Today on the blog we summarize and analyze chapters 3-6 of Treasure Island. We are just leaving part one of the story and we have some action-packed scenes to contend with along with some moments of sadness and terror. This book really does run the gamut and it’s a great joy ride of emotions and experience.
Chapter 3: The Black Spot
Jim is accosted by a blind beggar named Pew. While at first seeming a little lost and out of sorts, the beggar is in fact a dangerous pirate with few scrupples. He orders Jim to give The Captain a note, which turns out to be the dreaded Black Spot–a mark of death. The Captain, attempting to flee from the Admiral Benbow inn, falls to the floor dead.
The book states: “Even as he did so, he reeled, put his hand to his throat, stood swaying for a moment, and then, with a peculiar sound, fell from his whole height face foremost to the floor” (Stevenson).
Jim cries, not because he cared about The Captain, but because death seemed to fester the air around him, from his father’s peril to The Captain’s untimely demise.
Chapter 4: The Sea Chest
Jim tells his mother, and though she is alarmed, she is more interested in collecting the money owed to her by The Captain. Jim, in searching The Captain, finds a few small coins, a thimble, thread and needles, other assortments, and then a key tied around his neck.
In The Captain’s chest, they find his money and a bundle tied up in oilcloth. At that, they run from the inn after hearing the patter of feet and the tapping of the blind beggar’s cane, a sign that they are on their way to eliminate The Captain.
Chapter 5
In chapter 5, tension and danger escalate, as Jim and his mother hide behind a bush and observe the arrival of a group of hostile individuals led by the blind beggar, Pew. The blind man directs his followers to break into the Admiral Benbow. The atmosphere is charged with suspense as Pew, driven by eagerness and rage, commands his men, leading to a break-in.
Pew’s frustration erupts into violence, with him striking at his own men. The situation takes a dramatic turn when the sound of horses galloping and a pistol-shot ring through the air. The buccaneers scatter in panic, leaving Pew behind. In a tragic twist, Pew, in his frenzied attempt to escape, meets a fatal end under the hooves of oncoming horses. The arrival of riders, including revenue officers and a lad from the hamlet, saves Jim and his mother.
Chapter 6: The Captain’s Papers
In this segment, after Jim arrives at Dr. Livesey’s house, he finds the place dark, so he and Mr. Dance head to the hall, where they are welcomed into a grand library with Dr. Livesey and the squire by a bright fire. The squire, described as a tall and rough-looking man, commends Mr. Dance for chasing away the buccaneers and suggests offering ale to the supervisor. The doctor proposes keeping the protagonist, Jim Hawkins, at his house overnight.
Dr. Livesey examines the oilskin packet, revealing a book and a sealed paper. The book, believed to be the account-book of a notorious buccaneer, contains entries indicating the loot obtained from various plundered places. The doctor and the squire decipher the code, uncovering the villain’s nefarious exploits. The sealed paper, when opened, reveals a map of an island with details about the location of buried treasure.
The squire excitedly plans an expedition to retrieve the treasure, intending to set sail in three weeks. Dr. Livesey, cautioning against secrecy due to potential dangers, suggests secrecy until they reach the sea.
Analysis
In these chapters we really meet the dangers of life as a pirate, and life during Jim Hawkins day. The Captain, who dies, is an unscrupulous man. An alcoholic, rude, ingrate who is more trouble than he is worth. Jim’s mom, worried about their inn, cares little about the man’s death, but wants what is owed to her. Moreso, Pew and his men are mean and ruthless, hurting Jim and then attempting to kill The Captain and perhaps even Jim and his mother to get what they want. The story also escalates into more violence as Pew is trampled to death under the hooves of a horse.
Stevenson spares little in this narrative, and it’s what makes it truly engaging and frightening. Jim is a great protagonist, naive to the horrors of the world, and the villains are truly villainous, filled with bloodlust and mania. We get to see all of these aspects in this story and in these chapters. Later, we will see more of this kind of action and violence, which inspires the action of the story in a variety of ways; additionally, we get to see how this type of adventure changes Jim from a tavern boy to a stalwart sea adventurer.
Works Cited
Stevenson, Robert Louis. “Treasure Island.” Project Gutenberg, http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/120.
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