Treasure Island — Study Guide for “The First Blow”

Themes / Big Ideas (and how they connect to the novel’s larger concerns)

Coming of age and loss of innocence: Jim’s “joy of exploration” turns to horror as he witnesses murder; this accelerates his transformation from boy to survivor, a core arc of the novel.
Loyalty vs. betrayal: Tom’s refusal to join the mutiny (and Alan’s implied loyalty) contrasts with Silver’s treachery, echoing the book’s recurring test of allegiance at sea and ashore.
Moral ambiguity and manipulation: Long John Silver’s genial talk masks ruthless violence, reinforcing the novel’s theme that appearances deceive and morality at sea is slippery.
The first open violence of the mutiny: The title’s “first blow” marks the mutineers’ shift from plotting to bloodshed, raising the stakes for all and propelling the central conflict.
Courage and conscience: Tom’s declaration to “die in my dooty” embodies a code of honor that stands against pirate expediency, a persistent moral counterweight in the story.
Authority and leadership: Silver’s quick command (signals, control over men) shows his leadership in contrast to Captain Smollett’s disciplined authority, a running tension throughout the book.
Secrecy, surveillance, and signals: Jim’s eavesdropping and Silver’s coded whistle foreground stealth and signaling—motifs that shape many critical turns in the plot.
Nature mirroring danger: Marsh-birds exploding into the air, the heat-haze, and the rattlesnake foreshadow peril and amplify suspense—Stevenson often lets landscape echo moral and physical threats.
Isolation and survival: Jim’s fear of being cut off from the Hispaniola captures the novel’s survivalist strain—resourcefulness when civilization’s protections fall away.
Greed’s corrupting pull: Silver’s oily appeals (“gold dust of you”) hint at how treasure bends loyalties and ethics, a driving force across the novel.

Vocabulary

Word	Part of Speech	Definition
undulating	adjective	Moving or shaped in a smooth, wave-like rise and fall.
outlandish	adjective	Strikingly unusual or strange; unfamiliar.
bulrushes	noun	Tall reed-like plants that grow in marshes and wetlands.
contorted	adjective	Twisted or bent out of normal shape.
craggy	adjective	Rugged and rocky in appearance.
foliage	noun	The leaves of a plant or tree collectively.
thicket	noun	A dense growth of shrubs or small trees.
live-oak	noun	A type of evergreen oak tree.
knoll	noun	A small, rounded hill.
fen	noun	Low, marshy, often waterlogged land.
anchorage	noun	A place suitable for ships to anchor.
hearkening	verb (gerund)	Listening closely or attentively.
ambush	noun	A concealed position from which to observe or attack.
aperture	noun	A small opening or gap.
dell	noun	A small, secluded, usually wooded valley.
hoarse	adjective	Harsh or rough-sounding (of the voice).
taut	adjective	Stretched tight; tense.
swabs	noun (slang)	Contemptible fellows; an insult for sailors.
languor	noun	A state of tiredness, stillness, or oppressive quiet.
crutch	noun	A support used by someone with difficulty walking.
uncouth	adjective	Crude or lacking grace; unrefined.
missile	noun	A projectile that is thrown or launched.
defenceless	adjective	Without protection or ability to resist.
modulated	adjective/verb	Adjusted or varied in tone, pitch, or intensity.
buccaneer	noun	A pirate (especially of the Caribbean in the 17th–18th centuries).
mutineers	noun	People who rebel against lawful authority, especially on a ship.
extricate	verb	To free from constraint or difficulty.
frenzy	noun	A state of wild, uncontrolled excitement or panic.

Quotes to Look For

“I now felt for the first time the joy of exploration.” — Signals Jim’s initial innocence and adventure-spirit before his perspective darkens.
“Little did I suppose that he was a deadly enemy and that the noise was the famous rattle.” — Foreshadowing and nature as warning.
“This put me in a great fear, and I crawled under cover of the nearest live-oak and squatted there, hearkening, as silent as a mouse.” — Jim’s shift into secrecy and surveillance.
“Mate, it’s because I thinks gold dust of you… it’s to save your neck that I’m a-speaking.” — Silver’s manipulative rhetoric; moral ambiguity.
“Silver… you’re old, and you’re honest, or has the name for it… If I turn agin my dooty—” — Tom appeals to conscience and reputation; the clash of honor vs. mutiny.
“The rocks of the Spy-glass re-echoed it… one horrid, long-drawn scream.” — The novel’s first clear murder shocks both Jim and the landscape.
“It’s a black conscience that can make you feared of me.” — Tom’s moral rebuke to Silver.
“Alan! Then rest his soul for a true seaman!… If I die like a dog, I’ll die in my dooty.” — Courage and steadfast duty in the face of pirate violence.
“Silver, agile as a monkey even without leg or crutch…” — Silver’s physical prowess and predatory nature, despite disability.
“I could scarce persuade myself that murder had been actually done…” — Jim’s stunned loss of innocence.
“He… blew upon it several modulated blasts…” — Pirate signaling and Silver’s command over the mutineers.
“There was nothing left for me but death by starvation or death by the hands of the mutineers.” — The stakes: isolation, survival, and fear.
“And here a fresh alarm brought me to a standstill with a thumping heart.” — Cliffhanger tension driving the narrative forward.