Treasure Island Novel Analysis

In what ways does Treasure Island revise the conventions of the adventure story?

Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island is one of the most well-known adventure stories ever written. Children and adults have long been captivated by this tale of pirates, betrayals and treasure yet the novel itself, while being one of the most prolific adventure stories in existence, revises and defies several of the main conventions of the typical adventure story. Matthew Grenby characterises the plot of the adventure story as being defined by several key features. He argues that they start with a ‘domestic crisis’ which forces the protagonist from their home. This is followed by a ‘minor adventure, during which they prove their worth’ and this then opens

Grenby also comments on how problematic the prominence of the Empire is in adventure novels, commenting that ‘the adventure novel in particular seems structurally imperialist’. Treasure Island presents the reader with an adventure story which both conforms to many of the key elements prescribed for an adventure story as well as defying many of the traditional conventions of the adventure novel. One such instance is in the characterisation of Long John Silver and the ambiguous way in which he is described. The reader is expected to view him as the villain of the novel and yet, Stevenson presents him in such a way that the reader is unable to view him simply as a villain. This subversion of the reader’s expectations is also employed when the reader considers Jim’s companions. According to the common tropes of the adventure novel these people should be reliable and should aid Jim in gaining the treasure however, this is not the case. Treasure Island also revises the conventions of the adventure story in the way that it depicts the common theme of

While most of these novels present the protagonist and the villain as being separate from one another, Treasure Island is able to blur the lines between good and bad and creates a villain who many critics would argue is actually the novel’s hero. Treasure Island also presents the imperialist narrative differently than most adventure novels. Stevenson’s decision not to include members of any other race on the island removes the racial other from the novel and forces white characters into this position which subverts the conventions of the typical adventure story. Stevenson is also able to challenge the way in which young boys are encouraged to view the Empire. While he does give weight to the common convention of proving one’s manhood, he also critiques this in the ways in which he depicts Jim’s uneasiness over the cost of finding the treasure and by presenting Silver, a pirate, as the man fit to guide Jim through his quest and help him prove himself. While Treasure Island may be one of the most popular children’s adventure novels, it is one which fails to conform to the most common conventions of the