David Collits reviews a very 'Good Book'

“Fifteen men on the dead men’s chest –

Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!

Drink and the devil had done for the rest –

Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!”

“Pieces of eight! Pieces of eight!”

These lines count among the most famous written in the history of English literature.  They, and the name Long John Silver, are evocative of scenes far away and significantly more exotic than the humdrum of daily life.  Although perhaps not surprising in this culturally impoverished age, it is nevertheless an indictment that I, at an age of almost 24, had not read Treasure Island until this summer.

As inspiration, I can thank Dr Stephen McInerney who, in New Springtime’s Summer Reading Edition, December 2007, suggested that instead of attempting to read the “Great Books”, works by giants such as Homer, Virgil, Dante and Shakespeare, this summer we, young Catholics seeking direction in what to read and how to build up intellectual culture in Australia, read the “Good Books”.  McInerney was, in this, himself inspired by John Senior’s impassioned books, The Death of Christian Culture (“Death”) and The Restoration of Christian Culture (“Restoration”).  In Death, Senior suggests a list of 1000 Good Books that individuals read to foment a genuine Christian intellectual development.  Senior’s experience as a literature academic in the United States was that when he attempted to open to students the experience of the Great Books that fill the Western cultural pantheon, the students could not fully appreciate their full significance, depth and implications.  The reasons for this sad state of affairs are that people educated today (conceived broadly - Death was published in 1979) have not had the exposure to the sensible world of nature, its charm and wonder, or at least not to the degree desirable .  It may be added, secondly, that we have not had great exposure to the Good Books, which capture the charm and wonder at the adventure of nature and life generally.

Taken together, the effect of these deprivations are stultified imaginations (think of daytime TV, computer and electronic games – one, after doing these activities, somehow feels over stimulated and yet deadened; in Restoration Senior has a wonderful passage (that ought seriously be considered) in which he suggests the smashing of a television set and removal of all electronic items in the home to allow Christian love to seep once more into Christian households), as well as a reduced capacity to read and comprehend the Great Books, let alone appreciate their full significance.

The suggested solution to this malaise is, therefore, not to jump straight into Homer or Shakespeare (which, experience tells me, is often a futile task), but to start reading Good Books.  The Good Books’ relative simplicity in plot and language, childlike innocence, fundamental Christian outlook, and basic enchantment and wonder at creation (G. K. Chesterton in Orthodoxy recalls his childlike wonder at the absolute wondrous character of nature and the fact of Creation’s existence), may awaken our otherwise dormant imaginations.  In doing so, it is perhaps hoped that we may find greater connection with God’s creation and thus become closer to God Himself by becoming more humble and awestruck at His work.  Exposure to the Good Books will also give us greater capacity to absorb the lessons of the Great Books.  This will make us all the more capable of transmitting the wisdom contained in the Great Books to our children and enable there to be the beginning of a genuine ‘Restoration of Christian Culture’.

Turning back, then, to Treasure Island! (Which, although McInerney did not explicitly suggest reading, Senior writes should be read between the ages of 7 –12).  For those who have not read it, or have not for some time, a brief synopsis of the plot may be in order.  This adventure novel is written from the perspective of a boy, Jim Hawkins, whose parents run a pub located in on the coast of England.  Into this quiet environment comes the unappetising rum-drinking Captain Billy Bones, singing his famous song and dragging his sea-chest behind him.  Searching for him, however, is the cold, cruel and blind Captain Pew, whose frightening tapping of his stick marks him.  These, and several other men, had been colleagues in the grisly business of piracy.  The authorities not having caught them, these pirates had managed to build up a large collection of loot, buried somewhere on Treasure Island.  Pew seeks out Bones in the hope of acquiring the location to the treasure, kept secret by Bones.  Bones, suffering a stroke upon being visited by Pew, later dies. Pew, having spoken to Bones, leaves and later returns.  Upon returning he finds, much to his chagrin, that Hawkins and his recently widowed mother had raided Bones’ chest, obtaining the secret of its contents.  After this, Hawkins, Dr Livesey, the local doctor and Mr Trelawney, the local squire, conceive of a plan to seek out the treasure and divide the spoils amongst themselves.  Acquiring a new ship and crew, the Hispaniola, and the help of Captain Smollet and Long John Silver, the ship’s cook, they set off.  Not known, however, is that Long John Silver is set to lead a mutiny against the ship’s overlords in the attempt of gaining the treasure for himself and his followers.

What follows is a story of daring, adventure, treachery, mutiny, cunning, deception, courage and loyalty.  These adjectives give an insight into why Treasure Island is such a Good Book.  Being a children’s book, it is easy to read.  It does not contain the more ponderous passages that say Crime and Punishment and Anna Karenina have, necessary though they may be in those novels.  It is incredibly fast-paced - one moment the reader is being introduced to Hawkins and his parents, the next he is embarking on an exotic adventure to the foreboding and far-flung Treasure Island.  The characters are, given the relative brevity of the book, well drawn.

These observations, however, ought not be seen as revealing Treasure Island to be a mere children’s book, enjoyable because easy, “escapist” and adventurous.  It is these, but more.  Its language is incredibly sophisticated for a children’s book.  The author takes us effortlessly through the plot he created.  It is an outdoor tale; what better way can there be to take us away from overly-sanitised world than to describe a voyage across the seas to a remote island?!

Apart from its excitement it, like great literature generally, says something about human nature and, in particular, the struggle between good and evil. This is perhaps an element, probably fundamental, in explaining the work’s appeal - its confidence in describing, and drawing conclusions about, right and wrong behaviour.  In the context of Treasure Island, particularly evident are the values of patriotism, courage, duty and loyalty.  The “goodies” are the men loyal to Livesey and Trelawney, and the “baddies” are those that follow Long John Silver and his mutinous designs.  Judgments are made about these individuals’ and groups’ respective behaviour and goals.  The Union Jack is honoured by the goodies and planted on the island as a sign that God and Country, and loyalty to the values they represent, still hold sway in their hearts and distinguish them from the duplicitous mutineers.  Hawkins, in his attempts to salvage respite for his crew, abandons them to the danger of attack by the mutineers.  In doing so, he tells us how his conscience sorely smote him.  Above all, Treasure Island is set against a backdrop of Christian (although presumably Anglican) assumptions and values.  The Bible is mentioned several times. A seeming allusion is made to the rich man mentioned in St Luke’s Gospel, who did not feed Lazarus begging outside his gate and is destined to spend eternity in Hell.  There is even a great scene in which Hawkins exhorts the crooked Israel Hands to pray for God’s mercy:

“ ‘Well,’ said I, ‘I’ll cut you some tobacco; but if I was you and thought myself so badly, I would go to my prayers, like a Christian man.’‘

Why?’ said he. “Now you tell me why.’‘

Why?’ I cried. ‘You were asking me just now about the dead.  You’ve broken your trust; you’ve lived in sin and lies and blood; there’s a man you killed lying at your feet this moment; and you ask me why!  For God’s mercy, Mr Hands, that’s why.’”

In a time when pirates are glorified as being democratic, egalitarian and worthy of respect (cf. Villains of all Nations : Atlantic pirates in the golden age by Marcus Rediker), that we can still read these moral discernments is refreshing.

Despite these confident moral judgments, however, it should be noted that Treasure Island does not collapse into empty moralism, in which the events and people are placed into easy black and white categories.  Hawkins condemns himself for abandoning his comrades.  The chief villain, Long John Silver, fools everyone with his smooth exterior, and oscillates between magnanimity and unadulterated greed.  An important figure of the book, the marooned Benjamin Gunn, is redeemed.  And let’s not forget that the adventurers’ basic aim is the acquisition of wealth unlawfully built up by pirates.  This is hardly a worthy Christian cause!

Treasure Island is thus a worthy inclusion in Senior’s list of Good Books and ought to be read by young and old alike.