Treasure Island
Chapter 3 — Teaching Companion
Robert Louis Stevenson · Trailblazers 4th–6th
Coaching, not a script — and not an answer key: every question here has more than one defensible answer.
This chapter's big question
Why does Jim, who says he never liked the captain, burst into tears the moment the man is dead?
The tension All chapter long Jim judges the captain harshly: he refuses the bribe, gives one glass and no more, fears the man may "make an end of me", and is shocked to hear him singing in a house of mourning. Yet the same chapter shows the captain pleading, wandering into a country love-song, cowed by a blind beggar, and finally falling face foremost to the floor; and Jim, who cannot explain it himself, weeps. The chapter sets Jim's judgment of the man against his feeling for him, and asks where that feeling came from.
Today's focus
Notice the two sides of the captain in this chapter: the bold talker and the failing, frightened man.
Two core ideas
- The captain's boasting and his weakness sit side by side: bold words in a weak voice, and a bare cutlass laid on the table by a man who holds on to the walls to get about.
- Jim sees the captain at his worst and at his most helpless. How he feels about him is for the student to weigh from the chapter.
The shape at a glance
At noon the captain, weak and begging for rum, tells Jim that old Flint's crew are after his sea-chest and asks him to ride for the doctor and the magistrates if the black spot comes. That evening Jim's father dies. After the funeral a blind stranger forces Jim to lead him to the captain and puts something into his hand. The captain cries out about six hours, then falls dead.
A way in
Start with the captain's boasting from his bed. Ask who he is trying to convince.
Lesson plan
Retell The student tells the chapter back in order: the plea for rum, the captain's orders, the father's death, the captain's weak days, the blind man and the captain's fall.
Imitate the author After copying the passage, the student writes three sentences in the same pattern: someone looks up, one sentence says what the face shows, then one sentence says what the body cannot do.
Debate Take sides: by the end of this chapter, is the captain more to be feared or more to be pitied? Each side uses at least one quote from the chapter.
Purpose Close by asking why Stevenson shows the captain's weakness before the blind man arrives.
Easier Read the bedroom scene aloud together and talk through discussion questions 1 and 2 only.
On level Talk through all five discussion questions, then have the student write one critical-thinking answer with two pieces of evidence.
Harder Ask the student to compare the captain in the bedroom with the captain in the parlour, and add it to a critical-thinking answer.
Discussion
- The captain talks boldly about tricking his enemies, yet Jim says his words “contrasted sadly with the weakness of the voice.” Is the captain fooling Jim, himself, or neither?Tone
What it asks It asks the student to read the gap between what the captain says and the state he is in.
One reading
He is talking himself into courage he does not feel.
I'm not afraid on 'em.
That doctor's done me, he murmured. My ears is singing. Lay me back.
Another reading
The spirit is real and only his body has failed him.
I never wasted good money of mine, nor lost it neither; and I'll trick 'em again.
he had risen from bed with great difficulty
Listen for
- Uses both what he says and what his body does.
- Says who the boasting is for.
If stuck
- What does the captain say he will do about his enemies?
- What happens when he tries to get up?
- Does a man who is sure of himself need to say he is not afraid?
A strong answer The captain says he is “not afraid on em” and will “trick em again,” but a moment later he murmurs that the doctor has “done” him and asks to be laid back. One reading is that he is reassuring himself; another is that his will is real and only his body gives out. A strong answer names who the boasting is for and does not claim to know what the captain truly feels.
- The captain calls the doctor “that eternal doctor swab,” yet tells Jim to ride to him if the trouble comes. What does that tell us about the captain?Inference
What it asks It asks what a man's need does to his pride, and how much control he keeps while he asks for help.
One reading
Fear has beaten his pride: he will turn to the man he curses.
well, yes, I will!
I'm a poor old hulk on a lee shore
Another reading
He is still managing Jim: he sets the terms, and he pays in promises.
you won't peach unless they get the black spot on me
I'll share with you equals, upon my honour
Listen for
- Notices the break in his speech, where he changes his mind.
- Says what he wants from Jim, not only what he thinks of the doctor.
If stuck
- What does the captain say about the doctor a few lines earlier?
- When does he tell Jim to go to the doctor?
- What does he offer Jim in return?
A strong answer The captain curses “Doctors is all swabs,” yet he breaks off, says “well, yes, I will!” and sends Jim to “that eternal doctor swab.” One reading is that fear has overruled pride. Another is that he still has a plan: Jim must not go unless the black spot comes, and he promises to “share with you equals.” A strong answer weighs both and says what the captain gains from each.
- After Jim's father dies the captain grows weaker, yet draws his cutlass on the table when he is drunk. Is he more dangerous now, or less?Character
What it asks It asks the student to weigh a failing body against a worsening temper.
One reading
More dangerous: his temper is worse, and a drunk man with a bare blade is unpredictable.
He had an alarming way now when he was drunk of drawing his cutlass and laying it bare before him on the table.
his temper was more flighty, and allowing for his bodily weakness, more violent than ever
Another reading
Less dangerous: he can hardly walk and his mind is elsewhere.
holding on to the walls as he went for support and breathing hard and fast like a man on a steep mountain
he minded people less and seemed shut up in his own thoughts and rather wandering
Listen for
- Uses the two sides, weakness and temper, instead of one.
- Says what makes a person dangerous: strength, temper, or fear in others.
If stuck
- What does Jim say about the captain's strength?
- What does he do with his cutlass when drunk?
- Does the household treat him as weak or as dangerous?
A strong answer He is weaker: he climbs the stairs holding on to the walls, breathing “like a man on a steep mountain.” But his temper is “more violent than ever” and the cutlass laid bare on the table frightens the house, where “no one dared to cross him.” A strong answer says which matters more, strength or temper, and what the household's fear shows.
- Once the captain pipes up “a kind of country love-song” from his youth. Why might Stevenson put that small moment in?Author's choice
What it asks It asks what a single detail does in a chapter that is mostly about fear and illness.
One reading
It shows a younger, gentler man behind the tyrant, and the song is a small glimpse of his past.
a kind of country love-song that he must have learned in his youth before he had begun to follow the sea
Another reading
It shows his mind drifting as he weakens, part of the picture of his decline.
he minded people less and seemed shut up in his own thoughts and rather wandering
to our extreme wonder, he piped up to a different air
Listen for
- Compares the love-song with the sea-song he usually sings.
- Talks about what the detail does to the reader, not only what it says.
If stuck
- What does he usually sing?
- How do the people in the house react?
- What does Jim say about where he learned the song?
A strong answer The love-song is a surprise in a man whose usual song is an “ugly old sea-song,” and Jim says it must be from his youth, before he went to sea. It may hint at a gentler man he once was, or it may be one more sign that his mind is “rather wandering.” A strong answer says what the moment does to the reader's view of the captain and does not claim to know what he feels.
- Jim warns the blind man that the captain “sits with a drawn cutlass.” Is that kindness toward someone who is hurting him, or a way of avoiding going in?Moral reasoning
What it asks It asks the student to judge a frightened boy's motive when he says one thing and might mean another.
One reading
It is kindness: Jim says plainly that he is thinking of the man's safety.
Sir, said I, it is for yourself I mean.
The captain is not what he used to be. He sits with a drawn cutlass.
Another reading
It is self-protection: Jim does not want to go in and is looking for a reason.
Sir, said I, upon my word I dare not.
And he gave it, as he spoke, a wrench that made me cry out.
Listen for
- Keeps apart what Jim says and what he might want.
- Notices the order: he says he dares not first, and warns later.
If stuck
- What does Jim say when the blind man first tells him to take him in?
- What does the blind man do after that?
- Does the warning stop the blind man?
A strong answer Jim first says “upon my word I dare not,” and only after the blind man wrenches his arm does he say “it is for yourself I mean.” That could be real concern for a stranger or an attempt to get out of going in. The warning does not stop the blind man, who answers “Come, now, march.” A strong answer weighs both motives and accepts that a person may have more than one.
Critical thinking
- The captain pleads, reminds Jim of past kindness, threatens, and offers a guinea for rum. Using two pieces of evidence, which appeal comes closest to working on Jim?
What it asks It asks the student to pick out the captain's moves and judge which one reaches Jim.
One reading
The doctor's own words: Jim is reassured when they are quoted back to him.
Your doctor hisself said one glass wouldn't hurt me.
I was reassured by the doctor's words, now quoted to me
Another reading
The plea for pity: a weak, shaking man who says he is deserted by all.
I'm pretty low, and deserted by all
Look, Jim, how my fingers fidges
Listen for
- Names the appeal and the evidence that it worked.
- Notices that the bribe fails.
If stuck
- What does Jim say about the offer of money?
- What does Jim say when the captain quotes the doctor?
- What does Jim finally agree to bring?
A strong answer The captain tries many appeals: “I'm pretty low, and deserted by all,” a reminder of his fourpenny pieces, threats that Jim's “blood'll be on you,” and a golden guinea. Jim is “offended by the offer of a bribe,” so money fails. What Jim admits is that he is “reassured by the doctor's words, now quoted to me,” and that matches the captain's line “Your doctor hisself said one glass wouldn't hurt me.” The pitiful look may help, but the chapter does not say so. A strong answer picks one and gives two pieces of evidence.
- The captain looks into his palm and cries, “Six hours. We'll do them yet.” Using two pieces of evidence, is he hopeful, beaten, or both?
What it asks It asks the student to read a man's last words against what his body does next.
One reading
He is hopeful and defiant: he names a plan and leaps up.
We'll do them yet, and he sprang to his feet.
Ten o'clock! he cried. Six hours.
Another reading
He is already beaten: he was sick before the cry and falls as he says it.
The expression of his face was not so much of terror as of mortal sickness.
he reeled, put his hand to his throat, stood swaying for a moment
Listen for
- Uses what he says and what his body does.
- Notices the cry comes just before the fall.
If stuck
- What does he do right after he speaks?
- How does Jim describe his face when the blind man arrives?
- What happens while he is still on his feet?
A strong answer The cry sounds hopeful: he names the hours left, says “we'll do them yet,” and springs to his feet. But Jim had already seen a “mortal sickness” in his face, and he “reeled” and fell almost as he spoke. A strong answer says which shows more, the words or the body, and leaves room for both.
- Jim says the blind man's voice “cowed me more than the pain.” Using two pieces of evidence, explain what makes this stranger so frightening.
What it asks It asks the student to find what the blind man does, in voice and in action, that overpowers a boy.
One reading
It is his manner: soft, then cold and cruel, and always in command.
I never heard a voice so cruel, and cold, and ugly as that blind man's.
the horrible, soft-spoken, eyeless creature
Another reading
It is his grip: he hurts Jim and threatens to do worse.
gripped it in a moment like a vise
Take me in straight or I'll break your arm.
Listen for
- Two different pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- Says why Jim obeys.
If stuck
- How does the blind man first speak to Jim?
- What does he do with Jim's hand and arm?
- What does Jim say happens to his fear of the captain?
A strong answer The blind man is frightening in two ways that work together. His voice is “cruel, and cold, and ugly,” though he begins soft-spoken and polite. And his grip is “like a vise,” with a wrench that makes Jim cry out and a threat to break his arm. Jim says he was so terrified that he forgot his terror of the captain. A strong answer names two pieces of evidence and says how they combine to make Jim obey.