The Importance Of Greed In Treasure Island

Pirates in movies are depicted as having a great bond. After all, crews spends months at a time together on a ship with only each other and the ocean. However, many crews, friendships, and even families can be torn apart by a simple, deadly killer: greed. In the nineteenth century novel Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson, the protagonist Jim, a young boy from Bristol, England, meets pirate Captain Billy Bones, who dies at the family 's inn, leading Jim to the treasure map hidden in the Captain’s chest. With the help of a local doctor and lord, the three round up a crew and a ship to sail to the hidden treasure on the map. Little did they know, the crew they hired had their own plans to steal the map and thus the treasure. Throughout the novel, Stevenson argues that, “greed can destroy any relationship, no matter how strong,” through his use of language and tone, as well as cultural, historical, and social lenses.

Many phrases used within the novel suggest that the speaker is hiding something from the other characters, or is to. When Jim, the Doctor Livesey, and the squire examine the map, the squire automatically edmands that they go searching for it before anyone else finds the map, and refuses to tell anyone, saying,

“‘Livesey,’ said the squire, ‘you will give up this wretched practice at once. Tomorrow I start for Bristol. In three weeks ' time—three weeks!—two weeks—ten days—we 'll have the best ship, sir, and the choicest crew in England...’ ‘you are always in