An Essay on How Jim Hawkins from Treasure Island Has Developed Throughout the Story
An Essay on how Jim Hawkins from Treasure Island has developed throughout the story
Jim gets involved in the adventure because his parents own the Admiral Benbow inn where Billy Bones comes to stay. Jim retrieves the map of Treasure Island from Billy Bones and then becomes cabin boy on the Hispaniola. Jim becomes aware of Silver's plot, informs his comrades, meets Ben Gunn, recaptures the Hispaniola, and then returns to Bristol with the treasure.
In the first chapters, Jim is an easily frightened boy who is closely associated with his home and family. Scared by the crusty old seamen, Pew and Billy, Jim runs to his mother for protection. After his father dies and he embarks on the adventure, Jim starts to think for himself and shows increasing initiative, for example when he takes hold of the chart and then decides it would be wiser to send it directly to Dr Livesey. Jim, however, does make repeated mistakes, like when he is lured into helping Pew outside the Inn and when he is, once again , drawn into Long John’s false sense of security with false flattery such as “you’re as smart as paint”, (which in my view, is not really much of a compliment).
Also, Jim’s overall description of Pew, “I never saw in my life a more dreadful-looking figure”, is quite interesting because it shows the reader that Jim is originally quite timid and has been limited in his travels. Furthermore, Jim’s first description of Captain Silver, “intelligent and smiling” is quite ironic because he portrays Silver as quite a benevolent person when; in fact, he’s a nasty piece of work which Jim will later have to face. This shows that Jim’s perception of people at this stage in time is naïve.
Another important point is that, at the start of the story when his father dies, he bursts into tears, but, as he is forced to grow up on his adventure, the death of Joyce and Israel hands causes a less strong reaction than it did all that while ago. This shows that he has adapted to the cruel world
Jim gets involved in the adventure because his parents own the Admiral Benbow inn where Billy Bones comes to stay. Jim retrieves the map of Treasure Island from Billy Bones and then becomes cabin boy on the Hispaniola. Jim becomes aware of Silver's plot, informs his comrades, meets Ben Gunn, recaptures the Hispaniola, and then returns to Bristol with the treasure.
In the first chapters, Jim is an easily frightened boy who is closely associated with his home and family. Scared by the crusty old seamen, Pew and Billy, Jim runs to his mother for protection. After his father dies and he embarks on the adventure, Jim starts to think for himself and shows increasing initiative, for example when he takes hold of the chart and then decides it would be wiser to send it directly to Dr Livesey. Jim, however, does make repeated mistakes, like when he is lured into helping Pew outside the Inn and when he is, once again , drawn into Long John’s false sense of security with false flattery such as “you’re as smart as paint”, (which in my view, is not really much of a compliment).
Also, Jim’s overall description of Pew, “I never saw in my life a more dreadful-looking figure”, is quite interesting because it shows the reader that Jim is originally quite timid and has been limited in his travels. Furthermore, Jim’s first description of Captain Silver, “intelligent and smiling” is quite ironic because he portrays Silver as quite a benevolent person when; in fact, he’s a nasty piece of work which Jim will later have to face. This shows that Jim’s perception of people at this stage in time is naïve.
Another important point is that, at the start of the story when his father dies, he bursts into tears, but, as he is forced to grow up on his adventure, the death of Joyce and Israel hands causes a less strong reaction than it did all that while ago. This shows that he has adapted to the cruel world