Treasure Island Code

Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson, is a story about a young boy, Jim, who goes on an adventure to an island in search of a treasure. Along the way, he meets several different people who all practice different codes of conduct. Jim is greatly influenced by all of these people and their different forms of conduct and life. Throughout all his adventures, Jim grows up a great deal due to the many codes of conduct he experiences in his daily life. Although not all the codes he experiences are the best, Jim gains an experience so that he too could form his own code of conduct on his own, someday. One of the codes of conduct Jim experiences is that of the pirates. In the story, Captain Long John Silver is a wonderful example of piracy and …show more content…
The pirates kept their own code of conduct that was far different from the one of the colonists or the Europeans. Pirates found it lawful to steal, lie, and plunder villages and the trading ships that sailed across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Some pirates found it lawful to do so because they were hungry and living in poverty. They would steal food and other riches which they would justify as providing for their families. Other pirates pillaged and plundered as revenge to the British or to avenging someone. Most pirates had a bit of honor in them. Although they were thieves, pirates kept still honored each other and, above all, their captain. In Treasure Island, when the two men come to the ship, they say “Cap’n Silver, sir, to come on board and make terms.” As is plainly shown in this quote, the pirates were not always completely ruthless and bloodthirsty. They could easily make terms by which both ships could abide by. Many captains even set a code of conduct for their crew such as: every man shall have one full share in all the prizes or if any man shall offer to run away, or keep any