Long John Silver is a fictional character and the primary antagonist of the novel Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson. Silver is also known by the nicknames "Barbecue" and "the Sea-Cook". (which is also an alternate title for Stevenson's novel).
Long John Silver finding the skeleton of Allardyce, illustration by Georges Roux, 1885
Profile[]
In Treasure Island, Long John Silver is a pirate who was ship's quartermaster under the notorious Captain Flint. A quatermaster on a pirate ship ranked higher than any officer except the captain himself, and could veto the captain's decisions whenever the ship was not in a battle. Quatermaster was elected by the crew and one of his tasks was to lead the boarding party from the quater deck during the boarding attack. Silver claims to have served in the Royal Navy and lost his leg under "the immortal Hawke". He was said to have been the only man whom Flint ever feared. He had a parrot on his shoulder. Like many of Stevenson's characters, there is more than a modicum of duality in the character; ostensibly Silver is a hardworking and likeable seaman, and it is only as the plot unfolds that his villainous nature is gradually revealed. His relationship with Jim Hawkins, the novel's protagonist, is interesting, as he serves as a mentor and eventually father-figure to Jim, creating much shock and emotion when it is discovered that he is in charge of the mutiny, and especially when Jim must confront him and fight later on. Although willing to change sides at any time in the interests of his own survival, Silver has compensating virtues: he is wise enough to pay attention to money management, in contrast to the spendthrift ways of most pirates, and is physically courageous despite his disability; for instance, when Flint's cache is found to be empty, he coolly stands his ground against five grown men despite having only Hawkins to back him.
Historians have noted that Silver's account of his life experiences during the first half of the 18th century is at variance with the known history of the historical figures he mentions, and that Silver is either exaggerating the range and scope of his exploits for the benefit of Jim Hawkins or for potential pirates he is trying to recruit, or that his memory is faulty (See the Wikipedia entry on Treasure Island).
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; a separate cache of bar silver is apparently left on the island. (The repentant maroonee Ben Gunn is the other, but he spends it all 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."
Stevenson's portrayal of Silver has greatly influenced the modern iconography of the pirate.[1] Silver has a parrot, named Captain Flint in mockery of his former captain [citation needed], who generally perches on Silver's shoulder. Silver has lost one of his legs, and uses a crutch to help him get around. He 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.
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.[2] Stevenson's stepson, Lloyd Osbourne, described Henley as "..a great, glowing, massive-shouldered fellow with a big red beard and a crutch [Henley was crippled]; 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".[3] 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 [voice alone], was entirely taken from you".[4]
Modern portrayals[]
Actors who have portrayed Long John Silver in the various motion picture adaptations of Treasure Island include Wallace Beery, Ivo Garrani, Orson Welles, Charlton Heston, Robert Newton, Anthony Quinn, Tim Curry, Jack Palance, Brian Murray, Oleg Borisov, Boris Andreyev[1][2] and British actor Ivor Dean in a televised version of the novel. Robert Newton followed up his two Long John Silver movies with an Australian-produced TV series.
BBC1 has presented the story four times, with Tony Quinn, Bernard Miles, Peter Vaughan, and Alfred Burke respectively as Long John Silver.
Ivor Dean played the character in an acclaimed European filmisation for television in 1966. After the end of that 4-part mini-series he intended to reprise the role in another series with more adventures of Silver. He began writing an exposé with director Robert S. Baker, but his sudden death in 1974 stopped all further plannings. In 1985 this script was used as foundation for a Disney 10-part TV-series called "Return to Treasure Island" starring Brian Blessed in the role of Long John Silver.
In the 2006 film Pirates of Treasure Island, the character was portrayed by Lance Henriksen.
John Silver was also the protagonist in Björn Larsson's fictional autobiography of the character, "Long John Silver: the True and Eventful History of My Life of Liberty and Adventure As a Gentleman of Fortune and Enemy to Mankind"(ISBN 1-86046-538-2).
Silver is the main character in "Silver--My Own Tale As Told By Me With A Goodly Amount Of Murder" by Edward Chupack (ISBN-13:978-0-312-53936-8).
Long John Silver in popular culture[]
- The fast food restaurant chain Long John Silver's was named after this character.
- Jethro Tull's 1971's album titled Aqualung. Has a song called Mother Goose "...four and twenty laborers were laboring, digging up their gold, but I don't believe they knew I was Long John Silver..."
- In J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan, it is said that Captain Hook is the only man "the Sea-Cook" ever feared. It later suggests that Silver/Barbecue was killed by Pan, though Pan himself, as usual, can't remember exactly.
- Jefferson Airplane's last studio album from their original incarnation was entitled "Long John Silver" and began with a song of the same name.
- The song "Long John the Pirate" by The Neon Philharmonic is a narrative detailing Long John (presumably Silver)'s family history, his capture of Princess Matilda, retirement and death in Kingston, Jamaica defending his booty, built around a lullaby for young Jonny.
- The 2002 Disney film Treasure Planet, an animated science fiction adaptation of Treasure Island, depicts John Silver as a cyborg. At one point, Jim damages the hydraulics in Silver's leg, forcing him to go around on a crutch for the rest of the movie. Also Silver is portrayed more as a hero rather than an anti-hero and acts as a father figure to Jim. In place of a parrot, Silver has an amorphous, vaguely birdlike shape-shifting creature named Morph who, instead of mimicking voices mimics the appearance of others.
External links[]
- Long John Silver at the Internet Movie Database
- A Ballad of John Silver, by John Masefield
- Info on the Australian Long John Silver TV series [3].
Notes[]
References[]
- Elwin, Malcolm. Old gods falling , New York, The Macmillan Company, 1939. OCLC 968055
- Karg, Barbara; Spaite, Arjean. The everything pirates book : a swashbuckling history of adventure on the high seas, Avon, Mass. : Adams Media, 2007. ISBN 9781598692556
- Prince, Alison. Kenneth Grahame : an innocent in the Wild Wood, London : Allison & Busby, 1994. ISBN 9780850318296
- Stevenson, Robert Louis; Colvin, Sidney, Sir. Letters to his family and friends, New York : Charles Scribner's Sons, 1899. OCLC 9524286