How did Long John Silver die in Treasure Island?

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 centuries is particularly rich in such characters—Sherlock Holmes, Tarzan of the Apes, Ebenezer Scrooge—who may be said never to die and were, in fact, generally not easy for their creators to kill off even when they wanted to do so.

Long John Silver courts death a number of times in Treasure Island, but he finally escapes, with a small portion of his ill-gotten gains. Apart from Ben Gunn (who spends his treasure almost immediately), he is the only one of Captain Flint's former shipmates to recover any of his hoarded wealth. In the penultimate paragraph of the novel, Jim Hawkins reflects,

Of Silver we have heard no more. That formidable seafaring man with one leg has at last gone clean out of my life; but I dare say he met his old Negress, and perhaps still lives in comfort with her and Captain Flint. It is to be hoped so, I suppose, for his chances of comfort in another world are very small.

Jim's wishes reflect his ambivalence and possibly also that of the reader about Long John Silver. He is clearly a villain, deserving of punishment. He has committed many crimes, including murdering Tom, one of his shipmates, in cold blood. Nonetheless, his good qualities and occasional kindness seem to have prevented Stevenson from wanting to kill off Long John Silver or even punish him for his misdeeds, and the retribution that awaits him remains uncertain to the last.

Is Long John Silver a good or bad character in Treasure Island?

Long John Silver is, like most people, a mixture of qualities, capable of producing both vice and virtue.

On balance, when the reader considers his conduct in Treasure Island, he is bad. Silver is a ruthless killer whose sudden, efficient, and remorseless murder of Tom shows just how single-minded he is in pursuit of what he wants. He is thoroughly treacherous and duplicitous, using his considerable intelligence and charisma to deceive those around him.

Silver is the primary villain of the piece, but he is a complex character and is far from entirely bad. He is kind to Jim Hawkins, acting as a mentor and protector toward him when he can. It is only because he is gifted and intelligent and clearly has admirable qualities that Silver is able to carry out his evil plans and persuade others to fall in with them.

Significantly, Stevenson's inspiration for the character was not a pirate or a criminal, but a poet, William Ernest Henley. Henley had lost a leg and was at one point in danger of losing the other, but his great energy and masterful manner impressed Stevenson so forcefully that he created his character based on "the idea of the maimed man, ruling and dreaded by the sound." The pirate was, therefore, based on a man the author admired as noble and courageous.

Who is killed by Long John Silver in Treasure Island?

Long John Silver, with his parrot and his wooden leg, has become such a stereotypical figure of piracy that the reader is often surprised on returning to Treasure Island what a complex and individual character he is. To take one instance of the dichotomy between the stereotype and the character, Silver is not particularly bloodthirsty, nor is he a prolific killer. When he does kill one of his shipmates, however, it is with great suddenness and ruthless efficiency.

After the pirates have killed Alan, Tom steps forward and courageously defies Silver. He says that Alan was "a true seaman" and that he does not care if Silver and his accomplices kill him as well. Tom then makes the mistake of turning his back on Silver and walking away. Silver quickly hurls his crutch at Tom, striking him in the back. This blow may well have killed Tom, but Silver makes certain of his death by jumping on top of him, "agile as a monkey even without leg or crutch," and stabbing him twice.

As soon as he has killed Tom, Silver recovers his crutch and wipes his knife carefully on the grass. He appears perfectly cool and collected, paying no attention to the dead body of his shipmate beside him. While Silver does not seem to enjoy killing, it does not seem to bother him much, and Jim, the narrator, is horrified by his lack of compunction.