Squire Trelawney is a robust, quick-tempered, hard-riding country squire. The members of the loyal party offer neither the colorfulness nor the appeal of Long John Silver, but they are skillfully drawn as stock 18th-century English character types. Despite his wickedness, Silver is such an appealing character that he dominates the story through the force of his personality, overshadowing the other Characters and offering an unforgettable example of the moral ambiguity of the adult world. As the pirates’ plans are thwarted by Jim’s intervention, the mutineers turn on one another, and Silver appears less sinister in comparison to some of the others. Yet he shows genuine affection in his relationship with Jim, and is willing to risk his life to save him from the mutinous pirates. He is glib and manipulative, capable of being vicious or ingratiating as the situation demands. Yet beneath the veneer of sociability, Silver is actually the ringleader of the pirates, ruthlessly plotting to seize the ship and dispose of all but his own hands-as Jim learns in the famous scene when he hides in an apple barrel and overhears Silver’s plans.Ī shrewd opportunist, Silver is quick to assess a situation and ally himself with the stronger party. He is a striking figure as he moves about the ship with his crutch and his green parrot, “Captain Flint,” perched on his shoulder. The ship’s cook on the outward voyage, Silver is a model of good cheer, showing unfailing kindness to Jim and instructing him in the particulars of seamanship. Perhaps the greatest moral enigma is the one-legged Long John Silver. Trelawney is blind to the blunt honesty of Captain Smollett, while allowing himself to be taken in by Silver’s flattery and deception. Even though he is strictly instructed by Doctor Livesey not to divulge the purpose of the voyage, Trelawney foolishly confides the secret of the treasure map to Long John Silver, risking a mutiny that will endanger all the crew. Squire Trelawney is another example of flawed goodness.

Hawkins risks both her own life and Jim’s when she ransacks Billy Bones’s sea-chest to collect the old pirate’s rent money but wastes valuable time by counting out every coin to ensure that she takes no more than is due her. This note of ambiguity is evident from the beginning of the story.

There is a certain moral ambiguity in all of Stevenson’s Characters, a kind of “Jekyll and Hyde” dual nature: the good Characters are often flawed and the villains tempered with positive qualities. Treasure Island includes a wide range of vivid and memorable Characters, drawn with great subtlety and psychological perception.

Treasure island characters