A Father & Son Divided: Long John Silver & Jim Hawkins' Great Blow-Out Argument - Treasure Planet the Most Underrated Disney Movie Ever Made by Dan

Reunion on Flint’s Trove

John Silver is known to be one of the best fathers in Disney history, having cleaned Jim up and given him the confidence to grow into a young man. But that doesn’t mean Silver didn’t have his own bumps and scrapes. He made grave mistakes, ones that would hurt both him and Jim.

After revealing his colours as a pirate, Jim rebelled hard, and was angry, as he seemed to have a string of disappointing father figures. It didn’t take Silver long to realise Jim overheard Silver admitting his loyalties. And yet, Silver could not kill Jim, and wasn’t interested in letting him die.

He turned Jim around after a number of years of Sarah failing to help her son, who had a number of issues. And yet, just the betrayal would eat away at Silver, with him trying to give a strong front. Silver bonded with Jim, cleaned him up, and when you work with a child that much, there’s a bond that builds, and as they got to know each other, learning that Jim wanted a father, and was lonely because of it, and Jim learning that Silver sacrificed a lot for his dream.

When Jim, Amelia and Doppler escape and try to take the map with them, Morph plays around and hides the map, imitating it, with Jim unimpressed, and Silver unaware that Morph left the map on the ship. So the pirate initiates a parley to negotiate for the map. Jim is pleased because it meant that Silver didn’t have it, and it gave him some leverage over the deal.

Silver tries to initiate a more casual discussion to break the ice and establish some rapport, but Jim isn’t having any of it. The shadow over Jim’s eyes is back, and he isn’t interested in small talk. Glaring at Silver, the pirate realises he needs a different approach, so he tries rationalising his actions to make him seem more sympathetic to Jim, gaslighting into convincing Jim that if he didn’t act that way, Jim would be killed. Mother Gothel may be good at gaslighting, and it may be her default setting, but Silver’s far better at it, and far more charming. And yet, there was some truth to Silver’s reasoning, as both would be killed by the crew if they found out, particularly Scroop, who seemed to want any excuse to try to mutiny, and would have gladly done so. This makes Silver’s attempt far more convincing.

Then he tries to appeal to Jim’s greed, as Jim has pretty much stated that he wanted the treasure, without outright saying it. He tries to bribe Jim with the treasure, so they could have 50/50 of the treasure, cutting out everyone else out of the deal. But the question lies here… Would he have genuinely followed through? We’ve seen his pirate loyalties, but he couldn’t stand the thought of shooting Jim. And what of the treasure? Silver has a very greedy side to him, and spent decades searching for the treasure. This is an inner conflict that one can ask for years which he would have chosen, between Jim and the pirates. We know he is charming. He would be able to convince many other clever Disney characters to do as he wishes, and yet, Jim is not convinced.

For a moment, Jim gives the impression to Silver that he’s falling for it, but Jim’s unconvinced, and dismisses the potential deal. As he lectures Silver about the pep talks that helped Jim grow, Jim walks around Silver’s back, and when Jim brings up the “light coming off his sails”, Silver’s face falls, and he realises that Jim is throwing all that in his face, and the boy calls out Silver as a liar, which causes Silver to get defensive and it gets him flustered. This rightfully wounds the pirate, and Jim shows him what right from wrong means, and Silver is told how hurt Jim is by the betrayal, and how he’s channeling it into his anger.

Jim then stokes Silver’s temper, when he tells the older man that Jim won’t share any of the treasure with him, which would mean that Silver lost both the son he loved, and the treasure he sought for so many years. Silver his hurt and he realises how important Jim is to him, and at that moment, he gets more upset by Jim’s disowning of him, than the map and treasure. So they have a very heated argument over the treasure, both claiming it as theirs. Silver uses his aggressive nature that he used to keep the pirate crew in line, and when Jim shouts that he won’t get his map “by thunder!”

And when he recovers from the shock of Jim talking back to him, he comments on how Jim doesn’t know how to pick his fights, referring back to when Jim sassed Scroop earlier in the movie, which Jim stubbornly doesn’t reply, but gives a dark look. A kid with Daddy issues that has been betrayed by a father figure that he thought cared for him isn’t going to take such actions very well. We have seen that Silver has one hell of a temper, and it’s the first time he directs it at Jim, then says something that he might end up regretting.

A Man Divided

He threatens the ship cannons on them, in a fit of anger, then trying to use his girth to intimidate Jim, who doesn’t flinch, but instead moves in closer, to return Silver’s glare. This is an act that men do when they are heated and ready to throw down, and it is an act of dominance.

Not all men are accustomed to eye contact, as it’s something intimate, be it romantic, aggressive, or just wandering in the streets. When I look at something, I tend to focus on the other person’s forehead. The saying “the eyes are the window to the soul” is something very true with men and boys. In that challenge of dominance, the first one to look away tends to show a certain amount of fear, deference or doubt, which is what Silver does. He looks away from Jim, when the boy challenges him yet again.

Silver’s conflict is in his subconscious, but currently, he is in a state of violent anger, showing that he can be dangerous, and the threat of the cannons is something that would display a conflict, as he gave a threat, and he shouted it. If he doesn’t go through with it, then he’ll be seen as weak in the eyes of the pirates. But he doesn’t want to hurt Jim. He then takes his anger out on Morph, and is unable to look Jim in the eye as he turns around to return to the pirate camp, Jim continuously glaring at him, with hate in the young man’s eyes.

But the pirate is stumbling away. Jim leaves several minutes after Silver heads out, and doesn't look back. Silver on the other hand, turns to look back. He looks sad and hurt, and yet, most of him doesn’t blame Jim. He wishes that Jim would go with him, as a part of him was probably genuine in betraying the pirates, but Jim stubbornly insisted that he wasn’t going to compromise, that he made a decision, and that there were no “backsies”, something he learned from Silver.

Silver made bad decisions, as Jim reminded him what it means to be human and care for other people. But it took Silver some time to find the courage to choose his own path. Him saying that the pirates would have killed them both, holds some truth in what Silver said, and he is aware of it. He held the pirates at bay by sheer intimidation and threats, and he learned that it won’t work on Jim.

Sarah Hawkins failed Jim due to situations outside of her control, and she was so busy that she couldn’t tend to what Jim needed as she needed to put food on the table. But Silver failed Jim due to him being scared and his greed. Scared of his crew, as he is on the verge of having his leadership questioned. Why else would he leave Scroop behind? He couldn’t have someone try to mutiny, and he definitely would have.

Silver is wrong in the argument, and he knows it. He wants to double back, and he is in pain, and he knows that it’s his own fault, and it’s eating him up. For a pirate like him, to be taken down by a young adolescent boy, is something incredible. And his extreme temper letting him get carried away, commenting on Jim not knowing when to pick fights, It does show that he can see red at times.

Silver is a dangerous man, and in this situation, one can wonder who he is more dangerous towards. His loyalty is in question, and he can’t falter. So what is he to do, after threatening Jim? Is it a bluff? Perhaps. But it was Jim’s rejection that really got him angry. He thought he could have his cake and eat it too, but it blew up in his face in grand style. But it also proves that even fathers can grow and learn to improve.

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