Forward to Treasure Island
by Emily Reed
I distinctly remember the musky scent that greeted my nostrils as I pried open Treasure Island
for the first time. The spine was falling apart and most of the yellow pages were dog-eared or
ripped. Its vintage charm intrigued me, as I was always a sucker for antiques.
Right away, I was plunged into the sea and became a member of the ship's crew on the
Hispaniola alongside Jim, the story's narrator and protagonist. I identified with Jim's simple
no-nonsense narration that wasn't filled with lengthy monologues about his emotional state. Jim
went straight into the action and didn't leave me a second to catch my breath.
After I finished the book, I wanted to go on my own swashbuckling pirate adventure. So, I made
a treasure map out of heavy card stock and blotted the paper with tea bags to give it the
appearance of old parchment. The smeared ink lead to a fabled land where my treasure chest was
buried.
When I was older, I stopped drawing maps to find gold because I realized the real treasure was
the book in my hands. During the second read through, I noticed his distinctly dense writing
style. The way he increased word specificity to cut down on filler appealed to me. I applied his
strategy to my own writing and saw immediate improvement.
Aside from the writing style, I appreciated the the blurred lines between the heroes and villains.
The real world isn't as cut and dry as Harry Potter makes it out to be. There are few purely evil
Voldemorts and there are no pure heroes such as Harry Potter.
This showed that while Treasure Island, as a whole, doesn't have a remarkably deep meaning, it
still had a lesson to learn. Later, Stevenson decides to write his most famous novel, The Strange
Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, which is full of his philosophic musings amidst the poetic
prose and the horrifying truth of split personalities.
Despite Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde's impressive emotional depth, I still find Treasure Island to be
Stevenson's masterpiece. It has the ability to effortlessly captivate all ages and is filled with
clever nuances that take multiple reads to catch. It's a truly timely classic because no matter how
many times you reach into this treasure chest, you'll always pull out a different jewel.
for the first time. The spine was falling apart and most of the yellow pages were dog-eared or
ripped. Its vintage charm intrigued me, as I was always a sucker for antiques.
Right away, I was plunged into the sea and became a member of the ship's crew on the
Hispaniola alongside Jim, the story's narrator and protagonist. I identified with Jim's simple
no-nonsense narration that wasn't filled with lengthy monologues about his emotional state. Jim
went straight into the action and didn't leave me a second to catch my breath.
After I finished the book, I wanted to go on my own swashbuckling pirate adventure. So, I made
a treasure map out of heavy card stock and blotted the paper with tea bags to give it the
appearance of old parchment. The smeared ink lead to a fabled land where my treasure chest was
buried.
When I was older, I stopped drawing maps to find gold because I realized the real treasure was
the book in my hands. During the second read through, I noticed his distinctly dense writing
style. The way he increased word specificity to cut down on filler appealed to me. I applied his
strategy to my own writing and saw immediate improvement.
Aside from the writing style, I appreciated the the blurred lines between the heroes and villains.
The real world isn't as cut and dry as Harry Potter makes it out to be. There are few purely evil
Voldemorts and there are no pure heroes such as Harry Potter.
This showed that while Treasure Island, as a whole, doesn't have a remarkably deep meaning, it
still had a lesson to learn. Later, Stevenson decides to write his most famous novel, The Strange
Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, which is full of his philosophic musings amidst the poetic
prose and the horrifying truth of split personalities.
Despite Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde's impressive emotional depth, I still find Treasure Island to be
Stevenson's masterpiece. It has the ability to effortlessly captivate all ages and is filled with
clever nuances that take multiple reads to catch. It's a truly timely classic because no matter how
many times you reach into this treasure chest, you'll always pull out a different jewel.