A Comparative Study of the Main Characters' Successful Grips of Their
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Appendix I The Biography Robert Louis (originally Lewis) Balfour Stevenson was born in Edinburgh on 13 November 1850. His father was a lighthouse engineer with a comfortable income. Louis was a delicate child, was frequently ill and had to stay indoors. At the age of seventeen, Stevenson entered the University of Edinburgh to become a lighthouse engineer like his father. Stevenson was never interested in this, did not finish the course, took up the study of law, and did manage somehow to take up the degree of law. Stevenson's health never strong at any time became especially bad around 1837. His doctor then ordered him to go to milder climate in Europe. During his travels in Europe, he wrote some essays, mainly about literary topics in various periodicals. Stevenson was spending his time in France when he met a married woman, Fanny Osborne who was ten years his senior and spent much time with her. Two years later, Fanny returned to America and apparently, she was not very happy there. Knowing this, Stevenson decided to join Fanny to California. Then in 1880, they married soon after Fanny divorced. In 1881, in order to amuse his stepson, Stevenson commenced Treasure Island and it became one of the best books of Stevenson. The following years, in 1884, Stevenson wrote which soon became an immediate success when it was published in 1886. Also in the same year, due to Stevenson's fascination in Scottish history, he decided to write an adventure book with Scottish history's element, titled Kidnapped. It also was proved to be his great success. Soon after that, Stevenson decided to move to America. In America, Stevenson died in December 1894. Still, Stevenson had left a great literary works, such as Prince Otto, and finally the unfinished novel Weir of Hermiston. (Source: Robert Louis Stevenson: Kidnapped, Donald Hannah) Appendix II Treasure Island Jim Hawkins was a six years old boy, the son of an inn’s owner “Admiral Benbow Inn”, on the west coast of England, sometime in the eighteenth century. To the inn come firstly rough old buccaneer, named Billy Bones, who has a map of Captain Flint’s treasure, and secondly a group of pirates under the command of ominous blind man Pew try to seize the map from Billy Bones. When Billy Bones died, Jim Hawkins in an act of bravery and cunning gets hold of the map before this rabid mob gets it. He delivers the map to Squire Trelawney, and Dr Livesey. Together they set off for an island in the Squire’s schooner. The rest of the crew, apart from Dr Livesey (a friend of the squire), is a company collected by Long John SiIver. The Iatter and his men try to mutiny and get hold of the treasure themselves. In order to prevent Long John Silver and his crew to get the treasure, Jim and his friends have to fight the buccaneers and defend their lives in abandon island allied with a small numberof followers. In the island, they have to face bloodshed and the cruelty of Long John Silver. However, with the help of Ben Gunn, the sailor who has been abandoned in the island for many years, Jim is able to defeat Long John Silver and get the treasure. Long John Silver proclaims that he feels remorse for being such a wicked person and promises that he will be a different person. However, after he steals some gold, he vanishes and never to be seen again. Jim and his friends finally get the treasure and divide it among themselves and return home safely. Kidnapped David Balfour whose father dies leaving his son with nothing to live on and only tells him of his relatives, uncle Ebenezer. Therefore, David goes to live with his uncle Ebenezer. Unfortunately, Ebenezer is a cruel and miserable individual. As a result of the illegality of his acquisition of the Balfour estate he instigates a series of malicious maneuvers against David. Firstly he attempts to have the boy killed, but since he fails, he then has him kidnapped. So David finds himself on a ship to the Carolinas. There he meets Alan Breck who happens to be a Jacobite. Enthralled by the amount of gold that Alan Breck carries, the buccaneers temp to kill Alan Breck and get the gold for themselves. Fortunately, David hears about this plan and aids Alan Breck against the buccanners. As fate would have it, the ship is wrecked on the rocksat Mull. David Balfour then casts away and separate from Alan Breck. David then has to travel a long way and experiences new things on his to meet Alan Breck When he finally meets Alan Breck, he was accused of being the murderer’s accomplice of Collin Campbell, the ‘Red FOX’ of Glenure in Scotland. Together, with Alan Breck, David continues their journey across the Highlands and tries to meet David’s lawyer to settle his inheritance. When he is finally able to meet his lawyer, David and Alan Breck set a trap for uncle Ebenezer to make him commit his attempt to kill David and has him kidnapped. This trap is proved to be a success and David gets his inheritance and becomes a rich man. .