29. What was the island like?

The description of the island's plant life is particularly incredible, and makes the island leap out of the pages and into the readers imagination, especially as Jim is running through the island, desperate to escape the clutches of the pirates. The behavior of the birds, the swamps, thickets, and the open sandy area, enables the reader to have a vivid mental picture of the geography and setting of the island. Another great description in this chapter is of the murder of Alan. Because Jim does not witness this murder, he is forced to describe the murder through primarily sounds, including the yell of the victim, the rustle of birds, the boom of the surf, and finally, silence. Everything else is left to both the imagination of the reader and of the young narrator.