A Pirates Life for Me

Treasure Island, by Robert Lewis Stevenson, is a tale of pirates, treasure, danger and a mysterious island. When we think in our minds of what a pirate is, the descriptions of the characters in this novel are most likely the source of where we get the images we have today. Whether it is a physical trait or a personality trait, items they used, or their usual surroundings, the pirates in the novel Treasure Island represent how we think of pirates today.

Everyone knows that a pirate’s favorite drink is Rum. The book Treasure Island opens with the Captain Billy Bones whistling an old sea-song “Fifteen men on the dead man’s chest—yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum!” (p 13) When pirates drink rum, they become violent and destructive; chase women, curse, steal, and are just plain uncivilized. The officers on the ship, however, drink wine instead of a hard alcohol like rum. This makes the English gentlemen appear to be more civilized men, with manners, who can act appropriately in society.

Along with being unruly, pirates love to fight each other especially with swords. Captain Bill and Black Dog get into a sword fight at the Inn. “Then all of a sudden there was a tremendous explosion of oaths and other noises--- the chair and table went over a lump, a clash of steel followed, and then a cry of pain, and the next instant I saw Black Dog in full flight and the Captain hotly pursuing, both with drawn cutlasses, and the former streaming blood from the left shoulder.” (p22) They are very skilled on how to use a sword, probably because they have lots of practice fighting each other.

A pirate’s world is again very violent at times. After Black Dog finds him, Captain Bill is eventually given the “black spot” while he is at the inn. The “black spot” is another famous symbol of piracy and death. “On the floor close to his hand there was a little round of paper, blackened on the one side. I could not doubt that this was the black spot; and taking it up, I found written on the other side in a very good, clear hand, a short message: “You have till ten tonight.” (P33) The color black in general represents the pirate’s dark ways, such as their black flag, the Jolly Roger, which signifies death and destruction.

Because of their wild lifestyle, pirates are also known for having many injuries over the years. Long John Silver is very famous for his wooden leg. Even with a missing leg, Silver can move swiftly and fight as well or better than any other pirate. It shows that he has learned to overcome obstacles in his life. The character, Pew, is a blind beggar who walks with a stick which he taps as he walks around. The tapping noise made by Pew and Silver makes people fearful because they can hear them approaching closer and closer. “I suddenly put my hand upon her arm; for I had hard in the silent, frosty air, a sound that brought my heart into my mouth---the tap-tapping of the blind man’s stick upon the frozen road.” (p. 33) Pew’s patch over his eyes is another trait of pirates that we think of today.

Silver traveled around the world with his loyal parrot, Captain Flint. When picturing a pirate in your mind, there is usually a pirate close behind. The parrot was very loyal to Silver and was part of his crew. The parrot seemed to know the pirate’s secrets and would repeat key words over and over again, sometimes giving hints and clues to others, such as; “Pieces of eight!" Pieces of eight! Pieces of eight! and so forth, without pause or change, like the clacking of a tiny mill. Silver’s green parrot, Captain Flint!” (p175) Jim Hawkins knew the pirates had taken over the fort when he heard Captain Flint’s loud cries. He knew Silver was right there with him.

A pirate’s main objective in life is to search for gold and other treasures so he can retire and live well the rest of his life. The adventure begins when Jim finds the treasure map in the Captains chest, at the Inn. He later finds the same map, once again on the island; “And he cast down upon the floor a paper that I instantly recognized---none other than the chart on yellow paper, with the three red crosses, that I had found in the oilcloth at the bottom of the captain’s chest. Why the doctor had given it to him was more than I could fancy. But if it were inexplicable to me, the appearance of the chart was incredible to the surviving mutineers.” (pg.190). The map itself is a symbol of adventure and discovery of treasure. To Jim, the adventure itself is more important than the treasure found. To other people, and greedy pirates, the treasure itself may be more important than the adventure.

One thing is for sure; pirates are made for adventure! Pirates are also known in the book and in real life, to raid and steal others’ ships as well as to have mutinies while aboard the ship. No matter what way they choose, the pirates find a way to take control of the ship. In pirate movies, you will always see at least one fight on land or at sea where the pirates use cannon balls to fire at their enemies. Skulls, bones and skeletons were known to be found on many islands where pirates have been which adds to the adventure.

When you say the word, “pirates” people today automatically picture the original ones from, around the 1800’s. Although pirates are still around today, people don’t always realize this. The novel, Treasure Island, has impacted the way we think of pirates and adventure today. Whether it was a trait, weapons they used violence, fighting, or some other idea, the book has still made an impact. Since the book was written around the time of the original, exciting adventures of famous pirates, people today most likely would think that the author would know how the pirates were really like and probably wrote the book based on his knowledge. Whether or not this is true, people still think of pirates as being the way the author describes them in the book.