Treasure Island Book Review Essay

A classic novel is one that can stand the test of time, and be enjoyable to readers for many generations. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson is a prime example of such a novel. Treasure Island is the story of Jim, a boy who possesses an old chest that contains a map to a buried treasure. A mysterious man who dies suddenly has left the chest to Jim. Once the map is revealed, Jim faces many challenges from many others who are desperately searching for the secrets contained in the map. Jim has many adventures as he attempts to seek out the treasure. There are many aspects of a novel that contribute to its classic status. Treasure Island has many of these aspects, including beautiful imagery, vivid descriptions, an intriguing plot, and a …show more content…
This description shows an ominous portrayal of Treasure Island and foreshadows future misfortunes in the island’s story. It is evident that Jim’s current attitude contrasts heavily with his excitement earlier in the book when he says, “I hated the very thought of Treasure Island”. The author gives another vivid description toward the end of the book, when Jim arrives at the cave where Ben Gunn was keeping the treasure.
“And thereupon we all entered the cave. It was a large, airy place, with a little spring and a pool of clear water, overhung with ferns. The floor was sand. Before a big fire lay Captain Smollett; and in a far corner, only duskily flickered over by the blaze, I beheld great heaps of coin and quadrilaterals built of bars of gold. That was Flint’s treasure that we had come so far to seek and that had cost already the lives of seventeen men from the Hispaniola”