I bought the children version of Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson a few months ago to gift it to my sister. The mere title and the illustration of a boy holding a telescope out in search for treasure Island was interesting enough for the relishing of a curious mind. But the book didn't get attention of its kind owner due to various reasons. Thus, this time before setting out for a 2-hour long journey, I wished to fulfill its desire to be made known of itself, picked it for a reading with a child's state of mind, thinking: there's got to be stupefying surprises on the turn of every page, horrible paths the boy'd have tread on, heroic battles he may have fought, the journeys would have been hectic, demanding two priceless qualities, faith and patience. Then i thought, if I can learn about the latter two priceless human qualities by any way, whether through contemplation, narration or story-telling, or in a philosophical discourse, I'm ready to do it. It is because I've chosen to follow one particular sunnah (way of life) of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) and that is patience, which according to Ali Hajvery, 'is a strange thing'.
There was, however, more in this story than the exemplary show of faith and patience by those characters who were honest and just, it was the wild ideas and dauntlessways of doing things by the central character that boy named Jim Hawkins. Had it not for his being aggressively wild and crazy (a more appropriate designation), his team would not have been saved. This is not a fantasy fiction book. There have been crazy people in my family as well, or in any family. People who have a contempt for being settled, an idea too remote for sedentary people, but if us the sedentary people can think of the delight of dispelling faith in the means of this world, and putting our trust in One God, by leaving everything in His hands and set out for destinations that may not exist - if they can taste the flavour of that liberty that doesn't lie in 'doing' and satisfying the temptations of soul, they surely would induce a desire to be free, the same desire that boy had.
Image source
(This is the map of the notorious treasure island.)
Image source
1 did criticisms:
Treasure Island was the first EVER English Classics I read. I read it again a few years later because I hadn't been able to understand the language exactly then although I certainly followed the story. Both times, however, I quite missed this perspective...
Post a Comment