Treasure Island · Chapter
And Last explained
The crew finishes transporting the treasure to the Hispaniola, abandons the three surviving mutineers on the island despite their pleas, and sets sail.
What happens
The crew finishes transporting the treasure to the Hispaniola, abandons the three surviving mutineers on the island despite their pleas, and sets sail. After a stop in Spanish America where Long John Silver escapes with a sack of coins, the party returns to England. The chapter concludes with a brief epilogue detailing the fates of the survivors and Jim's lasting nightmares of the island.
Themes in this chapter
Greed and Morality
The treasure is divided among the survivors, but Silver's theft of a sack of coins and Ben Gunn's rapid squandering of his share highlight the corrupting influence of wealth.
Loyalty and Betrayal
Silver's escape after being trusted on board, and Ben Gunn's complicity, underscore the theme of shifting loyalties.
Courage and Cowardice
The crew's decision to abandon the mutineers rather than risk another conflict reflects a pragmatic, if not cowardly, choice.
Characters to notice
- Jim Hawkins
Narrates the final chapter, helps sort the treasure, and reflects on his nightmares of the island.
- Doctor Livesey
Leaves tobacco for the marooned pirates and argues with Silver about offering medical aid to the sick mutineers.
- Long John Silver
Remains on board during the treasure transport, escapes in a shore boat with a sack of coins, and is never heard from again.
- Ben Gunn
Gleeful at abandoning the pirates, later confesses to helping Silver escape, and ends up as a lodge keeper in England.
- Abraham Gray
Approves of leaving the mutineers, later becomes a mate and part owner of a ship, marries, and has a family.
- Captain Smollett
Lies on a mattress giving orders during the voyage home, and is now retired from the sea.
Key passages
“We left a good stock of powder and shot, the bulk of the salt goat, a few medicines and some other necessaries, tools, clothing, a spare sail, a fathom or two of rope, and, by the particular desire of the doctor, a handsome present of tobacco.”
They abandoned the pirates with ample supplies, including a special gift of tobacco requested by the doctor.
Describes the provisions left for the marooned mutineers.
“The sea-cook had not gone empty-handed. He had cut through a bulkhead unobserved, and had removed one of the sacks of coin, worth, perhaps, three or four hundred guineas, to help him on his further wanderings.”
Silver stole a sack of coins worth several hundred guineas before escaping in a boat.
Reveals Silver's final act of theft before disappearing from Jim's life.
“Oxen and wain-ropes would not bring me back again to that accursed island, and the worst dreams that ever I have are when I hear the surf booming about its coasts, or start upright in bed, with the sharp voice of Captain Flint still ringing in my ears: 'Pieces of eight! pieces of eight!'”
Jim declares that nothing could ever make him return to Treasure Island, and he is haunted by nightmares of the parrot's cry.
Jim's final reflection on the lasting psychological impact of his adventure.