Student Question

Who is Mr. Dance in Treasure Island?

Quick answer:

In Treasure Island, Mr. Dance is a tax collector who kills Pew by accident.

Expert Answers

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Mr. Dance is a minor character in Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island. He is a tax collector who makes an appearance on horseback when the blind Pew is trying to catch up with his fellow pirates. Mr. Dance and his fellow riders are as taken by surprise as Pew is when the two parties encounter one another. During his attempted escape, Pew is unlucky enough to be in the horse's way, causing Mr. Dance to trample him to death by accident.

Mr. Dance joins Jim when the boy goes to report the incident to Dr. Livesey at dinner, where they relate Pew's end, among other matters. Mr. Dance is thanked by Dr. Livesey for killing Pew, as though he intended to do so in an act of noble heroism. The excessive compliments are funny since Mr. Dance's intervention was by pure chance and not premeditated whatsoever. After this, Mr. Dance disappears from the novel, never to return. He does not join the other characters on their ocean voyage to find the treasure. Ultimately, his role in the narrative is twofold: he is both a way of getting rid of Pew and a way of inserting a little comic relief into the story.

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