Study Guide — Treasure Island, Chapter: “The Last of the Blind Man”

Themes / Big Ideas

Greed’s self-destruction
- Pew’s obsession with “Flint’s fist” divides the pirates and leads to his death. Across the novel, the lure of treasure drives betrayal, violence, and downfall.
Courage and coming-of-age
- Jim acts despite fear (“curiosity… stronger than my fear”) and safeguards the oilskin packet. This chapter marks his growing initiative, a key arc of the book.
Law vs. lawlessness
- The violent raid on the Admiral Benbow contrasts with the late-arriving but legitimate authority of Mr. Dance and the revenue officers—a recurring tension between piracy and order.
Illegitimate power vs. legitimate leadership
- Pew commands through terror and is abandoned; Mr. Dance acts decisively within the law. The book contrasts coercion with rightful authority.
Fate and poetic justice
- The blind tyrant is literally trampled after terrorizing others; violent lives meet violent ends—an irony the novel often delivers.
The fragility of home
- The Admiral Benbow, a domestic space, is smashed and invaded. Throughout the book, ordinary life is upended by the world of pirates and the sea.
Chance, timing, and signals
- Whistles and pistol-shots trigger sudden reversals. Fortune and timing repeatedly shape outcomes in the larger adventure.

Word	Part of Speech	Definition
lubber	noun	A clumsy or inexperienced sailor; an inept person.
alow and aloft	adverb phrase	Everywhere on a ship, from the lowest deck (alow) to the highest (aloft); by extension, “top to bottom.”
glim	noun (slang)	A light or lantern.
doubloon	noun	A Spanish gold coin used widely in the age of sail.
Georges	noun (plural)	British coins bearing the image of King George; slang for British gold.
lugger	noun	A small sailing vessel rigged with lugsails.
cutter	noun	A small, fast, single-masted vessel; often used by customs/revenue services.
dingle	noun	A deep, narrow, usually wooded valley or hollow.
hamlet	noun	A very small village.
overhaul	verb	To examine or search thoroughly; in nautical use, to inspect.
budge	verb	To move or shift, even slightly.
skulk	noun	A person who avoids duty or skulks; a shirker/coward.
sponging	noun/gerund	Living off others; begging or freeloading.
weevil	noun	A small beetle that infests stored grain or ship’s biscuits.
corns (tread on someone’s corns)	noun (plural)	Painful foot calluses; idiom meaning to cause pain/offense or strike a tender point.
revenue officer	noun	An official who enforces customs/tax laws (here, anti-smuggling).
magistrate	noun	A civil officer who administers the law.
Flint’s fist	noun phrase	Pirates’ nickname for Captain Flint’s oilskin packet containing directions to the treasure.

“My curiosity, in a sense, was stronger than my fear…” (Jim’s developing courage/initiative)
“Down with the door!” (Pirate violence invading the domestic sphere)
“Bill’s dead.” (The stakes and mortality surrounding the treasure)
“Flint’s fist, I mean,” he cried. (Central object: the oilskin packet/map)
“It’s these people of the inn—it’s that boy. I wish I had put his eyes out!” (Threat to Jim; pirates’ cruelty)
“Scatter and find ’em! Rout the house out!” (Lawlessness vs. order)
“You have your hands on thousands, you fools… And I did it—a blind man!” (Greed, coercive leadership, pride)
“Him they had deserted… but there he remained behind, tapping up and down the road in a frenzy…” (Betrayal within the pirate crew)
“Down went Pew… and the four hoofs trampled and spurned him and passed by.” (Poetic justice; violent end)
“No, sir; not money, I think… I believe I have the thing in my breast pocket…” (Jim’s pivotal role; prudence)
“Perfectly right—a gentleman and a magistrate.” (Legitimate authority asserting itself)
“They’ve got off clean, and there’s an end.” (The slippery, ongoing threat of the pirates; chance and timing)