear entirely at the end. I would like to have seen Long John return in some manner--be it in America or back on...
Treasure Island
What is the main idea of Treasure Island?
The main idea of Treasure Island is that while greed motivates the pirates' search for the treasure, for a young person like Jim Hawkins, who is coming of age, the journey for the treasure is the...
Treasure Island
In Treasure Island, why does the doctor consider rum and the climate to be their allies?
Jim Hawkins has just come back from a reconnaissance mission and has discovered a group of drunken pirates rampaging around the beach and smashing things up. In the meantime, the other men in his...
Treasure Island
What struggles does Jim Hawkins face in Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson?
Jim faces many struggles in Treasure Island. Some of the conflicts are emotional, like carrying on in the face of his father’s absence or dealing with the trauma of watching people die aboard the...
Treasure Island
What is the black spot in Treasure Island?
The Black Spot is enough to send veteran pirate Billy Bones into a fatal downward spiral of a alcoholism. So what is it? The black spot is literally just that, a black spot. It consists of a round...
Treasure Island
How did Long John Silver die?
Long John Silver is one of those rare characters in fiction who seems always to have existed and who takes on an independent life outside the books. Fiction of the nineteenth and early twentieth...
Treasure Island
How does the narration change with chapters 16-19
Dr. Livesey takes over as the narrator of Treasure Island from chapters 16 to 18. Before and after this, it's Jim Hawkins who tells us what's happening in the story. The change of narrator allows...
Treasure Island
In the novel Treasure Island, how does Jim and Silver’s relationship change throughout the novel?
At the introduction of Long John Silver's character, he is a very intimidating figure. However, he takes a liking to Jim early on. While he is an imposing force, he becomes somewhat fatherly...
Treasure Island
In Treasure Island, what are Doctor Livesey's concerns about staying on the ship while it is anchored in stagnant...
Dr. Livesey is worried about fever, dysentery, and a lack of clean water. As chapter 16 opens, John Silver and the mutineers head for shore, leaving only six men on board. The captain, the doctor,...
Treasure Island
Who is Black Dog in Treasure Island?
Black Dog is a pirate most characterized by his unsettling physical appearance. He is missing two fingers on his left hand and sports a remarkably pale complexion, giving off a sinister demeanor...
Treasure Island
What happens at the end of Treasure Island?
After the climax, in which the pirates discover that the map did not lead them to the treasure and subsequently mutiny against the baffled Long John Silver, Treasure Island ends with the treasure...
Treasure Island
What were some problems and their solutions in Treasure Island?
One of the main problems in the story is that of Jim Hawkins's adolescence. As with any young adult, Jim finds himself caught uncomfortably between the worlds of childhood and adulthood. He's...
Treasure Island
What did Jim and his mother take from Billy's sea-chest before they fled the inn?
Because this question specifies about items taken from the chest before fleeing the inn, readers should look to chapter four. The captain has died, and nobody is willing to go back to the inn;...
Treasure Island
How does Stevenson forewarn the readers that Jim’s fantasies will turn tragic?
Stevenson forewarns the readers that Jim's fantasies will turn tragic by using foreshadowing. A device used in literature to give hints to the reader about events that will occur later in the...
Treasure Island
In Treasure Island, what is the meaning of the saying "dead men don't bite" ? In Latin: mortui non mordent. What is...
In Chapter 11 of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic Treasure Island, Israel Hands, Dick and Long John Silver are discussing the mutiny they are planning against Captain Smollett and those aboard the...
Treasure Island
Why does Jim cry when the captain dies?
Jim cries at the captain's death because it is the second death he has ever known. He is still a child unaccustomed to mortality and danger, so experiencing two deaths in such a short period of...
Treasure Island
What are the physical descriptions of the following characters in Treasure Island? Captain Smolllett, Dr. Livesey,...
DR. LIVESEY. The doctor dressed neatly with a powdered wig "as white as snow." He was well-mannered with "bright, black eyes" and regularly smokes a pipe. He is apparently more youthful than the...
Treasure Island
What is the main conflict in the book Treasure Island?
The primary conflict in Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island is a simple one: Who will get to the buried treasure first? We never fully understand why Billy Bones never attempts to return for...
Treasure Island
Long John Silver's tavern is named The Spyglass. Why might he have chosen that name?
A spyglass was a kind of telescope used by pirates and sailors alike to spot dry land or to see any trouble that might be brewing in the distance. Such a name, then, is entirely appropriate for...
Treasure Island
Why did Silver kill Tom?
When he discovers that the pirates have killed Alan, Tom declares that the dead man was "a true seaman" and challenges Long John Silver to kill him as well. He says that he no longer regards Silver...
Treasure Island
In what time period did Treasure Island take place?
We know for sure that Robert Louis Stevenson's adventure novel, Treasure Island, took place some time during the 18th century, though the author does not specify an exact date. In his narration,...
Treasure Island
How does Billy Bones die?
Although it would have enhanced the story of his life and his legacy as a pirate to die a pirate's death in a hand-to-hand battle aboard ship, in search of buried treasure, or with "a knife in the...
Treasure Island
What was the climax of Treasure Island?
A story's climax is a key turning point in the story and the moment in the story when the conflict is at its peak. Treasure Island has various conflicts going on, but the main conflict is centered...
Treasure Island
What persuasive techniques does Silver use to bring regular sailors over to the pirates' side in Treasure Island?
In chapter 11, "What I heard in the apple barrel," Jim is hiding in the barrel when he overhears Long John Silver recruiting the crew to mutiny and become his "pirates." Silver first uses flattery,...
Treasure Island
How old is Jim Hawkins?
The age of Jim Hawkins is never specified in the text, but it can be assumed that he is in his early teenage years. After all, Jim is hired on the Hispaniola as a cabin boy, and the average age of...
Treasure Island
What is the climax of Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island?
Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island follows the pursuit of Jim Hawkins, the son of an innkeeper, and a crew of seamen as they search for the buried treasure of the dead pirate Captain Flint....
Treasure Island
What are the men fighting about in Treasure Island? What is the connection between the men wrestling on the ship and...
The men on the hunt for the treasure are in a fight because there has been a mutiny on board the Hispaniola. The two groups are fighting because Captain Smollett and his men are trying to survive,...
Treasure Island
What is a good thesis statement for the book Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson?
If you are asking for a thesis statement, I am assuming you are going to be writing an essay. I am going to make some suggestions for thesis statements that you could then develop into interesting...
Treasure Island
How would you add two more lines of your own to the captain's song in Treasure Island?
Billy Bones is singing a sea chanty, a rhythmic work or drinking song. In this case, it’s drunken accompaniment to his odd comings and goings. As he is a mysterious character, Jim can’t help but...
Treasure Island
What do Smollett's and Silver's individual leadership styles reveal about the two characters?
I think there are similarities between the leadership styles. Any sea captain is going to rule both by fear and respect. There is not too much difference between the pirate and the legitimate...
Treasure Island
What is the meaning of the "black spot" in Treasure Island? Why do you think a spot was used instead of a note or...
In Treasure Island, the first pirate to receive a "black spot" is Billy Bones. Blind Pew gives him the spot as a sign that he must share the treasure map with the other pirates, on pain of death....
Treasure Island
In Part IV, Chapter XVI of Treasure Island, why does Doctor Livesey threaten Mr. Hands at first?
Part IV refers to the first sign of mutiny aboard the Hispaniola (Chapter XVI, "Narrative Continued by the Doctor--How the Ship was Abandoned") when the pirates make their move against the men...
Treasure Island
In Treasure Island, why does Captain Smollett raise the British colors in the stockade even though the mutineers use...
Chapter 18 opens with both the crew and the mutineers racing toward the stockade. After a skirmish that leaves one dead on either side of the conflict, Captain Smollett and the crew occupy the...
Treasure Island
Why is the captain unhappy with the cruise, the men, and his officers in Treasure Island?
From the beginning, Captain Smollett is suspicious the crew hired for the adventure. He appears perpetually angry to Jim Hawkins, and both Jim and the reader quickly learn this is due to the man's...
Treasure Island
Why is Jim apprehensive about delivering the message to Long John Silver?
A fearsome sailor with a scar on his cheek takes up residence at the Admiral Benbow Inn, which is owned by Jim's parents. The sailor avoids company, and Jim soon understands that he is afraid of...
Treasure Island
What is a quote that could demonstrate Jim Hawkins's maturity and bravery in the story?
Jim Hawkins displays considerable bravery and maturity throughout the story, but one particularly notable example comes in Chapter 12. The good ship Hispaniola is about to reach the fabled treasure...
Treasure Island
How do we know that Jim is a very clever and calm individual in Treasure Island?
Jim is a scrappy, tenacious character throughout the story Treasure Island. He shows many times that he is both intelligent and very cool under pressure. The first instance that shows this, which...
Treasure Island
Give any two examples of Jim's acts of bravery in Treasure Island.
There many times when Jim exhibits bravery. One example, from the beginning of the book, comes when Jim and his mother decide to search Silver's sea chest. Jim is the one who, despite "strong...
Treasure Island
What would be considered the major events in Treasure Island?
The action-packed adventure novel Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson tells of the discovery of a treasure map followed by a sea voyage to a remote island holding hidden pirate treasure. The...
Treasure Island
How is the conflict between Squire Trelawney and Captain Smollett resolved in Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson?
The conflict between Captain Smollett and Squire Trelawney is found in chapter nine of Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. The squire has hired the captain for a treasure-seeking journey,...
Treasure Island
Why does Jim decide he can leave the ship to go ashore with the crew?
Jim is watching events carefully as the ship anchors at Treasure Island. He knows that the sailors are planning to mutiny from what he has heard as well as from their complaints and attitude toward...
Treasure Island
Why does Long John Silver save Jim's life?
In chapter 28, Jim is captured by the pirates, who want to kill him for his part in thwarting their plans. Long John Silver is among them and hears Jim speak boldly, saying that if they spare his...
Treasure Island
In Treasure Island, what does Captain Billy Bones mean when he says, "If it comes to swinging, swing all, say I"?
In Treasure Island, Captain Billy Bones' exclamation "comes to swinging, swing all, say I" is an abbreviation of what was then a very common idiom normally in the form "to swing for something,"...
Treasure Island
How did Pew die in Treasure Island?
Blind Pew, the evil old pirate and dispenser of the notorious black spot, meets his unfortunate end beneath the hooves of the law officers' horses. It's somewhat appropriate that this career...
Treasure Island
Why was the seaman keen to take up lodging in a remote inn?
The thrilling novel Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson tells of an adventurous voyage to a secret island with the intent of finding hidden pirate treasure. As the story begins, "the brown...
Treasure Island
Why does Stephenson have Jim meet up with Livesay at the stately squire's home?
The famous adventure novel Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson involves the discovery of a treasure map and a voyage in search of pirate treasure. At the beginning, an old pirate arrives at...
Treasure Island
Give two likely causes of the captain Billy Bones' death in Treasure Island.
The hard-drinking captain Billy Bones was obviously well past his prime when he made his first appearance at the Admiral Benbow Inn. He drank rum constantly, and after his short bout with Black...
Treasure Island
What does Captain Smollet fear will happen?
Captain Smollett's ship, the Hispaniola, has been bought by Squire Trelawney for the forthcoming voyage. However, Smollett is decidedly uneasy about the whole venture. For one thing, he doesn't...
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