Stevenson’s novel is about a young boy’s quest where Stevenson allows his boy to roam the world as an adventurer. This boy’s name is Jim who is around thirteen years of age and is a quiet and obedient boy of an inn owner. Jim’s character changes starting from a shy and an innocent frightened boy to a dramatic increase in his cleverness, courage, maturity and perspective. In the beginning he is an easily frightened boy who runs to his mother for protection whenever he is scared. After his father’s death Jim starts to think about himself. He makes a lot of mistakes but overcome and learn from them which shows us that he is moving on to maturity. He starts up his journey as a cabin boy than becomes the captain of the ship after taking it back from the pirates. Even though we see that he is very courageous but his impatience as an individual shows us that he is still a young boy. His tendency to act on his sudden fanciful ideas and growing self-awareness also shows us that he is lost between boyhood and adulthood therefore in the treasure map is central to the plot which is symbolic of a male control, white patriarchal imperialist control, aligning masculinity with conquest. In order to prove his masculinity Jim becomes savage like himself sometimes therefore suggesting brutal expectations of both colonialism and constructed masculine gender identity. He is not arrogant …show more content…
But Laurie is not interested in business, he wants to become either a composer or just run away and have adventurous traveling. Though these are just his wishes he too like other teenagers compromises with his grandfather’s wish and agrees to go to a college.
“I ought to be satisfied to please grandfather, and I do try, but it’s working against the grain, you see, and comes hard. He wants me to be an Indian merchant, as he was, and I’d rather be shot; I hate tea, and silk, and spices… Going to college ought to satisfy him, for I give him four years he ought to let me off from business; but he’s set, and I’ve got to do just as he did, unless I break away and please myself, as my father did.’(P.141-142, Alcott, Louisa