SuitabookTreasure Island
Robert Louis Stevenson
- Reading
- Read alongside the child’s reactions to danger, pausing to explain unfamiliar vocabulary and historical racial terms. Afterwards, compare what the narrative rewards with what its characters choose to do.
- Themes
- Honour and loyalty: Jim is described as smart, honourable and willing to risk his safety after giving his word; Dr Livesey is described as caring for people in need. The book presents this favourably.
- Greed and treachery: Pirates pursue buried treasure and are described as mutineers, threatening figures whose greed and treachery drive the danger surrounding the expedition. The stated moral framing contrasts the pirates’ greed and treachery with the virtues the story presents positively.
- Historical language and representation: The novel includes archaic racist terms and offers an impression of rural England and sailing-ship conditions in the late nineteenth century. The historical setting is presented as contextual information, while the presence of racial terms requires readers to distinguish depiction from approval.
- Worth knowing
- Prepare for repeated fighting and deaths, sometimes involving swords, knives and guns, plus drunken behaviour, smoking and tobacco use. The violence is reportedly non-graphic but can feel upsetting through Jim’s perspective.