“You give up a few things, chasing a dream.” 

“Was it worth it?” 

“Heh… I’m hoping it is, Jimbo.” 

Jim Hakwins and John Silver, “Treasure Planet” (2002)

Have you ever desired something more than anything in the world? And I don’t just mean that you JUST really want it, I mean that you would give up ANYTHING for that desire. Your family, your values, your life, just to have that desire in your arms..

Just

for

one

moment…..

I often find myself thinking of what would be worthy enough for me to give up everything just to have it for a single moment. The fact is though, I already know and it is something that in this reality I will never have. Often I find myself longing for this single thing, knowing that since I can’t have it, yet still trying so hard for it to become real, having to put out facade after facade in hopes that no one notices the depths of insanity that this desire can bring me down to yet always conscious and awake enough to feel every pain and ache from it. And what is it that causes me this pain? To put it simply, a muse. Let’s leave it at that. 

In a strange sort of way, humanity is driven by desire. Desire to live, grow, expand and leave a legacy. Desire to create, destroy, rule and conquer. Desire to live a life worth living and be remembered after that life passes on. 

Treasure Planet is a movie that I love to revisit endlessly. From its artistic mix of steampunk space exploration to the creative ways it makes its environments feel truly alive, not to mention its spectacular soundtrack and unique characters both main and secondary. Yet I truly feel that no other character is as beloved and well rounded as John Silver himself. (Also, Spoiler Warning Ahead)

Before we start, let’s give some context about the movie to those who haven’t seen this masterful work of creative media (And if you haven’t seen it, shame on you. Go see it right now!). According to IMDb “In this science fiction rendering of the classic novel “Treasure Island”, Jim Hawkins is a rebellious teen seen by the world as an aimless slacker. After he receives a map from a dying pirate, he embarks on an odyssey across the universe to find the legendary Treasure Planet.” Though that isn’t really enough to describe what this movie actually is, at the very least to me on a very personal level. 

Treasure Planet is about Jim, about feeling shunned by the world, abandoned by his father and most of all, just having a wall between him and everybody around him. While I’m lucky enough that my dad and even a stepdad who cares just as much, I know how it really feels like to have this wall between you and everyone else. Even now, as an adult who moved out of the nest and is trying to be more social and outgoing, I find myself pushing against this invisible barrier to try and fit in, try to be acceptable for life and society yet never truly fitting the mole. However, unlike Jim, I didn’t have a pirate crash nearby my house to hand me a map to change my fate forever. I had to deal with it, I’ve had to grow and learn to embrace who I am. Funny enough, so did Jim. That’s where the best character in the movie comes in, John Silver. 

That dialogue that I put at the beginning fully encapsulates who John Silver truly is. A down on his luck pirate who has been chasing a dream and has been willing to give even parts of himself to reach it. Eventually we learn that the dream he chased is, unsurprisingly, Treasure Planet itself. However as the movie goes on, even though John is a half cyborg by this point, we learn how deeply and truly human he is. One of the best scenes in the movie and one of John’s best moments by far, is when Jim is led to believe that a mistake on his part led to the death of a crewmate. Imagine carrying that blame inside? The guilt, the self hate, all of it because of a mistake YOU made. How many of us haven’t stood awake at not regretting some action or mistake, no matter how small? Some of them, bad enough that they turn into regrets we carry forever. This is how Jim feels, bursting out in a sorrow filled anger as John tries to tell him it wasn’t his fault, that he did a good job despite being a single loss. Then, as Jim beings to fall into his quiet despair, John says this iconic line:

John Silver: “Now you listen to me, James Hawkins. You got the makings of greatness in you, but you got to take the helm and chart your own course. Stick to it, no matter the squalls! And when the time comes you get the chance to really test the cut of your sails, and show what you’re made of… well, I hope I’m there, catching some of the light coming off you that day.”

For all the flaws that the movie might have, for all the mistakes it might carry, this one moment encapsulates every single great quality in the message of this movie, as well as make John probably the best part of the experience. John is a man driven by his desire. His desire to be the greatest pirate who ever was, claiming the treasure that he has given literal eye and limb for. Yet, for all his desire and all his flaws, he cares for Jim. So much so that by the end of the movie, he is willing to sacrifice his own desire for the treasure to save the life of the boy he took under his wing when this journey started, in turn (and metaphorically speaking) saving his own humanity in the process. The only person who cares more than him is his mother, yet at this moment of turmoil inside of Jim, she isn’t who he needs. Jim needed a father, someone to provide strength and protection, yet be real enough with him and tough enough to break him out of his rebellious shell and turn him into the fine young man he is meant to be. He is brilliant, talented, skilled and dedicated yet because of all his pain and his isolation due to his own father leave as well as being treated like a common criminal by the general population, the only other person who can see his brilliance hiding beneath it all is John. 

In a way, John is just like Jim. Rebellious, seeking freedom and adventure. Yet his age, his sacrifices and his ambitions have shaped him. He knows what he seeks, that never comes into question. What comes into question is whether he has succumbed to his own desires so much that he lost his humanity under his metal exterior. But he didn’t. He cared, he was there, and when Jim needed him most, he became the father and inspiration that Jim needed to break free from his rebelliousness and become a hero. 

Perhaps, like Jim, we should take example from John Silver and seek our dreams, be willing to sacrifice what we need to reach them, but hold on to our humanity, our sympathy and empathy, our ability to care, to teach and to learn. John wasn’t a hero in the story. However, we don’t all need to be heroes in order to have a positive impact in someone’s life. All we need is to care enough and be vigilant, cause today we might be Jim and tomorrow we might be old John Silver. 

REFERENCES: 

BREADSWORD. (2017, August 31). Treasure planet – disney’s biggest mistake. YouTube. Retrieved October 26, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9sycdSkngA

IMDb.com. (2002, November 27). Treasure planet. IMDb. Retrieved October 26, 2022, from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133240/?ref_=tt_ch  

Wikimedia Foundation. (2022, October 21). Treasure planet. Wikipedia. Retrieved October 29, 2022, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treasure_Planet