Long John Silver

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Long John Silver
Treasure Island character
TI-parrot.jpg
Long John Silver and Jim Hawkins in The Hostage, illustration by N. C. Wyeth, 1911
Created by Robert Louis Stevenson
Voiced byVarious Voices
In-universe information
NicknamesChef, Silver, Barbecue, Long John, Jack, Captain
GenderMale
Occupation
Nationality

Long John Silver is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the 1883 novel Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. The most colourful and complex character in the book, he continues to appear in popular culture. His missing leg and parrot, in particular, have greatly contributed to the image of the pirate in popular culture.

Contents

Profile

Long John Silver is a cunning and opportunistic pirate who was quartermaster under the notorious Captain Flint. [1] Stevenson's portrayal of Silver has greatly influenced the modern iconography of the pirate. [2]

Long John Silver has a parrot, named Captain Flint in honor—or mockery—of his former captain, [3] who generally perches on Silver's shoulder, and is known to chatter pirate or seafaring phrases like "Pieces of Eight", and "Stand by to go about". Silver uses the parrot as another means of gaining Jim's trust, by telling the boy all manner of exciting stories about the parrot's buccaneer history. "'Now that bird', Silver would say, 'is, maybe, two hundred years old, Hawkins—they lives forever mostly, and if anybody's seen more wickedness it must be the devil himself. She's sailed with England—the great pirate Cap'n England. She's been at Madagascar, and at Malabar, and Surinam, and Providence, and Portobello... She was at the boarding of the Viceroy of the Indies out of Goa, she was, and to look at her you would think she was a baby'." [4]

Silver claims to have served in the Royal Navy and lost his leg under "the immortal Hawke". "His left leg was cut off close by the hip, and under the left shoulder, he carried a crutch, which he managed with wonderful dexterity, hopping about upon it like a bird. He was very tall and strong, with a face as big as a ham—plain and pale, but intelligent and smiling." [5]

He claims to have been the only man whom Flint ever feared. Although treacherous and willing to change sides at any time to further his own interests, Silver has compensating virtues. He is wise enough to save his money, in contrast to the spendthrift ways of most of the pirates. He is physically courageous despite his disability: for instance, when Flint's cache is found to be empty, he coolly stands his ground against five murderous seamen despite having only Jim, a boy in his teens, to back him. [6]

When Silver escapes at the end of the novel, he takes "three or four hundred guineas" of the treasure with him, thus becoming one of only two former members of Captain Flint's crew to get his hands on a portion of the recovered treasure. (The repentant maroonee Ben Gunn is the other, but he spends all £1,000 in nineteen days.) Jim's own ambivalence towards Silver is reflected in the last chapter, when he speculates that the old pirate must have settled down in comfortable retirement: "It is to be hoped so, I suppose, for his chances of comfort in another world are very small."

Silver is married to a woman of African descent, whom he trusts to manage his business affairs in his absence and to liquidate his Bristol assets when his actions make it impossible for him to go home. He confides in his fellow pirates that he and his wife plan to rendezvous after the voyage to Skeleton Island is complete and Flint's treasure is recovered, at which point Silver will retire to a life of luxury. Ironically his "share" of Flint's treasure (£420) is considerably less than that of Ben Gunn (£1,000) and what Silver boasts was his share from England (£900) and from Flint (£2,000).

According to Stevenson's letters, the idea for the character of Long John Silver was inspired by his real-life friend William Henley, a writer and editor. [7] Stevenson's stepson, Lloyd Osbourne, described Henley as "...a great, glowing, massive-shouldered fellow with a big red beard and a crutch; jovial, astoundingly clever, and with a laugh that rolled like music; he had an unimaginable fire and vitality; he swept one off one's feet". [8] In a letter to Henley after the publication of Treasure Island, Stevenson wrote: "I will now make a confession. It was the sight of your maimed strength and masterfulness that begot Long John Silver...the idea of the maimed man, ruling and dreaded by the sound, was entirely taken from you". [9]

Literature

Audio-radio

Theatre

There have been several major stage adaptations made. [24]

Film

Orson Welles as Silver in the 1972 live-action film version of Treasure Island. WellesTreasureIslanda.jpg
Orson Welles as Silver in the 1972 live-action film version of Treasure Island.
John Silver (left) is portrayed as a cyborg in Disney's Treasure Planet. JimSilverDisney.jpg
John Silver (left) is portrayed as a cyborg in Disney's Treasure Planet .

Television

Other print media

Other

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References

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  2. Karg, p. 220.
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  4. "Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson". Project Gutenberg. p. Chapter 10. Archived from the original on 27 May 2007.
  5. Stevenson (1883), p. 82
  6. "He was brave and no mistake" -- Jim Hawkins' comment at this juncture, "The Fall of a Chieftain", penultimate chapter of Treasure Island
  7. Prince, p. 78.
  8. Elwin, p. 154.
  9. Stevenson (1883), p. 316.
  10. Burgess, Edwin (1 August 1976). "The Adventures of Long John Silver (Book)". Library Journal. 102: 1678.
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  29. Animal Treasure Island (1971)
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  34. Dorison, Xavier. Long John Silver (in French). Laufray, Mathieu (Illustr.). Dargaud.[ full citation needed ] Published by Cinebook in English.
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  36. "Registry of Pseudonyms".
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  39. Pete, Joseph S. (30 May 2018). "New owners and new look coming to nine Long John Silver's restaurants in Northwest Indiana". The Times of Northwest Indiana . Archived from the original on 18 July 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2018.

Bibliography

Further reading