Treasure Island

The Doctor's narration takes place at the same time that Jim meets Ben Gunn. Why do you think Stevenson chose to break up Jim's narrative to include the Doctor's point of view? Why does it matter?

From chapter 16 of Treasure Island with two pieces of evidence (quotations)

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The major difference between this chapter and the previous ones is the shift in narration, from Jim Hawkins to the Dr. Livesey. This shift was necessary in order to ensure that a first-hand account can be told of the events that Jim was not a witness to, because he was on land. Within the narration, there are certain clues that that Jim is no longer the narrator, including comments about places that might be likely breeding places for disease and comments concerning his time in the military.

It is also interesting to contrast the two different narration techniques. First, Jim's technique allows the reader to gain much more insight into the feelings and emotions that he feels, a typical aspect given his young age. Livesy, whose account is very factual and contains plenty of detail, does not let the reader into what he is thinking or feeling, on the other hand. A good example of this is Livesey response when he believes that Jim has been killed. The only thing that he does is report that "Jim Hawkins is dead," and then simply moves on.