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Robert Louis Stevenson Research Paper

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Robert Louis Stevenson, the sole child of one of Scotland’s leading light house engineers Thomas Stevenson, was born on the 13th of November 1850 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Being a sickly child that endured repeated health problems was arguably a blessing in disguise. As the six year old Stevenson was mostly confined to his bedroom (or sickroom as some call it) on 17 Heriot Row, he was greatly influenced by his caretaker, Allison Cunningham (who he called Cummy) that used to read him the Bible and works on Presbyterian morality. Thus, Stevenson used his confinement to his advantage and developed a critically acclaimed imagination. Soon after his father’s passing, Stevenson decided to leave his native country. And, following a year long stay …show more content…

Stevenson went on to inform his readers that “you will know more about the South Seas after you have read my little tale than if you had read a library” (Booth and Mehew, 1994-5). We shall discuss The Beach of Falésa’s realism in its description of the island life, religious beliefs and the supernatural, use of language and its depiction of the “contact …show more content…

Following his settlement, he began learning how to read and speak the native language, he got involved in the island’s politics and worked on creating a path through the jungle to his residence. Moreover, and according to his journalistic writing in which he notes that authority in Samoa abided in rank not gender, his portrayal of the smart and brave native “Uma” was built on observation. Additionally, the Stevenson’s journal describe their encounter with a native woman of the Gilbert island that showed them her marriage certificate that is almost identical to that of Uma, as both were “married for one night” with their husband being “at liberty to send them to hell the next

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