CHARACTER SKETCHES:

Black Dog: Formerly a member of Flint's pirate crew, later one of Pew's companions who visits the Spyglass Inn. Spotted by Jim and chased by two of Silver's men, but disappears from sight.

Pew: An evil and deadly blind beggar who is trampled to death in a stampede of horses. Stevenson avoided predictability by making the two most fearsome characters a blind man and an amputee.

John Hunter: the other manservant of Squire Trelawney, he also accompanies him to the island but is later knocked unconscious at an attack on the stockade. He dies of his injuries while unconscious.

Mr. Arrow: The first mate of the Hispaniola. He drinks despite there being a rule about no alcohol on board and is useless as a first mate. He mysteriously disappears before they get to the island and his position is filled by Job Anderson. {Silver had secretly given him access to alcohol and he falls drunkenly overboard on a stormy night}.

Benjamin "Ben" Gunn: A former member of Flint's crew who is half insane after being marooned for three years on Treasure Island, having convinced another ship's crew that he was capable of finding Flint's treasure. Helps Jim by giving him the location of his homemade boat and kills two of the mutineers. After Dr Livesey gives him what he most craves (cheese), Gunn reveals that he has found the treasure. In Spanish America he lets Silver escape and in England spends his share of the treasure (1,000 GBP) in 18 days, becoming a beggar until he becomes keeper at a lodge and a church singer.

Jim Hawkins - The first-person narrator of almost the entire novel. Jim is the son of an innkeeper near Bristol, England, and is probably in his early teens. He is eager and enthusiastic to go to sea and hunt for treasure. He is a modest narrator, never boasting of the remarkable courage and heroism he consistently displays. Jim is often impulsive and impetuous, but he exhibits increasing sensitivity and wisdom.

Billy Bones - The old seaman who resides at Jims parents inn. Billy, who used to be a member of Silvers crew, is surly and rude. He hires Jim to be on the lookout for a one-legged man, thus involving the young Jim in the pirate life. Billys sea chest and treasure map set the whole adventure in motion. His gruff refusal to pay his hotel bills symbolizes the pirates general opposition to law, order, and civilization. His illness and his fondness for rum symbolize the weak and self-destructive aspects of the pirate lifestyle.

Long John Silver - The cook on the voyage to Treasure Island. Silver is the secret ringleader of the pirate band. His physical and emotional strength is impressive. Silver is deceitful and disloyal, greedy and visceral, and does not care about human relations. Yet he is always kind toward Jim and genuinely fond of the boy. Silver is a powerful mixture of charisma and self-destructiveness, individualism and recklessness.

Summary
The story is told in the first person by Jim Hawkins, whose mother kept the Admiral Benbow Inn, and who shared in the adventures from start to finish. An old sea dog comes to this peaceful inn one day, apparently intending to finish his life there. He hires Jim to keep a watch out for other sailors, but despite all precautions, he is hunted out and served with the black spot that means death. Jim and his mother barely escape death when Blind Pew, Black Dog, and other pirates descend on the inn in search of the sea dogs papers. Jim snatches up a packet of papers to square the sailors debt, when they were forced to retreat from the inn. The packet contains a map showing the location of the pirate Flints buried treasure, which Jim, Doctor Livesey, and Squire Trelawney determine to find. Fitting out a ship, they hire hands and set out on their adventure. Unfortunately, their crew includes one-legged Long John Silver, a pirate also in search of the treasure, and a number of his confederates. Jim, hidden in an apple barrel, overhears the plans of the crew to mutiny, and he warns his comrades. The battle between the pirates and Jims party is an exciting and bloody one, taking place both on the island and aboard ship. Jim escapes from the ship, discovers the marooned sailor, Ben Gunn, who has already found and cached the treasure, and finally the victors get safely aboard the ship with the treasure.

Strong Points:

The plot is excellent. The adventures of Jim Hawkins are filled with suspense. This is one of the best books ever written for children. It will appeal especially to boys but can be read by girls. The characters are not stereotyped and unrealistic, but are so skillfully portrayed that they live for us in our imagination. Who can forget Long John Silver, the pirates of pirates? Terrifying, yet somehow likeable; cruel, yet somehow kind. As John Senior says "The one-legged pirate with a patch on an eye and parrot on his shoulder is one of the half-dozen great creations. Like Don Quixote of the Wyf of Bath, he is fixed in our brains forever. How much we would give even now to find that map and go with him!" A reason for reading is learning to write. Stevenson is a master craftsman. His prose is classic, clear, and rhythmical. While the children only think about enjoying a great story, unbeknownst to themselves, they are being exposed to fine language.

Conclusion: Treasure Island is seriously an amazing adventurous book.. I really enjoyed reading this and during my free time I usually start reading it again and again because I love adventurous and historical fiction books like this one I hope other children like me would definitely enjoy reading this as much as I did!!