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Definition of Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing is a literary device in which authors hint at plot developments that don't actually occur until later in the story. Foreshadowing can be achieved directly or indirectly, by making... read full definition
Foreshadowing is a literary device in which authors hint at plot developments that don't actually occur until later in the story. Foreshadowing can be achieved... read full definition
Foreshadowing is a literary device in which authors hint at plot developments that don't actually occur until later in the... read full definition
Chapter 1. The Old Sea Dog at the “Admiral Benbow”
Explanation and Analysis—Dead Man's Chest:
In Chapter 1, Jim recalls a pirate's tune, which he first hears from Billy Bones, the drunk and frightening "captain":
Fifteen men on the dead man’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!
These lines are repeated multiple times by various pirates throughout Treasure Island. The shanty Billy sings encapsulates the typical life of a pirate—one of constant drinking, lawlessness, and rowdy, reckless behavior. Most of the pirates Jim encounters, including Billy, are addicted to rum. This is evoked in the repetition of the lines "Yo-ho-ho, and bottle of rum." The only adult men who don't partake are the Squire, the Doctor, and Long John Silver. As a result, they have a greater presence of mind that allows them to outsmart the pirates and survive. Billy's shanty is also a clue; the dead man's chest refers to Billy's sea chest and Captain Flint's buried treasure.
The song is repeated eight times in Treasure Island, most notably in Chapter 32 before Silver, Jim, and the remaining crew discover the treasure. In a moment of tension, they hear "a thin, high, trembling voice" ring out in the air and sing, "Fifteen men on the dead man's chest / Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!" Believing it's the ghost of Captain Flint, the pirates panic. Only Silver remains calm enough to react with logic, and he eventually convinces the men to continue their hunt for treasure.
Explanation and Analysis—The One-Legged Sailor:
Early in Chapter 1, Jim Hawkins uses vivid imagery to describe the frightening nightmares he has of a "seafaring man with one leg," whom Billy Bones has warned him about:
How that personage haunted my dreams […] On stormy nights, when the wind shook the four corners of the house, and the surf roared along the cove and up the cliffs, I would see him in a thousand forms, and with a thousand diabolical expressions. Now the leg would be cut off at the knee, now at the hip; now he was a monstrous kind of creature […] to see him leap and run and pursue me over the hedge and ditch was the worst of my nightmares.
Jim immediately likens the one-legged man's presence to a ghost or some equally terrifying presence. Jim imagines seeing him in a terrible storm and uses a hyperbole that emphasizes the pirate's elusive and enigmatic nature, suggesting that he sees a "thousand" versions of him. Like a sudden thunderstorm, the man arrives suddenly, bringing destruction and chaos. The man also has the ability to transform into "a thousand diabolical expressions," which foreshadows and accurately describes his manipulative nature. When Jim first encounters Long John Silver in Bristol, he thinks of him as kind and trustworthy. However, much to Jim's surprise, Silver turns out to be the very man he was warned about. Silver, manipulative and dangerous, thinks of himself first, and constantly relies on a combination of charm, wits, and pragmatism to survive.
Related Themes:
Chapter 3. The Black Spot
Explanation and Analysis—Billy's Black Spot:
An important instance of foreshadowing occurs in Chapter 3, when Jim Hawkins asks Billy Bones the meaning of "the black spot":
But what is the black spot, Captain? I asked.
That's a summons, mate. I'll tell you if they get that. But you keep your weather-eye open, Jim, and I'll share with you equals, upon my honour.
Billy responds that the spot means the recipient has been summoned by pirates. In the subsequent chapter, the blind pirate Pew delivers the black spot to Billy. Billy then drops dead out of surprise. When Jim finds Billy's body in Chapter 4, he learns the true meaning of the black spot. It is not only a summons, but also a death threat:
I went down on my knees at once. On the floor close to [Billy Bones’s] hand there was a little round of paper, blackened on the one side. I could not doubt that this was the black spot; and taking it up, I found written on the other side, in a very good, clear hand, this short message: You have till ten to-night.
The black spot represents death and misfortune for those who receive it. It is also an important form of communication for the pirates. When Long John Silver receives the black spot from the other pirates on the island, Jim learns that the Black Spot is also a way for them to establish consensus and express discontent. Operating outside the norms and laws of society, the pirates must rely on their own, unique forms of communication in order to maintain order.
Chapter 4. The Sea-Chest
Explanation and Analysis—Billy's Black Spot:
An important instance of foreshadowing occurs in Chapter 3, when Jim Hawkins asks Billy Bones the meaning of "the black spot":
But what is the black spot, Captain? I asked.
That's a summons, mate. I'll tell you if they get that. But you keep your weather-eye open, Jim, and I'll share with you equals, upon my honour.
Billy responds that the spot means the recipient has been summoned by pirates. In the subsequent chapter, the blind pirate Pew delivers the black spot to Billy. Billy then drops dead out of surprise. When Jim finds Billy's body in Chapter 4, he learns the true meaning of the black spot. It is not only a summons, but also a death threat:
I went down on my knees at once. On the floor close to [Billy Bones’s] hand there was a little round of paper, blackened on the one side. I could not doubt that this was the black spot; and taking it up, I found written on the other side, in a very good, clear hand, this short message: You have till ten to-night.
The black spot represents death and misfortune for those who receive it. It is also an important form of communication for the pirates. When Long John Silver receives the black spot from the other pirates on the island, Jim learns that the Black Spot is also a way for them to establish consensus and express discontent. Operating outside the norms and laws of society, the pirates must rely on their own, unique forms of communication in order to maintain order.
Chapter 9. Powder and Arms
Explanation and Analysis—The Captain's Distrust:
In Chapter 9, Jim Hawkins, Squire Trelawney, and Doctor Livesey meet Captain Smollet, who the Squire hires to head the Hispaniola. Smollet, scrupulous and strict, complains to them about the ship's conditions:
Well, sir, said the captain, better speak plain, I believe, even at the risk of offense. I don’t like this cruise; I don’t like the men; and I don’t like my officer. That’s short and sweet.
Tellingly, Captain Smollett expresses apprehension about the voyage and specifically about the presence of certain hired men. The Captain's distrust offers a hint to the reader that all is not what it seems. Aware of their intent to search for buried treasure, the Captain tells the Squire that he fears mutiny. This is an instance of foreshadowing that allows the reader to anticipate and perhaps even predict the turn of events that follows. As the Captain rightfully suspects, the crew members are up to no good. In Chapter 11, Jim overhears the sea-cook, Long John Silver, speaking with another hired hand about a plan to overtake the ship and find the buried treasure for themselves. Jim is shocked that Silver is as ruthless as the pirates he encounters at the Admiral Benbow: Billy Bones, Black Dog, and Pew. Yet Silver's independence and spiritedness sets an example for Jim. Although he is far from an ideal father figure, Silver inspires Jim to make decisions for himself. Emboldened, he uses his smarts to find the buried treasure and survive.
Related Themes:
Chapter 10. The Voyage
Explanation and Analysis—News in the Apple Barrel:
Jim decides to get an apple from the apple barrel at the end of Chapter 10. This seemingly mundane act results in an important turn of events. Jim accidentally overhears a conversation between Long John Silver and two other crewmen. In the following chapter, the novel reveals that Silver and some of the crew are planning a mutiny. Instead of presenting this dramatic event in straightforward terms, the novel uses foreshadowing.
Jim hints at (but does not reveal) the apple barrel's significance when he first introduces it to the reader:
But good did come of the apple barrel, as you shall hear; for if it had not been for that, we should have had no note of warning, and might all have perished by the hand of treachery.
At this point in the narrative, the reader is unaware why the apple barrel is important. But in suggesting its importance, the novel keeps the reader interested and curious about its meaning. The suspense continues as Jim continues to describes his experience in the apple barrel in detail:
I was just about to jump when the man began to speak. It was Silver’s voice, and, before I had heard a dozen words, I would not have shown myself for all the world, but lay there, trembling and listening, in the extreme fear and curiosity; for from these dozen words I understood that the lives of all the honest men aboard depended upon me alone.
Notably, Jim describes Silver's voice and his own intense reaction but not the substance of Silver or the men's speech. What Jim hears is saved for the subsequent chapter, which begins with Silver's words. This withholding of information keeps readers invested in the story, eager to read on and find out what happens next.
Related Themes:
Chapter 13. How My Shore Adventure Began
Explanation and Analysis—A Poisonous Brightness:
In Chapter 13, the narrative's visual imagery foreshadow the mutiny that occurs once the Hispaniola arrives at Treasure Island:
The foliage round that part of the shore had a kind of poisonous brightness.
Jim uses the phrase "poisonous brightness" to describe the vegetation on the island. The phrase brings to mind leaves that are so bright they look somehow unnatural and—moreover—dangerous. The implication here is that something so bright and beautiful is too good to be true, ultimately hiding its own potential to do harm.
By introducing the island in this way, Stevenson foreshadows the dangers of obsessing over things (like treasure) that seem good but actually have the power to become destructive and "poisonous" to the soul. Indeed, the pirates seeking out the bounty on Treasure Island only focus on the idea of shiny gold and great riches, and they don't consider the possibility that searching for the treasure will incite tumultuous drama that leads to terrible violence (though, to be fair, they are pirates, so it's possible that such violence seems rather run-of-the-mill to them). Nonetheless, the vivid phrase "poisonous brightness" hints at the danger and chaos that will eventually play out on Treasure Island, alerting readers to the fact that Jim is headed toward trouble.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Hating the Island:
Chapter 13 opens with the crew's first morning on the island. Jim describes the surrounding landscape using visual imagery:
Grey-coloured woods covered a large part of the surface. This even tint was indeed broken up by streaks of yellow sandbreak in the lower lands, and by many tall trees of the pine family, out-topping the others—some singly, some in clumps; but the general coloring was uniform and sad. The hills ran up clear above the vegetation in spires of naked rock.
In this passage, the novel pays particular attention to what Jim sees, especially the quality of color and light on the island. Treasure Island looks drab, lifeless, and generally unwelcoming, far from the lush landscape one usually associates with Caribbean islands.
Moments later, Jim thinks to himself:
My heart sank, as the saying is, into my boots; and from that first look onward, I hated the very thought of Treasure Island.
Instead of feeling excited upon his arrival, Jim feels apprehensive. He uses the saying "my heart sank" to describes his disappointment. In this moment Stevenson uses a metaphor; Jim's heart is not literally falling out of his chest and into his shoes, but his unhappiness is so strong that it feels like a physical force. Stevenson uses this figurative language to make the intensity of Jim's emotions more relatable to the reader. The chagrin Jim feels also hints at the danger and violence that befalls him and the other men once they arrive on Treasure Island—an example of foreshadowing.
