Character Analysis
Jim's parents are honest innkeepers. Jim's father is dying at the start of the novel; he passes away in Chapter 3. With his death Jim becomes free to carve out his own way in the world. Jim's mother, left with the sole responsibility of running the Admiral Benbow Inn, becomes completely intent on getting the money Billy Bones owes for his long stay at the inn. When Bones suddenly falls dead after his visit from Pew, it's Jim's mother who insists on going through his sea chest. Without this intervention, Jim would probably never have found the map that leads to so much adventure. Still, while Jim's parents do have a role in the plot of the novel, neither have actual names. They are not major characters, just plot devices.