It's All Part of Growing Up

Rachel Beiermeister
A Block Mr. BG
March 3, 2010
Treasure Island Essay

It’s All Part of Growing Up

In Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, the young and naïve Jim Hawkins is the first-person narrator of almost the entire novel. He is related to the innkeepers of a small place near Bristol, England, as their twelve to thirteen year old son. Jim goes through many complete transitions throughout the book, and at times often can alter readers’ opinions and thoughts of him. He can often be spontaneous and hasty, yet he fully demonstrates escalating compassion, sensitivity, and wisdom.
Jim is evidently the central character in this story, mainly because of the manner he takes into his own hands to be the mastermind and instigator of its most significant plot twists. As events open out through the story, the way Jim’s character transforms dramatically is a big eye-opener. He shows increasing courage and cleverness, as well as maturity, development, and perception. His last words of his house before he left for the Hispaniola with the pirates were: “I said good-bye to Mother and the cove where I had lived since I was born, and the dear old Admiral Benbow-since he was repainted, no longer quite so dear. One of my last thoughts was of the captain, who had so often strode along the beach with his cocked hat, his sabre-cut cheek, and his old brass telescope. Next moment we had turned the corner and my home was out of sight.” (Ch 7)
Before any of this rapid transforming takes place, Jim is first seen in the book as an innocent boy who seems to easily be intimidated. From the beginning when he meets Billy Bones, it seems that Jim is too afraid to back down from his yearning for rum. He allows him to treat his sickly father and hard-working mother, as well as himself, very poorly. As the doctor (Livesy) had said to him, “I have only one thing to say to you, sir … if you keep on drinking rum, the world will soon be quit of a very dirty scoundrel!” (Ch 3) This is a boy who started off as a small youngster who was terrified to stand up for himself to a murderous, brutal, vicious pirate-loving gentleman within an extremely short period.
There are a few dominant people and situations that were a big part of altering his self. A big part of his translation is the Hispaniola, where he had to take on the responsibility and actions of a real pirate, hunting for real treasure. He gains a level of strength and the ability to adapt to his surroundings.
A large part of his development was his acquaintance with his soon to be role model and good friend, Long John Silver. The relationship the two of them have is very close, because not only does he serve as a mentor; he is also seen as a fatherly figure later on in the story. He describes him as he sees him: “His left leg was cut off close by the hip, and under the left shoulder he carried a crutch, which he managed with wonderful dexterity, hopping about upon it like a bird. He was very tall and strong, with a face as big as a ham-plain and pale, but intelligent and smiling.” (Pg 56) There is a pretty intense turning point in the story, when Long John Silvers actions create much confusion and hardship for Jim, and it changes his mind about the way he saw him.
People in general change a lot, its part of the natural cycle. Without it, there wouldn’t be anything to try and accomplish, things would always stay the same. We need to grow up and mature, which leads us to the real world where jobs and families come in. Boy changes to man, girl to woman. Change depends on how we set our actions. If we don’t want to listen to the wise as teenagers and children growing up, we don’t get the opportunity to sprout and grow up to face the world in adulthood. If we were to stay at the same maturity level as say eight year olds, when we’re older how would we pull through all the struggles that come upon us? This relates to Jim because he went through all of these changes, and overcame many things including fear, intimidation, and anxiety.
I would say the biggest altering Jim went through was seeing his role model, his best friend, commit murder on Treasure Island to another man using a knife. Life definitely consists of hardships and rough times, but most people don’t expect it to go to this extent. I think Jim knew it was going to be different then his regular life, just a small innkeeper’s son, and although he could barely tolerate it, the situation he put himself into still turned into a wild adventure of chants and killings and overthrowing, secrets, and lies, as well as betrayal and taunting. “But with Silver the blow passed almost instantly. Every thought of his soul had been set full-stretch, like a racer, on that money; well, he was brought up, in a single second, dead; and he kept his head, found his temper, and changed his plan before the others had had time to realize the disappointment. ‘Jim,’ he whispered, ‘take that, and stand by for trouble.’ And he passed me a double-barrelled pistol.” (Ch 33)
Jim also gained knowledge of the life of a pirate. He figured out how life is as one, and how to adapt to his new surroundings. Another key part of being on the island was learning how to keep his self alive. He also learns for himself never to go out again and be a part of those pirates, as he said himself in the book. His decisions are more seriously thought about then what he used to believe in. He was used to the easy going, quiet nature surrounding him, when Jim got pulled into a life of madness. He figured out that being observant is a key in life of the events that surround him, as well as the people who he becomes associated with.
Jim was fortunate enough to always be in the right place at the right time. His decisions were at times bad, but more often then not they saved his life, as well as the life of his companions. He changed from adolescent to adult in such a short period of time. Though he was already used to relying on no one, he still grew more independent by the time he ended at Treasure Island.
His actions throughout the book tell us readers many things about him. When he attempts to warn Billy Bones about Black Dogs arrival, it shows that no matter how obnoxious or rude Billy Bones was to Jim, especially when he was chugging all that rum to the point where he got sick, Jim still had his back. When he makes his very foolish decision to leave the boat that he was supposed to stay on, it shows that he is courageous to take on the risk of what was going on inside that island to happen to him. Throughout all this time he never really brags about his heroism and his tasks that he’s overcome. He went from a young, early teenage boy, to someone who’s actually killing others.
Jim’s actions at times leave us thinking he is almost predictable and not very unanticipated. What happens in the book is sort of expected in a way, because it all goes with what’s going on. His development is shown in an obvious manner, but the novel keeps you interested at all times, whether or not there is expectancy. Jim clearly shows us a different way of growing up than what we’re used to, but with so much crazy stuff going on at once, its something to be anticipated.

Crazy Trip

It was a gorgeous day outside. The sky was clear of any puffy, white clouds, and the sun was shining radiantly upon the land. There was an extremely crowded area surrounding the cruise ship where they were letting people off. Great, how am I supposed to find this guy in all this ruckus? I wandered around for a bit, looking like a lost child searching for their parent. Once I saw the skinny figure of a man with nothing but a robe upon his back and some worn down sandals, I knew it had to be the guy, Siddhartha. The satchel hanging over his shoulder looked very heavy and uncomfortable. “Hey, Siddhartha!?” I yelled in his direction. He turned around and smiled, walking towards me. He looked calm, yet nervous and anxious. I put my hand out for a friendly handshake, and he accepted it.
“You ready to head to the house and get our ‘jump’ on?” I asked. “What are you talking about…” he put down his satchel and pulled the other clothes out. They were horrendous. “No one told you? I’m going to show you the wild side of life, the one you probably haven’t experienced yet. We’re going sky diving over the raging Rocky Mountains!” His face got pretty pale, but I think he was too scared to really speak out about not wanting to go. I gave him a pair of sweatpants, figuring jeans would be too uncomfortable for a man who’s used to walking around in a little dainty robe, and a tee shirt. “Alright,” he said, grabbing the clothing from my hands, “let’s do this”.
While boarding the plane, we saw the other eight people who would be joining us for the day. A sudden burst of heavy perfume hit our faces as we walked in, and we both smiled at each other. “That smells like the ladies did at the casino!” He whispered to me. I could only imagine what Siddhartha was thinking. Probably something similar to how could this place get any worse? I didn’t feel bad; I knew this would be the experience of his life.
We could hear the chatter of the other people, consisting of two kids, their parents, (which included the lady with the crazy perfume) and four college students that were just doing it for fun. The young children, having absolutely no fear of anything like this yet, couldn’t have been any more excited. Their mother was basically freaking out, muttering complaints to her husband the whole time. The plane started going up, and boy, was it a rush. We hitched on our parachutes, and got in line at the door. The sight of the world below us was incredible, something I’d never forget. “Alright guys, ready?” “Bring it on!” I turned around and surprisingly, Siddhartha was the one to say that! I smiled big, and in a split second I was out the door, flying down over these gorgeous mountains.
The air was pounding against my face, and the adrenaline rush was incredible. I looked over and saw a man’s silhouette dashing by; it was Siddhartha! He gave me a thumbs up and smiled, his face looking like it was about to peel away and fly off. The Rockies were breathtaking from such a height. The ground came closer, and we pulled the parachutes. My feet jerked under me, and we both landed softly upon a sandy lakeside beach. Exhausted, we went into the cabin hotel, and slept soundly for the night.
The next morning, we both woke up to more sun and warmth. We feasted on some scrumptious breakfast foods, and packed up a few things for lunch in a handy lunchbox. “I can’t wait for some meditation! After our journey yesterday, I have so much to look back on and think about.” He told me. I was happy to have an experience that could relate to his life, and to hear his thoughts on yesterday’s adventure. This guy’s pretty cool. Even though I’m not too sure how to do this meditating thing, I’m definitely willing to try. We sat down on the warm sand, and sunk right into it. He thought about how different it was compared to meditating with Buddha. “Okay, now cross your legs, close your eyes, and relax your entire body. Think about nothing but simply breathing and let thoughts come to you.” He instructed. I have a feeling I’ll be sitting here for a while, might as well get comfortable. I did what Siddhartha told me to do, and felt lost in a world of peace and quiet. It was awesome! Hearing the tiny waves of the lake clash against the sand, the sun beaming upon our skin, it was incredible.
After about an hour and a half of being in such a serene state, Siddhartha tapped me on the shoulder, and I awoke. “Wow, now I see why you like doing this.” I told him. He smiled, and we both got our lunchboxes out and started snacking on the food. What a great day it was.
At the end of the day, it was time for Siddhartha to go back home. We started walking over to the ship. I thought about a lot of things during that walk, and came to a conclusion that Siddhartha clearly enjoyed himself for the most part. In the end, I think he would much rather choose to meditate in a calm area. That’s what he’s used to, is comfortable with, and likes. Skydiving of course gave him a taste of what the wild side is like, although he had once experienced that with the trip to the casinos. I think that one adrenaline rush was enough for him, he seemed very satisfied. I’m sure he will end up doing more courageous things now that he built up the confidence, and I’m sure we will meet again.
He gave me a tight hug, and started walking for the ship. Surprisingly, I was a little sad to see him go, but happy that I made it a good trip for him. He got on the ship, and ran over to the edge to wave at me until I couldn’t see him anymore. I turned around, and with a smile on my face, started walking home.

Christopher and Taylors Reunion at the Hamburger Shop

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, using Christopher
The Bean Trees, using Taylor
Setting- At the Train Station in Swindon, where Christopher lives, then at the Hamburger shop, still where Christopher lives


Rachel Beiermeister
Mr. B-G, A Block
September 8th, 2009
Summer Reading Essay

Around the area of Swindon , Wiltshire, lives a young fifteen-year-old boy, who has a complicated life to live with autism spectrum. His name is Christopher Boone, from The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon. Christopher lives with his father, Ed Boone, on a little street in town. After weeks of investigation as to who killed Wellington, a neighbor’s pet poodle, Christopher learns that his father had been the one to stick the fork in the dogs’ body, which was extremely concerning and uncomfortable for him, what if Dad wants to go after his own son next?.
Scared to live in his own house, Christopher attempts to make the gigantic move to London , where his mother is staying. (Christopher had just found out that his mother didn’t really die of a heart attack as his father had told him, but that the parents split up when he was just a toddler) Finding his way to a train station was the hardest part for him, but he made it easier by making the map into a spiral and going around and around until he found it.
Once inside, Christopher gets his tickets from a rather rude lady using his fathers’ stolen credit card. Sitting down on a bench, he gets pretty anxious and begins to groan a lot to block out the outside noise from other people. Thankfully he took Toby, his pet rat inside his coat pocket. He felt even better when he saw a policeman walking towards him, because police wouldn’t let anything bad happen.
“Anyone at home?” he questions Christopher. He still didn’t quite understand, so he stared blankly. “He said anyone home?” A younger lady said. “Taylor?” Ah, yes, it was Taylor, whom you may recognize from The Bean Trees, by Barbara Kingsolver. She had known Christopher through his father, Ed, when she used to live in their neighborhood. “Taylor! So happy to see you here!” Christopher shouted with glee. “What’s up Chris, how’s your father?” “Let’s not get into that.” He replied. “Well, wanna go get some food? You look hungry.” They went to the nearest hamburger place, which reminded Taylor (who at first was Marietta/Missy) of when Turtle, “her baby”, was given to her from a random woman.
“So, how’s Turtle?” Christopher asked shyly. “Alright, she learned her first word, 'bean', but I’m getting worried and anxious to find her real parents; I even tried going back to the town I received her in- Cherokee nation, Oklahoma .” “Oh jeeze, well if she needs a friend, I have Toby my pet rat here with me.” “Thanks, Chris.” She replied.
They continued on with their conversation of catching up on each others lives, with little conflict when Christopher had heard too much and had to put his hands over his ears and groan. Other than that, Christopher also learned about Taylor’s new friends, Mattie and Esperanza who commited a suicidal attempt, and Estevan, who indeed, she told Chris, she thinks she may be falling in love with, "but that’s a whole ’nother story.” She also learned a few things too, like what was going on with finding all the letters under his fathers bed, and learning about his mother.
They were both very happy to had seen each other, and get a recap on what’s going on in their lives. After a long farewell, the two parted, and Taylor left for Arizona , hopefully without the 2 blown-out tires again. Christopher continued on to London , where he ended up happily living with his mother, passing and getting a's on his upper-level maths that he wanted to be in from the start, and with a new pet dog from his father after the horrible passing of Toby.