Treasure Island

Literary Terms and Definitions

Foreshadowing- the use of hints or clues in a story to suggest what action is to come. Foreshadowing is frequently used to create interest and build suspense. Example: Two small and seemingly inconsequential car accidents predict and hint at the upcoming, important wreck in The Great Gatsby.

Idiom- a phrase or expression that means something different from what the words actually say. Examples: “We’ll play it by ear” or “Go fly a kite.”

Inference- the act of drawing a conclusion that is not actually stated by the author. Example: In The Pigman, John and Lorraine are writing a “memorial epic” about Mr. Pignati. Therefore, the reader may logically assume that Mr. Pignati dies in the book.

Legend- a story that is only partly true (or completely false) about a real or fictional character. Legends usually include exaggerations and unusual events or circumstances. Example: Paul Bunyan changes the course of the Pecos River.

Metaphor- a comparison of two things that are basically dissimilar in which one is described in terms of the other. Example: The moon, a haunting lantern, shone through the clouds.

Narrator- the one who tells the story. The narrator must not be confused with “author,” the one who writes the story. If the narrator is a character in the book, the proper term is “first-person narration.” Example: Moby Dick is narrated by Ishmael, a crewmember. If the narrator is not a character in the book, the correct term is “third-person narration.” Example: Sense and Sensibility.

Protagonist- the central or main character in a story around whom the plot centers. Examples: Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter; David Copperfield in David Copperfield.

Simile- a comparison between two different things using either like or as. Examples: I am as hungry as a horse. The huge trees broke like twigs during the hurricane.

Stereotyping‑ the act of putting people into groups based on race, religion, nationality, physical appearance, social class, or some other easily identifiable characteristic. Example: In The Last of the Mohicans, Magua and Uncas are the stereotypical ideals of evil and good Indians, respectively.

Learn your terms

Sparknotes for Treasure Island

Here is a list of characters you should know from the book along with the page numbers (from the recommended Barnes & Noble Classics edition) on which they first appear:

Jim Hawkins (p. 11)

Squire Trelawney (pp. 11, 44)

Dr. Livesey (pp. 11, 16)

The captain (AKA Billy Bones) (p. 12)

Black Dog (p. 18)

Pew, the blind beggar (pp. 28, 38)

Tom Redruth (p. 48)

Joyce (p. 48)

Hunter (p. 48)

Blandly (p. 52)

Long John Silver (p. 53)

Arrow (p. 53)

Captain Smollett (p. 64)

Job Anderson (p. 70)

Israel Hands (p. 71)

Abraham Gray (p. 115)

Ben Gunn (p. 102)

O’Brien (p. 170)

Tom Morgan (p. 193)

George Merry (p. 200)

Allardyce (p. 217)