Robert Louis Stevenson's novel, Treasure Island, is a fast-paced adventure tale about a boy developing into an adult and coming to terms with the presence of evil in the world. Jim Hawkins is first portrayed as a naïve and innocent child. Throughout his adventures with Long John Silver, he matures into a heroic young man. Before the pirates enter Jim's life he lives with his parents in a small secluded inn that they own and operate. Up to this point he has lived a fairly sheltered life, completely devoid of adventure or excitement.

The beginning of Jim's pirate adventure is marked by the settling of Billy Bones at the Admiral Benbow Inn. Bones is an old pirate seeking a safe place to live out the rest of his life in peace. Bones gives Jim a silver fourpenny each month...