Literary Critic, Josh West, addresses how the themes in children’s literature are still significant in contemporary society, however they have altered with regard to their underlying intent and meaning. Written by Robert Louis Stevenson in 1882, Treasure Island is one of the most well-known pieces of classic children’s literature to exist in our society, with it being read in many schools due to its relevance and influence on our lives. This adventure tale involves Jim (the protagonist) and many of his companions searching for a hidden treasure, and as the novel progresses, it grows into a violent quest where individuals will do anything in order to get their way to the treasure.
The novel’s portrayal of many social themes can be heavily related to that of our society. Classic children’s literature may be more popular than ever before. Its relevance and influence on our society, attitudes, and belief has not let it lose significance, making it an essential part of our lives. The themes and messages frequently discussed in these classics, have a clear link to our society today, with things like greed, social class and exploration being very noticeable in our everyday lives. However, do these themes really have the same underlying implications and meanings as they used to? Greed Then Vs Now What lengths would you go to in order to get treasure? Lying? Stealing? Maybe even killing? This is the basis of Treasure Island, with greed being one of the most fundamental and main themes represented throughout the novel. Similarly to the novel, greed and jealousy is found all throughout our society, within every human being, whether they want to show it or not. While the theme of greed is found in both the book and society, their underlying intentions completely differ from each other.
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Treasure Island bases greed purely on wanting the hidden treasure, and although fortune is a common object to be seen to trigger greed in an individual, some of the most common objects that awaken greed inside of us in Social Class Then Vs Now Another central theme displayed throughout the book is that of social class and status. Aboard their ship the Hispaniola, there is a clear social rank, like the world that we live in today. The captain is unanimously above all else, with individuals such as the doctor, squire and well-known pirates being around the top of the social class. The rest are flat characters, most commonly unnamed crewman also embarking on the adventure. The society that we currently live in also comprises a very strong social order, with an upper, middle and lower class. Even though Treasure Island and our society both display social class, they differ in a certain aspect, considering that in the novel, your social status was based on the amount of followers that you had, much like how the antagonist, Long John Silver, gained a following due to his manipulation and deceit. On the contrary, social status these days is based around wealth, and the idea of owning bigger and better things compared to other individuals.
Our society is a reflection of children’s literature, whether you may see it or not. There are numerous aspects in which can be clearly linked in both worlds. From greed and social class in Treasure Island to adventure and wonder in The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, our civilization encompasses all of the themes in which children’s literature successfully attempts to portray. Clearly, over time, these themes have evolved and mean different things to what they did in classic literature, but their overall foundations have stood the test of time. We are living in an adapted literary world.
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