Appearance
Excerpt
Excerpt from The Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson — Volume 1, by Robert Louis Stevenson
TO MRS. THOMAS STEVENSON
_Wick_, _September_ 1868. _Saturday_, 10 A.M.
MY DEAR MOTHER,—The last two days have been dreadfully hard, and I was so
tired in the evenings that I could not write. In fact, last night I went
to sleep immediately after dinner, or very nearly so. My hours have been
10–2 and 3–7 out in the lighter or the small boat, in a long, heavy roll
from the nor’-east. When the dog was taken out, he got awfully ill; one
of the men, Geordie Grant by name and surname, followed shoot with
considerable éclat; but, wonderful to relate! I kept well. My hands
are all skinned, blistered, discoloured, and engrained with tar, some of
which latter has established itself under my nails in a position of such
natural strength that it defies all my efforts to dislodge it. The worst
work I had was when David (MacDonald’s eldest) and I took the charge
ourselves. He remained in the lighter to tighten or slacken the guys as
we raised the pole towards the perpendicular, with two men. I was with
four men in the boat. We dropped an anchor out a good bit, then tied a
cord to the pole, took a turn round the sternmost thwart with it, and
pulled on the anchor line. As the great, big, wet hawser came in it
soaked you to the skin: I was the sternest (used, by way of variety, for
sternmost) of the lot, and had to coil it—a work which involved, from
its being so stiff and your being busy pulling with all your might,
no little trouble and an extra ducking. We got it up; and, just as we
were going to sing ‘Victory!’ one of the guys slipped in, the pole
tottered—went over on its side again like a shot, and behold the end of
our labour.
Explanation
Detailed Explanation of the Excerpt from The Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson — Volume 1
Context of the Letter
This excerpt is from a letter written by Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894) to his mother, Margaret Isabella Stevenson, in September 1868, when he was just 17 years old. At this time, Stevenson was staying in Wick, a coastal town in northern Scotland, where he was working (or at least attempting to work) as an engineering apprentice—a profession his father had chosen for him. However, Stevenson had little interest in engineering and was far more drawn to literature, adventure, and the sea.
The letter captures a young Stevenson’s physical struggles, resilience, and wry humor while engaged in grueling manual labor—likely related to erecting a telegraph pole or some other maritime/engineering task. His descriptions are vivid, filled with sensory details, self-deprecating wit, and a sense of endurance, all of which foreshadow his later literary style.
Themes in the Excerpt
Physical Hardship & Endurance
- Stevenson describes exhausting labor in harsh conditions: long hours (10 AM–2 PM and 3 PM–7 PM), a heavy sea roll, and manual strain that leaves his hands "skinned, blistered, discoloured, and engrained with tar."
- The failure of the task (the pole collapsing just as they nearly succeed) underscores the futility and frustration of physical labor, especially for someone unsuited to it.
- His resilience ("wonderful to relate! I kept well") contrasts with the illness of others (the dog, Geordie Grant), suggesting a stubborn pride in his own endurance.
Class & Social Dynamics
- Stevenson, from a middle-class family, is working alongside laborers (like "Geordie Grant" and "David MacDonald’s eldest"), which would have been an unusual and humbling experience for a young man of his background.
- His tone is both observant and slightly detached—he notes the men’s names and actions with a writer’s eye, but also with a sense of irony (e.g., "Geordie Grant by name and surname" sounds almost like a literary character introduction).
Failure & Humor
- The comic timing of the pole’s collapse ("just as we were going to sing ‘Victory!’") is classic Stevenson—dramatic irony where the reader (and Stevenson himself) expects success, only for disaster to strike.
- His self-deprecating humor ("I was the sternest (used, by way of variety, for sternmost) of the lot") shows his ability to laugh at his own misery, a trait that would later define his adventure novels.
The Sea & Masculinity
- The maritime setting (the "lighter," the "small boat," the "nor’-east roll") reflects Stevenson’s lifelong fascination with the sea, which would later inspire Treasure Island (1883) and Kidnapped (1886).
- The physical struggle against nature (the wet hawser, the rolling waves) frames labor as a battle, reinforcing 19th-century ideals of masculine perseverance.
Literary Devices & Stylistic Features
Vivid Imagery & Sensory Detail
- Stevenson’s descriptions are tactile and immersive:
- "hands all skinned, blistered, discoloured, and engrained with tar" → visual and textural (readers can almost feel the roughness).
- "the great, big, wet hawser came in it soaked you to the skin" → sensory overload (cold, wetness, heaviness).
- The tar under his nails is a symbol of stubborn, inescapable labor—it won’t come out, just as he can’t easily escape his duties.
- Stevenson’s descriptions are tactile and immersive:
Irony & Understatement
- "Wonderful to relate! I kept well." → Dry humor; he’s the only one who didn’t get sick, but his physical state is terrible.
- "We got it up; and, just as we were going to sing ‘Victory!’ one of the guys slipped in..." → Bathos (a sudden drop from triumph to failure), making the moment both funny and frustrating.
Colloquial & Conversational Tone
- The letter is informal and intimate, as if Stevenson is speaking aloud to his mother.
- Phrases like "awfully ill," "no little trouble," and "extra ducking" give it a youthful, unfiltered energy.
- The parenthetical asides ("used, by way of variety, for sternmost") show his playful, self-aware voice.
Dramatic Structure (Mini-Narrative)
- The excerpt builds tension:
- Setup: The hard work, the team effort.
- Climax: The pole is nearly upright—"we were going to sing ‘Victory!’"
- Anticlimax: "the pole tottered—went over on its side again like a shot."
- This narrative arc makes the letter engaging, almost like a short adventure story.
- The excerpt builds tension:
Maritime & Technical Jargon
- Words like "lighter," "guys," "hawser," "thwart," "coil" ground the letter in realistic detail, showing Stevenson’s attempt to engage with the work (even if he dislikes it).
- The precision of terms (e.g., "sternmost thwart") suggests he’s paying attention, but also mocking his own ineptitude.
Significance of the Excerpt
Early Glimpses of Stevenson’s Literary Voice
- His humor, vivid descriptions, and narrative flair are already present, foreshadowing his future as a master storyteller.
- The blend of adventure and irony would later define works like Treasure Island and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Conflict Between Duty & Desire
- Stevenson was forced into engineering by his father but yearned to be a writer.
- This letter captures his resentment—not outright rebellion, but a subtle undermining of the idea that he belongs in this world.
The Sea as a Recurring Motif
- His fascination with maritime life (despite its hardships) would shape his adventure novels.
- The physicality of the sea (the roll, the wet ropes) becomes a metaphor for struggle—both in this letter and in his later works.
A Window into 19th-Century Masculinity
- The letter reflects Victorian expectations of hard work, endurance, and stoicism.
- Stevenson’s self-deprecation ("I was the sternest") is a way to perform masculinity while also subverting it—he’s not a natural laborer, but he’s trying.
Conclusion: Why This Letter Matters
This excerpt is more than just a young man complaining about work—it’s a microcosm of Stevenson’s early life: his struggle with his father’s expectations, his love-hate relationship with physical labor, and his emerging talent for turning even mundane misery into compelling narrative.
His ability to find humor and drama in failure is what makes the letter so engaging, and it’s the same quality that would later make his adventure stories timeless. The tar-stained hands of this 17-year-old would one day write Treasure Island, but for now, they’re just proof of a battle he didn’t want to fight.
Final Thought:
If this letter had been written by Long John Silver, it might have been a tall tale of triumph. But because it’s Stevenson—self-aware, ironic, and a little weary—it becomes something more human, and more interesting.