Fathers are men who help shape and mold children, youth, and young adults into the adults they become. Some fathers are biological, but many are men who are introduced through everyday interactions and events. The father figure can have a positive or negative impact on the child. This is true with the character Jim Hawkins from Treasure Island. Many characters guide his growth in the book with good and bad traits. He seeks a father because his father is not a factor in his life. He dies when Jim is a child and does not appear to have a significant effect on Jim's life. Ben Gunn, Dr. Livesey, and John Silver provide Jim with examples and characteristics that he incorporates into the person he becomes. Jim, like many others, finds father figures with whom he identifies and shapes his life based on whether he is a blood relative or a person chosen from his surroundings. Ben Gunn is the character in the book who shows Jim Hawkins how to survive, provide spiritual guidance, and be proud of who you are. Ben is a pirate who lives alone on Treasure Island. It was left there by the pirate crew it belonged to three years ago after they failed to find the treasure. Ben is a survivor. He has been able to provide himself with food and a home since he was left alone. He is also a man of faith. Ben says to Jim, “I'm poor Ben Gunn, I am; and I haven't spoken to a Christian for three years." (15) Even though he has been alone, he relies on God to help him survive. Ben is satisfied with his position in life. He doesn't need a title or friends to feel important and others realize this. One of the crew members, George Merry, says "No one cares about Ben Gunn [...] dead or alive, no one cares about him" (32:30)... halfway through the paper... I find out that he agrees with Israel. John is a person who lives his life and has no regrets about his decisions. Jim discovers that John Silver is a mysterious and complicated model. The most important lesson he learns from John is courage and how important it is to make decisions for yourself. All children and adolescents will discover the character traits and qualities they wish to possess from the adults they come into contact with. Jim Hawkins is no different. He uses the attributes he learns from Ben Gunn, Dr. Livesey, and John Silver to shape him into the man he is becoming. Works Cited Stevenson, Robert. Treasure Island. City: Publisher, Year of publication. Print.Surname, Name. Title of the book. City of publication: Publisher, Year of publication. Medium of Publication.Gleick, James. Chaos: creating a new science. New York: Penguin, 1987. Print.