Skeleton Island Quotes

2. Rejected Extremes Jim is able to reconcile various manifestations of adulthood where others have failed through the rejection of rigid, extremist, and even stereotypical roles. A clear example of such dismissal of rigidity occurs when Captain Smollett commands Jim to get to work: “I assure you I was quite of the squire 's way of thinking, and hated the captain deeply” (Stevenson 28). Smollett is a unique character because unlike even most of the adults, he does not exhibit childlike tendencies and remains static throughout the narrative. Following Jim 's recapturing of the Hispaniola, he is hopeful that Smollett would forgive him for his disobedience. Even towards the end of the novel, Smollett indicates that he never wants to set sail
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Consequently, Jim 's disregard for his adultlike duties enables him the agency to become a far more dynamic character than that of Smollett (Ward 311). To Jim, the adventure is a game where the rules of society do not apply. Skeleton Island is essentially a playground that is divorced from ordinary laws; to continue to obey those laws would put Jim at an unfortunate disadvantage in terms of both his survival and his development (Deane 701). However, Jim quickly learns that his newfound freedom comes with it the undesirable consequences of danger, chaos, and potential self-destruction. This other extreme is represented in the
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Even in the future, Jim is constantly struggling with the events that had unfolded on Skeleton Island in his attempts to suppress the realities of adulthood: “The bar silver and the arms still lie, for all that I know, where Flint buried them; and certainly they shall lie there for me” (Stevenson 102). As the narrator, Jim never specifies his present age. In fact, there is no indication that Jim has changed in any way beyond the events of this novel. Instead, there is the general impression that Jim has voluntarily embraced a perpetual state of resistance to traditional notions of what constitutes adulthood (Valint 20). While each adult possesses a specific set of characteristics, Jim identifies disturbing commonalities between them which had become apparent to him over the course of the adventure. For instance, there is no discernible difference between the greed exhibited by Silver and Dr. Livesey. Both factions consisting of the pirates and the gentlemen are willing to risk the lives of themselves and others for mere material wealth. Jim is conscious of this fact and resents it as he is commanded to pack the gold that had just been obtained through bloodshed (Stevenson 100). Jim 's description of the coins reaffirm the treasure 's connection to death and decay. For example, the simile “bits of spider 's