What is the role of women in the text?

Women take a decidedly back seat in Treasure Island, considering that there is only one mentioned; the protagonist’s mother. Stevenson is quoted as having said that the story was “a man’s story.” At the same time Stevenson was writing Treasure Island, (1880-81), the Bronte sisters and others were writing volumes about women’s plight in England and Europe, while the Women’s Suffrage Movement was still evolving in America. Women would not receive the right to vote in the US for another 40 years, until

1920.

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http://www.coyotetale.net/Writing/TreasureIsland.pdf

Mrs. Hawkins

Jim's mother. The only female in the book makes her only brief appearance at the beginning of Treasure Island. Her character is most revealed in the actions that she takes in order to assure that she gets what is her due from Billy Bones treasure. By being able to go back and return to the inn in the face of grave danger, she sets an example that Jim follows later in the book.

http://www.gradesaver.com/treasure-island/study-guide/character-list/