Application/Character Info

[chartthestars]

CHARACTER INFORMATION
Character Name: John Silver
Age: The official book, "Treasure Planet: A Voyage of Discovery"("Voyage") pegs him at around 50 years of age. For consistency's sake, I'd list him at 51.
Canon: Treasure Planet
Character Information: http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/Treasure_Planet | http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/John_Silver

Personality:

John Silver is, ultimately, a two-sided coin.

To most, Silver comes off as an affable, good-natured ursine cyborg with an excellent sense of humor and a ready wit—and with any luck, this part if him is all you'll see. He seems almost perennially good-natured, patient, and laid-back with a willing ear to listen with …and a good cook, apparently, though the recipes seem dubious.

He's a natural entertainer with a penchant for telling stories and tall tales. He tends to be rather modest about himself (he constantly refers to his person as nothing but a "humble" cook or cyborg throughout the film). He's not one to boast, and tends to downplay his abilities more than build them up. This, in truth, is less out of modesty (as he would want to have others believe) as it is a way to make himself appear harmless and to divert any unwanted attention. He doesn't want to be noticed; he just wants to be able to go and do what he pleases and accomplish his goals with minimal interference. Silver appears to be deferential to those in authority, prone to hollow flattery when it serves him, and makes ample use of his natural charisma and charm to gain others' trust and friendship, using it to his advantage. It makes them all the easier to take advantage should he have need for it.

Frankly, this side of him is very easy to like, and while this facet of his personality isn't entirely a constructed pretense or facade by any means—it very much is a genuine part of him that, from a young age (according to "Voyage"), he learned to use to his benefit—it often is used to cover up a considerably darker, more ruthless side of him that lies just underneath the surface. So while his "good side" can be genuine, his charm can be equally two-faced, as he uses his charisma to deceive or mask whatever his true feelings or plans might be.

Silver is a calculating, ruthless man with a good deal of self-control that he tries to maintain when he can. He knows how to manipulate others and use his own personality traits to his own advantage and gain, and for most everyday situations, his natural charm does its job more often than not. He's not one of those characters who believes that brute force is always the answer. As he tells Jim, you have to learn when to pick your battles. He pursues a more tactful approach. No need to disturb the waters, after all, if there's no need for it.

However, when the more affable side of him doesn't serve, he has no qualms with using more blunt and colder-blood means to get things done. When it becomes apparent his cover is up on the RLS Legacy he quickly changes tactics and immediately enacts a planned mutiny (though Silver would have preferred to have waited as long as possible, but circumstances rendered that option impossible.) He has a very ambiguous moral code, and in the end is loyal to no one but himself. He'll even go against people he might like (and even care for, in Jim's case, though to many he'll firmly deny any such connection) to get what he wants. And most of his wants are tied to greed.

For a good portion of his life, his goal and dream has been to find Treasure Planet and come to possess the legendary Captain Flint's substantial trove of riches, losing his arm, leg, and eye in his search. This is something of a testament to his sense of determination and obsessiveness, as his desire to find Treasure Planet never wavered despite these physical challenges and the very real possibility that Treasure Planet never existed in the first place, as most believed it was a myth. He's a pirate, and he's certainly murdered, stolen, and done things of a less savory nature, and is quite good at it. As mentioned before, Silver just knows the benefits of operating things more subtly and knows how and when to pick his battles. He prefers manipulation over brute force, but knows the value of each.

With that said, he's quick-thinking and very intelligent (though not formally educated, according to "Voyage," though I'd imagine he knows a bit of reading and writing as to not be at a disadvantage). He's an excellent leader who knows when to take change and keep things under his control. He'll take a position of authority when need be, and has no trouble putting his crew back in line when they misbehave. He's also very perceptive and observant of not only his environment but the people around him, and always is trying to find the best way to use what he knows to his advantage.

However, unlike the majority of Disney villains, Silver does have a heart, though he possesses an odd internal compass and a very grey-toned morality. According to the official book (Treasure Planet: A Voyage of Discovery), Silver grew up in poverty, which helped fuel his desire for riches and gold. It does not say whether or not Silver was an orphan, nor does it say whether or not he had parents who cared or didn't. What it does state is that Silver was "forced to go out on his own at a very early age," ultimately choosing to sail aboard ships in some position or other, as it suited his taste for adventure, using and discovering his natural charm to climb through the ranks, eventually becoming a pirate captain.

Perhaps that's why he turned out to be so fond of Jim Hawkins, a troubled teenage boy who found his way onboard the RLS Legacy after coming into possession of a map to Treasure Planet: because the lad eerily reminded him of himself. For a man that claims to not be loyal to anybody or anything but himself, Silver did end up throwing away "the treasure of a thousand worlds" for the boy in the end, choosing to save his life over the gold he had searched a lifetime for. He even parts with a small amount of it he had managed to grab during their escape, in order to rebuild Jim's Mother's Inn that he had destroyed at the beginning of the film in search for the trove.

So much for not being soft and without a conscience.