Question

Character Sketch Of Long John Silver

Answer 1

Long John Silver

Long John SilverCHARACTERS LONG JOHN SILVER

Long John SilverCHARACTERS LONG JOHN SILVERLong John Silver is a very complex and self-contradictory character. He is cunning and mendacious, hiding his true intentions from Squire Trelawney while posing as the ship’s genial cook. He is very disloyal, shifting sides so frequently that we cannot be sure of his true affiliations. He is greedy and has an almost animal nature, caring little about human relations, as we see in his cold-blooded murder of Tom Redruth. Nonetheless, Silver is without question the most vital and charismatic character in the novel. Though lacking a leg, he moves swiftly and powerfully across unsteady decks and spryly hoists himself over fences. His physical defect actually showcases his strength of character, revealing with every step his ability to overcome obstacles. Likewise, Silver’s mental resolve is impressive: he is the only one of the pirates not to be spooked by Ben’s imitation of the dead Flint’s voice. He remains rational in the face of his men’s collective superstitions, driving them forward to the treasure site. Silver’s “two-hundred-year-old” parrot, which screeches dead men’s words, gives the pirate an almost satanic aura. He has obvious leadership abilities, as he is able to maintain control of his ragged and surly band of mutineers to the very end of their search, through heavy losses and suspicions of treachery.