The Jolly Roger is the name given to a pirate flag. Most people are familiar with it—a black flag with a white skull and crossbones, guaranteed to strike the fear of God into anyone who has the misfortune to encounter it on the high seas. In Treasure Island, it becomes a symbol of Israel Hands's usurped authority. When Jim Hawkins sees the Jolly Roger flying from the shore, he knows that he has to get rid of it and reassert the authority of the Captain's crew. After a swift but brutal fight, in which Jim kills Israel Hands, that's precisely what the young lad does. Jim cuts the anchor line and lets the Hispaniola drift across the bay, then tears down the Jolly Roger, replacing it with the Union Jack.
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