Treasure Island is a classic young adult book for good reason, but I have been surprised at how many adults remember this book negatively. Mostly the complaint has been that it was boring. I honestly find this baffling. My oldest son and I read this together, and he has been asking to read it again. Who doesn’t like a pirate adventure book?
The main reason I think that some people find this book boring is the language. Written in 1883, there was no writing down to children. Also, there is a lot of sailing and nautical terms throughout the book, sometimes so thick that it can be very difficult for elementary children and non-sailing adults to understand what is happening. The beginning couple of chapters are a little slow, but it speeds up very quickly.
Still, this is an amazing adventure book in which young Jim Hawkings, an innkeepers son, gets swept into a pirating adventure. It has all kinds of characters, secret meetings, a map, a talking parrot, a deserted island, fighting, and daring escapes. Also, we can’t forget that there is definitely Captain Flint’s notorious treasure! It is also a clean book with no curse words (though they talk about them), the fighting is not grotesque, and no sexual content at all. There is an archaic worldview that could be seen as having a hint of racism, but I think even that is quite clean compared to the time it was written.
I do love the fact that Jim plays such an important part in the book without becoming an adult in kid’s clothing. He swings from being a helpful mature boy, to an arrogant brat, to willful, to kind, all with a very natural flow that is typical of human nature. He grows as a character without any showy turning point decision which is so typical of modern books. He decides to keep his word even though he risks his life to do so. He decides to be kind. He decides to become a man of character rather than the wildness of the pirates. All of these are small decisions that add up to big results in the end. The book is complex with some hard results for some of the characters. There is no easy outs for mistakes.
My favorite character is Long John Silver because he is so incredibly complex. He is a likable villain who you can’t trust, but find yourself cheering for him. He is so charismatic that he grabs you from the beginning. It is believable that even with one leg, he demands respect and fear without raising a sword. The way he manipulates people and events is cunning. He laughs when danger is nearest. He saves lives and kills, but somehow you feel he is somewhat justified in his own mind. You really don’t know what will happen next because he is unpredictable without being random. Honestly, I don’t know of a better villain in literature!
Dr. Livesly is also a very interesting character. He is the moral compass of the book, but yet he gets dragged along in the adventure with Jim. He is the one character in this book who doesn’t seem blinded by the treasure. He is there to make sure Jim gets his portion and is safe. He helps everyone as a doctor, but he is very vocal about his opinion of those he helps. Somehow, even those he stays upright throughout the book, his grumpy compassion makes him a very human character that I am also drawn to.
I highly recommend this book to everyone. It is probably a middle school reading level and up. If you struggle to imagine everything that is happening, the 1950’s Disney movie is a very abridged version of the book that can give you a good idea of what happens. So many people are currently avoiding these old classics for the sake of political correctness, but the classic has stood the test of time. They say something about human nature that helps us reflect on our own lives. Could we have good character is this same circumstance?
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What do you think?