Treasure Island Symbolism, Imagery & Allegory

The whole idea for Treasure Island started with Robert Louis Stevenson and his girlfriend's son designing an imaginary island together, so it should be no surprise that a map of Treasure Island pla...

The black spot is probably the one piece of Treasure Island pirate lore that hasn't made it into broader popular culture. It's kind of what it sounds like: a circle of paper that's black on one sid...

In Chapter 31, as the remaining pirates go in search for the treasure under Long John Silver's leadership, they find a neatly laid-out human skeleton. It's too neatly positioned to be natural, so t...

One of the most enduring images of pirates we have is that they carry parrots. Maybe it's the name: parrot, pirate; pirate, parrot. And maybe it's that parrots symbolize trips to distant climes and...

The Jolly Roger, the pirate flag with a white skull and crossbones on a black background, represents Long John Silver's authority. When Jim takes over the Hispaniola, one of his first acts is to br...