Chapter 1 Summary:

The first person narrator, David Balfour, begins the novel by introducing his journey from his home, the kirk of Essendean, now that his father and mother have passed away. It is early June of 1751. Walking happily along, he meets the minister of Essendean, Mr. Campbell, who had kindly waited for him at the corner of the manse. The minister planned to accompany David for some of the way. Mr. Campbell asks David how he feels about leaving home to which David replies that he does not know how to feel since he has never been anywhere else. However, he feels that with his parents dead, it is the time to be moving on. Inside, the boy is excited about the prospect of a more exciting life outside of the sleepy countryside from which he comes.

Mr. Campbell takes the occasion to tell David what he knows of his fortune. David's father had asked the minister to deliver to his son a letter after his death. With the letter, his sixteen year old son could travel to the house of Shaws, once home to his father. David is surprised since he never knew his poor father to be related to such a high family. The minister assures him that the relations are there and that he should hope to be received well by them. He nervously asks Mr. Campbell if he should go to which the minister replies quickly that he should.

The minister sat along side the path and urged the boy to sit with him. He warns David of the evils of a larger, more mature society. He tells him to continue studying the Bible and to make sure to maintain the rules of his proper upbringing in order to make his homeland proud. David agrees and the minister happily reveals a parcel of gifts. Mr. Campbell clumsily speaks of the four items contained within, the first being the small amount of money due to the minister's purchase of David's father's old books. The explanation of the three other gifts is told in an enigmatic manner. The first gift is round but will not take David very far. The second is "flat and square and written upon" and will last his life. The third is cubical and will lead David into a "better land."

Mr. Campbell abruptly hugs David very hard and then hurries away without once looking back. David realizes this behavior occurs because of Mr. Campbell's sadness regarding his departure. He feels guilty that he is not as upset. He opens his parcel and is not surprised to find that the cubical object is a Bible. The round is a shilling and the last gift is a piece of paper with written instructions on how to make Lilly of the Valley water. This water can cure many ailments. The minister's own hand has written the final two uses for the water on the paper. Nervously laughing, the boy packs his gifts and walks on, pausing once for a final look at Essendean.

Analysis

This novel is constructed into very short chapters, each with a straightforward title giving the reader a sense of where the narrator is going or what he will do next. The events of the chapter are thus not entirely surprising. This manner of expressing a key to the enigmatic is representative of the book as a whole on many levels. Kidnapped could be described as one of Stevenson's fictions of adventure. Though critics have often separated the novel from Stevenson's Treasure Island, the two do share a somewhat parallel theme of a boy going through a rite of passage into adulthood. After his father passes away, the protagonist strikes out on his own into the world at large. A loss of innocence theme results because of the growth from youth to manhood, a path to maturity through obstacles which will have to be overcome.

This does not have to intimate that a sexual loss of innocence is incurred. Mainly the adventure dealt with is of a more boyish, swashbuckling sort. However, critics do note that Stevenson does move toward more mature subject matter in Kidnapped than in Treasure Island since actual geographical locations are mentioned and real cultural clashes approached. Still, we will watch as the hero and narrator, David Balfour, is faced with a challenge which appears insurmountable but slowly becomes more clearly controllable. These challenges and the realization toward their solutions is symbolic of a young adult's progress toward an adult understanding. Though often expressed through physical and geographic challenges, Stevenson stresses the growth of self in David. As literary critic Robert Kiely writes, "At the center of [Kidnapped] lies not psychology, or morality, or politics, or patriotism, or history, or geography, or romantic love but 'the problems of the body and of the practical intelligence, in clean, open-air adventure.'"

In this first chapter, we are given a prologue of sorts. The main character/ first person narrator/ hero of the story is introduced as well as the basic set of circumstances which surround his leaving home and the type of situation which likely will face him in the future. We meet David Balfour, a boy of sixteen, who seems to be excited, though nervous, and generally in control of his life. During the first sentence of the novel, Stevenson symbolically establishes the act of a boy leaving home and breaking with his childhood. The quotation states, "Šwhen I took the key for the last time out of the door of my father's house." David is metaphorically locking the door of his childhood behind him and setting off for the adventures of maturity.

Mr. Campbell, who sees the boy off, is David's last contact with the town of his youth, Essendean. As minister for the kirk and a counselor and friend of the boy's, Mr. Campbell takes the place of a parent and home, sending the fledging from the nest. Through Campbell's questions, the reader learns of David's mixed feelings toward his adventure, highlighting the duality of his character which will be another of Stevenson's themes. The boy feels at once exuberant but also nervous and unsure of what is to come. Furthermore, David chides himself for not feeling as much emotion as the minister when the two part. Then, he quickly gets over this and opens his gifts. The gifts themselves are very symbolic, as represented by their simple geometric shapes. The cubical Bible symbolizes the religious core with which David has been instilled in Essendean. The round shilling symbolizes the material, an important component of the more mercantile lowlander Scottish as contrasted to the romantic highlander we will meet later. The square and flat symbolizes the written word as a ticket to a new life but also the medicinal superstitions which surrounded David and which he would have to learn to evaluate independently.

Chapter 2 Summary:

Early in the second day of David's journey to the House of Shaws, he came to the top of a hill and observed the sea and the city of Edinburgh. Proudly he marched ahead, asking for directions to the region of Cramond. The closer he approached Glasgow the more he was excited to notice the airs of the city, furnished by militia men in red coats. Once in Cramond, the boy asked the way to the house of Shaws but received an odd response, a mix of surprise and bewilderment. So David changed his inquiry from asking for directions to asking for an opinion of the Shaws, thinking that his country garb was the reason for the surprise. However the reactions changed little. A fellow pulling a cart told him that he should stay away from Ebenezer Balfour. A dapper little barber declared that Mr. Balfour was no kind of a man at all.

Disillusioned, David sat down to think. If he had been within an hour walk of returning to Mr. Campbell he would have done so. The boy rose and continued toward the house, stopping once again to ask a passerby for directions. The stout woman he asked pointed to the exact building in which Mr. Balfour resided, a dreary place in apparent ruin. The woman was so enraged by her memories of the house and its inhabitants that she spit upon the ground. In a day where people still believed in witches, David was worried. As he observed the surrounding area of the house, however, the scene became more pleasant. The landscape was dotted with sheep and flowers, giving him the courage to continue.

The actual entrance to the house was difficult to find as much of its construction seemed unfinished. The house was drearier in person and the night was falling. He heard quiet sounds of life and nervously knocked at the door. No response came. The sounds within stopped. He almost ran. Overcome by anger, David shouted and pounded on the door. Above his head, an old man peered out with a loaded gun. David replied he had come with a letter. The old man told him to leave it and go away but David refused, declaring that it was a letter of introduction. As David told the man his name, the man paused for awhile and finally asked if his father was dead. David knew not how to reply but the old man answered his own question and reluctantly let the boy in.

Analysis:

This chapter begins symbolically with David's arrival over a hill top, illuminating to him the world which lies below. The hills are small obstacles for David on the way to his new future and as he reaches the summit of each, he is able to peer below at a new and different world. He first spies the sea and Edinburgh, illustrating how far in Scotland he has traveled from a little country kirk. As he continues, he mentions taking a road by the capital and seeing militia men in their red coats. The appearance of industry, travel, and men defending country not only fill his heart with excitement because of their grandness but because of his patriotic pride. The text states, "Šand both brought my country heart into my mouth." One of Stevenson's own personal journeys seemed to surround his meditation on the Scottish persona. As far as he could see, regardless of the many divisions and conflicts between the differing clans of Scotsmen, all felt a very special pride at being Scottish. This theme is reflected in the emotions which sweep through David as he lays his eyes on the Scottish cities he nears.

The house of Shaws, which first is established as a place of wealth and distinction beyond what David imagined could have been his father's home, quickly is transformed into a dark, foreboding destination through the sentiment David witnesses while asking for directions. At first looking inward, David assumes he has brought on the surprise but he soon realizes it is the place itself. Suddenly, his bright future is clouded and the house is colored with a different and darker enigmatic allure than it was previously. It is by no mistake of Stevenson's that David reaches the house as the sun leaves the sky. The darkening of the sky and the death of the day foreshadow the truth behind the rumors that David learns and work to make the house more grotesque and foreboding. Furthermore, the characters whom he asks for directions become more and more violently opposed to Ebenezer Balfour, the proprietor of the Shaws, as David nears the house. The last woman spits on the ground at the thought of Ebenezer and the house. Stevenson has prepared the reader for quite a scene once the house is reached.

David keeps after his goal not because of pure determination, as one might expect from a hero, but because he is too far from home to return to it without at least seeing the house for himself. This sense of decision making is symbolic of David's decision process, or passive sense of determinism, throughout the novel, as highlighted by critic, Donald McFarlan. McFarlan writes, "While David is an endurer and survivor, Stevenson is at great pains to point out that he never initiates action or ever consciously makes a decision." However, in this light, his character may actually seem more human, giving the reader a hero whom does the best he can with the situations he is given but is not brave enough to initiate action often on his own. We see this characteristic again when David makes his way to the doorstep of the Shaws after hearing noises within which stop as he approaches. Suddenly, he begins shouting and banging on the door. We are proud of him for not giving up, but we are also conscious that he simply gets angry and shouts. He does not decide to. It is simply determined by Stevenson that this behavior will bring results and he is let into the house.

Chapter 3 Summary:

The old man let David in, warning him not to touch anything. Trudging forward in the darkness, David came upon the kitchen with a small fire aglow lighting the barest room he had ever seen. The old man, looking haggard and of an indeterminate age, entered the room. He offered the boy the rest of his porridge which sat on the table. The man asked for the letter but David declined because he seemed to be only a serving man. David was surprised to learn that this old man was not only Ebenezer Balfour but his father's brother. In shock, David handed him the letter. While reading it, Ebenezer asked the boy why he came. David admitted that he hoped to find help from his kin but was not looking for any favors. The old man asked how long his father had been dead. Learning it was only three weeks, he then asked if David's father had spoken of Ebenezer, noting that he had always been a secret man. David confirmed that he had never known of Ebenezer's existence or of the Shaws.

Ebenezer led the boy to his bedroom. The darkness was so overwhelming that David could not even see the bed but Ebenezer refused to find a light for him. The bed felt dirty so David used his own bed roll and slept on the floor. With the first light of morning, he awoke and looked around what would have been a grand room with upkeep. However, its present state was much ruined. He banged on his locked door to be let out. Ebenezer brought him to a small well to wash. The meal in the morning was porridge again, though two bowls were lain. However, the beer given to David was from Ebenezer's cup. David was amazed by his miserliness. Through Ebenezer's questions, the man learned that David's mother was also dead. He also asked about friends that David had referred to. David named the Campbells though he knew only of the one. Ebenezer thought the answer over awhile and then told the boy that he would think of a proper type of employment for him. David told the man that he had not willfully sought him and would be glad to leave if he wished. The old man reassured him, repeating that he would do right for him as long as he did not say anything to anyone. David then felt confident enough to ask for a better sleeping situation to which Ebenezer snapped angrily, before stopping himself and again reassuring the boy. David was reminded of Jennet Clouston, the woman who had spit at the thought of Mr. Balfour, and he told his uncle. Angered, Ebenezer dressed to leave and punish the woman, telling David that he would have to wait outside while he was gone. David refused to be locked outdoors, upsetting the old man but not budging on this point. Finally Ebenezer decided not to leave. Confounded, David inquired why the man wished to help him when he obviously hated and distrusted him. Ebenezer denied these charges, again reassuring the boy. David agreed to stay for a short while.

Analysis:

The reader already has a good idea of Uncle Ebenezer's character when Chapter Three opens, but the imagery given at the start provides a further illustration. Ebenezer's life, it seems has to be closed to most of the world and filled with cobwebs. He is miserly and narrow-minded, shut off from humanity. Symbolically, to express this, Stevenson describes the chains and heavy locks bolting the door to Ebenezer's home. Further, David encounters one of the barest rooms he has ever seen when he enters Ebenezer's kitchen. The house of the Shaws has been personified with characteristics parallel to the persona of Ebenezer in order to illustrate the intense miserliness which Ebenezer embodies.

Ebenezer's miserliness is so extreme that David nearly admires its wholeness and consistency. And yet he rebels against it as well. Ebenezer is the next potential father figure in David's life. However, instead, Ebenezer becomes an obstacle along David's rite of passage. This notion will proceed more greatly in the following chapters but the impression that Ebenezer represents an obstacle figure begins here. He refuses to give David new porridge, he locks David in a overwhelmingly dark bedroom, he stares at David with an almost evil, plotting look, and he refuses to allow David to remain inside the house while he is out. The rules that Ebenezer sets are unreasonable and instantly deplorable.

Moreover, his abrupt questions and paranoid actions create suspicion, in David and the reader, foreshadowing the trickery to come. Ebenezer is not playing a straight hand which is suggested by Stevenson's language. For instance, Stevenson writes, "[Ebenezer] became very pale and sucked his mouth in. 'This is no the way,' he said, looking wickedly at a corner of the floor - 'This is no the way to win my favour, David.'" The thought of allowing David to inhabit the house alone, leaving him the ability to search through Ebenezer's belongings, sets off an alarm in Ebenezer and causes the color to leave his face. In addition, he is obviously trying to hide true intentions behind a mask of apparent hospitality as is evident by the mention of his wicked look. What reason would he have to look wicked otherwise? The inclusion of this adjective and the facial description of Ebenezer foreshadows Ebenezer's relationship to David

Lastly, David's lack of decision-making is highlighted in Chapter III. His emotions are not weakened; he easily becomes angry and defensive. And yet, he ends up staying with Ebenzer "for a while" and if there is a problem between them, "ŠI'll do my best it shall be through no fault of mine." He is angered and humiliated by the situation with his uncle but decides simply to play things out and see what happens. David deals with many situations in the same manner. He is not yet mature enough to make stable decisions on his own and trust his own intuition.

Chapter 4 Summary:

The day passed better than it started. Lunch and dinner were spent over porridge and beer. David found some amusement in a library near the kitchen, looking over old books. He was glad to see his father's firm writing on the flap but noticed it was addressed for Ebenezer's fifth birthday which confused him because his father must have been younger than his uncle. Wondering about it over dinner, the boy asked Ebenezer if his father learned to write well at a young age. However, Ebenezer told him that he was a better writer at an earlier age than his father. Then David asked if they had been twins which made his uncle very angry. The man grabbed David's shirt. Ebenezer apologized and spoke nicely of David's father. David was not sure if the old man was crazy and dangerous or if he had a secret which he did not want David to uncover. He hoped for the latter.The looks his uncle gave him though were not welcoming. Finally, the old man told him of a promise he had made with David's father before David's birth. He had promised to save the boy money and it had grown since that time to a sum of forty poundsŠscots, a denomination equal to the lesser English shilling. David corrected him with the term sterling to which the man agreed. David did not believe that the old miser had saved him any money but went along with his plan.

David agreed to step outside while his uncle gathered the savings. To his surprise the miser handed him nearly the whole amount. David tried to thank him. Soon enough, the old man implied that he would want a return favor. David waited for something monstrous but the request was reasonable -- he asked for help around the house. David agreed and the man told him of a grand staircase in an unfinished tower of the house. At the top of the stairs was a chest with papers which the old man wanted. David asked for a light but the man refused so David set outside in the darkness. As he neared the tower, the sky lit brightly with lightening. He felt for the door, unlocked it, and stumbled inside feeling for the solid grand staircase. It felt secure as his uncle had said and he started climbing. After some time, another flash of lightening came and the entire tower lit up, displaying to David that the walls were not finished and the stairs were of different lengths. He would have fallen into the well if the lightening had not shone. Angered, he continued to climb on hands and knees to determine how high the stair went. He came to a spot where the stairs, unfinished, completely stopped. His uncle had sent him to die.

David saw his uncle standing in the doorway of the house. Thunder sounded and Ebenezer ran inside in a panic. David followed him, watching him shudder and shake. He snuck up behind his uncle and surprised him. The man fell upon the floor in shock. David took the keys and looked through the man's cabinets, finding a weapon to arm himself. Seeing that his uncle was not breathing, David splashed water on his face. The old man asked incredulously if David was alive. David brought him his medicine to calm his nerves and then asked the man why he tried to kill David. Ebenezer promised to explain in the morning so David locked him in his bedroom for the night.

Analysis:

This chapter highlights an adventure that David partakes in against his own will -- the first of many such adventures in this book. Very few of the adventures and risks that he encounters are desired. David also comes face to face with his first encounter with mortality. He comes to the realization that his uncle is not only evil or crazy but also trying to kill him. Breaking a major rule of hospitality and blood relation, Ebenezer has plotted against his house guest and nephew. He has devised a method of manslaughter which he hopes to make look accidental. Ebenezer establishes a plan in which David will likely agree to do Ebenezer a favor and then sends him to meet his own death. The cruelty of the action is striking to the reader who may have noticed the previous foreshadowing but did not expect attempted murder.

However, as is typical for the character of David Balfour, the peril or obstacle which he faces becomes illuminated enough for David to handle it. Luckily, a thunderstorm occurs, sending bolts of lightening into the night sky which light the unfinished tower where David is sent. If it were not for this good luck, David would not have realized that the stairway was unfinished and would likely have fallen off the top. Thus, the stairway episode is a metaphor for the type of challenges David will face along his journey to manhood. He will have to face obstacles and conquer them. But, as he nears these obstacles, each will eventually become less daunting and more manageable. David notes, "But I knew what I wanted now, and turned and groped my way down again; with a wonderful anger in my heart." The anger he feels is wonderful because he has battled the obstacle and beaten it.

Childhood is a type of blindness, a garden of Eden, where man is ignorant of many of the hardships and realities of maturity. As David nears adulthood, he will gradually learn ways in which to face the challenges which are presented to him. The light from the sky is symbolic of light as knowledge, illuminating the self to its abilities and limitations. He is awakened to the true character of his uncle and the manner in which he will have to treat such an evil, old man. As the text states, "And then there came a blinding flash, which showed me my uncle plainly, just where I fancied him to standŠ" David grows in understanding.

Chapter 5 Summary:

When morning came, David washed and started a large fire. He knew that his uncle was murderous but felt he could get the upper hand. After letting the old man out his room, the two sat for breakfast. David asked him what he had to say. His uncle tried to pass it off as a joke but seeing that David was not fooled, he promised to explain.

Soon a knock came at the door and a small boy named Ransome stood, singing songs as David opened the door. Finally the boy explained that he had a message for Ebenezer. Also, he was very hungry. David allowed boy to finish his breakfast while Ebenezer read the letter from Captain Hoseason. Ebenezer soon showed it to the boy. The letter spoke of business which need attended to. Ebenezer explained that the Captain wished to see him, giving he and David a chance to visit him and then walk to Ebenezer's lawyer who could verify Ebenezer's position.

David felt he would be safe in town and in the company of the young boy so he agreed and they set off. As his uncle remained silent during the walk, David talked to the boy and learned of the tortuous life aboard the ship. There were criminals being carried across the sea and young children having to fend for themselves. The boy seemed to enjoy the life, but David could tell how horribly they treated him and every man on the ship. Spying the boat, Covenant, and the town of Queensferry in the distance, David told Ebenezer that he would not step on board the ship. Ebenezer agreed.

Analysis:

This chapter is important for two main reasons concerning the plot. One, the reader gets to see David in control of his life and his uncle. He begins the chapter with the key to his uncle's bedroom in hand after sleeping on his uncle's chests in the kitchen. The key is symbolic in a very obvious way. David holds in his hand the key to his fate. His uncle has admitted that he is very defensive concerning the age of himself and his dead brother. David has already surmised that he is likely hiding something and that he wants David out of the way. Once David gains control over his uncle's actions, he has the ability to unlock the truth (to further develop the metaphor).

However, David allows his uncle to persuade him into leaving the house before Ebenezer has explained any of his actions. He then reenters a more passive, secondary mode. David thus leaves the house in order to follow another of his uncle's plans. Moreover, cyclically, David comes to the house because of a letter that directs him there. He also leaves the Shaws because of a letter. The use of the epistle, containing the written word, represents a great power in this manner because David submits to the power each time. The control he had garnered from the night before is therefore given back to his uncle, foreshadowing the kidnapping to come.

The second significant event is the arrival of the character of Ransome, a small boy who has lived the majority of his life aboard a ship. Ransome is the only child encountered in the book even though the novel is often said to be a boy's adventure fiction story. He thus provides us with an insight into a different mentality than the other characters and gives us our first character with which to compare the maturing David. David is only sixteen years old but, as we have noted, he has begun his journey to adulthood. He is recognizably more mature and more discerning than the young boy, as well as more conservative. He cannot understand the type of life the boy describes or the mentality he seems to possess. And yet, David knows instantly that he does not want Ransome's type of life. The refusal to board the Covenant then is a metaphor for David's refusal to retreat toward childhood. On the flip side, to use the symbolism of Ransome's name, the young boy is a metaphor for the innocence which Ransome has been forced into paying and which will be stolen from David as a result of the kidnapping.

Chapter 6 Summary:

Ransome led them to the Hawes Inn at Queensferry. Up the stairs in a hot room sat Captain Hoseason in very thick, warm clothing. He was large and dignified in appearance. Due to the heat of the room and David's desire to see the ocean, David agreed, against his better will, to leave the room where his uncle sat and go wander by the water. He enjoyed seeing the waves and seaweed. He spoke with one of the ship's men whose language drove him back toward the hotel where he saw Ransome exiting. The boy asked for punch which David refused but he did buy ale for them both. They sat in the inn's lobby eating and drinking.

David thought it would be good to make friends with the landlord and so asked him if he knew Ebenezer's lawyer, Mr. Rankeillor. The landlord replied that he was a good man and asked if David was a relation to old Ebenezer. David denied that he was and mentioned Ebenezer's bad reputation. From talking with the landlord, David learned what he had hoped and guessed, that his father has been the eldest son and that the property at the Shaws was now legally his. David started imagining the life he could lead. He noticed Hoseason down by the pier and then heard his uncle calling for him so met the pair in the street. The Captain addressed the young man, telling him how well his uncle had spoke of him. He invited David to board the ship for a drink. Hesitant, David told the Captain that he and his uncle had an appointment with a lawyer. The Captain remarked that Rankeillor's place was close to the ship and then whispered in David's ear that the old man was working mischief. He suggested the boy come aboard so they could talk. Feeling he had found an ally, David agreed and the Captain took him by the arm. They took a small boat out to the ship and in the excitement and noise of the moment, David could not hear what Hoseason was saying. As they approached the ship, Hoseason thrust himself and David on board and started pointing out the sights on the ship. Suddenly, David noticed that his uncle was not on board. Hoseason told him that was the point. Breaking away, David ran to the edge to see his uncle in the boat paddling back to the shore. David yelled, help! Murder! Hands drew him back to the ship and he was knocked unconscious.

Analysis

One of the greatest points that many critics bring into their analysis of Kidnapped and which they feel is highly significant in Stevenson's writing life, is the theme of the duality of the self. Stevenson loved to explore the duality of the Scottish character, generally consisting of rationalism as embodied by the conservative, Whig Lowlander versus and/or in sync with the romanticism as embodied by the radical, Jacobite Highlander. By viewing Scotland as a body enlivened by these dueling philosophies and characterizations, Stevenson observed that the country had, at once, two distinct personalities as well as two halves to a very important whole, the Scotsman. History did not necessarily agree with his theories since the two cultures often looked at each other with disdain. The Jacobite rebellion of 1745 was far from dead. However, Stevenson recognized a human duality which played with a conservatism and a romanticism, often battling to find a balance between the two. Thus Scotland was not only a country divided and united by a battling duality but so was the Scotsman, as identified by Stevenson.

Largely, David symbolizes the typical Lowlander persona -- logical and mercantile. He can reason his way through a situation and can employ rationale to problem solving. However, in this chapter, we observe David fantasizing the wealth of property he has gained with the Shaws and the kind of life he will be able to lead. He then cuts back to reality, noting that he does not remember exactly how it happened, but his eye alighted on Hoseason. Tossing about in his daydreams, he does not realize the type of future he is heading toward when he leaves his dreams and heads toward Ebenezer and Hoseason. This split thought process symbolizes the duality of self. David is drawn to fantastical imaginings but later understands that the fantasy led in no way to an immediate reality.

Moreover, though David shows good reasoning powers, he makes three major mistakes of judgment during the chapter. He allows his uncle to convince him to go into town before he has heard his uncle's story. He is overcome by heat and a desire to see the ocean so he does not oversee the conversation between Hoseason and Ebenezer. And, he is persuaded by Hoseason to board the ship. These mistakes highlight the fallibility of youth, reason, and fantasy which is why Stevenson would likely say it is integral for humanity to possess and use all three characteristics.

Chapter 7 Summary:

Awash with sickness, David awoke in a hole of overwhelming darkness. He was being thrashed about in a rocking motion and was bruised all over his body. He soon realized that he lay in the underbelly of the ship, Covenant. Furious at his uncle and at his own foolishness, his senses overcame him. When he awoke, David was met with the same confusion, pain, and tossing he had first experienced. In his desperation, he hoped the boat would meet destruction, setting him free from his prison even if in death.

Lost between sorrow, sickness, and sleep, David finally encountered another human when a man with a lantern woke him. The man tried to give him some meat but David could not eat it and so he fixed brandy and water. Then, the man washed his head wound. The next time he came, David lay with a giddiness spread through his body which was hard to bear. The man entered with the Captain and addressed Hoseason with reproach regarding the boy's condition. Hoseason seemed unconcerned, refused to have the boy moved, and turned to climb back to the deck. The other man, identified as Mr. Riach, retorted that if Hoseason wanted to be a paid murderer then he would have nothing to do with it. Outraged at this claim, Hoseason bid him do as he pleased. Riach, a bit drunk, defiantly cut David from his shackles and brought him to a bunk in the forecastle.

Here, daylight shone in and other men were often present. David was joyous. He was forbidden to go on deck but did reclaim his health, thanks to Riach, and was visited by many of the men of the ship. Some would bring medicine or food, one would sit and tell of his wife and children, and many of them returned David's money which had been stolen upon his kidnapping. They were far from the beasts David had at first imagined. David was also able to spend some time with young Ransome who proved to be as tainted a boy as he had seemed on land. He could not believe the stories David would tell him of good parents and happy times on land, believing instead the sea fables he had heard from sailors. Riach would sometimes give him drink which only made him more foolish and shamed many of the sailors. The Covenant moved steadily toward the Carolinas where David's uncle had given him to be sold into slavery. David's only hope was a conversation he had with Riach while Riach was drunk (he was unkind when sober). After hearing David's story, Riach promised to help him write a letter to Campbell and Rankeillor in hope of getting help.

Analysis:

David awakes in the underbelly of a ship, an indirect literary allusion to the Biblical story of Jonah who is swallowed by a whale in the Book of Jonah. It is possible to make this connection since Stevenson was brought up in a highly religious, Presbyterian environment and because the Bible was one of the gifts given to David by Minister Campbell and thus may be expected to enter into the core of the story at some point. But, is David being punished? What has he done wrong?

It is not that David has done something wrong to deserve this treatment. Instead, David is being taught a lesson on survival and the self. He is stripped of his identity and property, reduced to one who is being sold as a slave. The dark cavity that he finds himself in thus is also a metaphor for the womb. Like Jonah is reborn when he is spewed from the great fish, David is reduced to a weak, quasi-fetal state before rebirth. The state David finds himself in after being kidnapped is one of the largest obstacles along his journey to manhood and threatens to reverse his growth and independence.

Once David is revived by Mr. Riach, David is happy to be placed in the forecastle because there is daylight, symbolizing a higher knowledge of the self as opposed to the overwhelming darkness and ignorance he faced below, and human contact. Through contact with the crew, David learns that the men are not the primitive animals he had once thought they were. He learns that one should not judge another man on his appearance. Critics have pointed out that many of David's obstacles appear impossible to overcome at first but then, upon a closer look, are quite manageable. We experienced this type of brightening when David climbed the unfinished tower at the Shaws and we will see it often in the following chapters. Without David needing to act in any manner, he is taken out of the darkness. The ship's crew is rather helpful to him and Riach even offers to help David write to the people who can help him Mr. Rankeillor and Mr. Campbell. His rite of passage continues, spewing him into a completely new environment which becomes manageable once he gains the knowledge to see it in a truthful light.

Chapter 8 Summary:

One night at midnight a man came down from his deck duty to the forecastle, whispering that he had finally done it. David and the others knew at once that he was referring to Mr. Shuan and poor Ransome. Moments later Hoseason came into the forecastle commanding that David run to the round-house as he and Ransome were to change jobs. Seamen entered carrying Ransome's limp and pale body and David quickly ran past and across the the deck to the round-house. Mr. Shuan sat at the table staring blankly as David and then the Captain entered. Shuan was the other officer below Hoseason besides Riach and was naturally kind except when drinking, which was common. Riach entered with a look that said that Ransome was dead.

They stood staring at Shuan until Shuan reached for the bottle of liquor on the table. Riach intercepted the bottle, yelling that he had done enough damage, and threw it over the side of the boat. Shuan stood up as if to murder him as well but Hoseason stepped between them, demanding to know if Shuan realized he had killed the boy. Shuan sat down, exclaiming that Ransome had brought him a dirty container. Hoseason led the man to a bunk and bade him to lie down and sleep. Riach cried that Hoseason should have done something earlier to which Hoseason replied that Riach must never speak of the murder on land but must say that Ransome had fallen overboard. He then chastised Riach for throwing away a good bottle of liquor and asked David to retrieve another for them.

After this night, David continuously served meals for the three men. He slept in the round-house on a cold, hard bed where he was constantly interrupted. Still, the work was not difficult and he was often fed quite well. He rather appreciated working more than thinking because it gave him less time to be discouraged about his upcoming future.

Analysis:

Ransome's death is by far the largest event of the ninth chapter. From the beginning, Ransome was a tragic figure of Stevenson's since he was a boy who was constantly tortured by the life he had been forced to lead. He did not know what it was like to live normally or have parents to care for him. Many times, Riach and others would give him liquor, causing him to act more foolish and embarrassing the crew members, who could not help but see the tragedy inherent in the boy's existence. Furthermore, Ransome's life is arrested in its development by death. He thus would never become anything else besides the foolish, unfortunate boy. David notes that Ransome's ghost remained over Shuan, Hoseason, Riach, and David himself for a long while. The tragedy, the death of the innocent, had occurred long before Ransome's death and would thus continue to haunt the ship members who had so ceremoniously spoiled the child.

We noted earlier that Ransome was the only child figure encountered in Kidnapped and thus could serve as a figure of comparison for the childhood that David was growing away from. His early death can be looked at in two distinct ways. In David's process of maturation, he has been reborn into a new stage of development when he comes out of the darkness on the ship. Ransome's death, though violent, could then be understood as a metaphor for the death of David's childhood. Due to the cruelty of his uncle, David has been violently and quickly torn from the last roots of innocence, and torn from the life which is rightfully his.

The second way of regarding Ransome's death would be to see it as a step in the strengthening of David's resolve. He finds himself very helpless on the ship which is why he feels so discouraged. The ship moves toward the Carolinas steadily and he cannot stop its progress, or so he thinks. By having to replace Ransome in the round-house, David is allowed to interact more with the three officials of the ship. He fills a subservient role however, serving the men at every meal. Yet the first-hand experience he gains by watching the scene directly after Ransome dies allows an anger to rise inside of David. The death foreshadows the rebellion which David will participate in. Without the impetus of Ransome's death, it is doubtful David would have had the courage to side with Alan Breck.

Chapter 9 Summary:

A week of terrible weather passed where the boat made few strides forward and more than a few backwards. Finally the officers decided to follow the winds further south. Here they met dense fog and swelling waves. Seamen had to listen day and night for breakers so as to not collide with the land. One night, as David served Hoseason and Riach their supper, the ship struck another boat. The boat's crew sunk to the bottom except for one man who had sat as a passenger on the boat. He was a small man dressed in very fine clothes. Beneath his great coat, pistols and a large sword were revealed. He spoke prettily to the Captain who expressed his sympathy toward the sunken boat. The conversation soon progressed to religion as the Captain implied to the man that he could tell from his French coat that he was a Jacobite, and thus not loyal to King George. The Captain and the rest of the sailors were Protestant. The stranger asked if he could be dropped in France, which was his original destination, for which he would highly reward the Captain. Hoseason refused, sending David to retrieve food for the stranger. When David returned, the man had revealed a belt of guineas and was trying to make a deal with the Captain. The stranger repeated to Hoseason that the money was not his but was the property of his chieftain. He offered Hoseason thirty guineas if he was let off seaside and sixty if dropped at Linnhe Loch. The stranger explained that betraying him to the red coats would result in no money for Hoseason. The money was part of a rent which King George was looking for from the stranger's chieftain. Consequently, the Captain agreed on sixty guineas. Once Hoseason left, David asked if the exciting fellow was a Jacobite. The stranger stipulated that David was a Whig. He then sent David to Hoseason for the key to the liquor cabinet.

When David neared, he overheard the three officers planning to mug the man of his belt of gold. David was enraged but entered to ask for the key. The men saw their chance and told David to get the pistols in the round-house for them so that the stranger would not be suspicious. He agreed but rushed back to the man to tell him of the Captain's murderous intentions. David did not wish to witness another murder. The stranger, who called himself Alan Breck Stewart, was startled by the news. He and David prepared for the ambush by checking entrances to the round-house and preparing weapons. David had little experience and so Alan placed him in his bunk to watch the back door.

Analysis:

Weather is generally symbolic in novels, allowing the reader to gain a sense of the changes in plot from the way in which the weather is described. In this case, the chapter begins by illustrating great storms which toss the boat to such an extent that the officers decide to change course and move away from their destination. Once this is accomplished, the crew is met with fog so great that they are forced to listen to the sea at all times simply in order to avoid hitting the land. In other words, the men aboard the ship are blind as to what is to come that they are forced to rely solely on their ears. A disaster is clearly foreshadowed because of the extent of the blindness and the uneasiness established by the highly inclimate weather. However, although the weather is foreboding, David mentions that "danger [was] in the air, and [he] was excited." A sense of change, a turning of the tide, is "in the air" highlighting for the reader that something new is soon to be introduced. Alan Breck Stewart's arrival is the great event which occurs.

Critics, including Donald McFarlan, have remarked that neither David nor Alan are complete characters on their own. Instead, each fulfills half of a whole person, one complementing the other. After recently witnessing the death of David's childhood, Alan is born onto the ship. These events provide David with the courage to attack the injustices he has witnessed aboard the ship. Alone, he experienced very little active power, following whatever orders he was given. For instance, after Ransome's death, he scurries to the round-house when ordered to by Hoseason. However, within pages of Alan joining the ship, David has decided to turn against the crew and aid a man whom he has just met. The two men are two poles coming together and forming a stronger man. Without David, Alan would not have known about the Captain's plans to kill him. Thematically, Stevenson illustrates the duality of self in the unity of these two halves.

Religion is an interesting topic looked at in this chapter. For the first time, the Protestant characters meet a character of conflicting faith and loyalty. The irony enjoined in the characters of Hoseason and the crew becomes glaringly apparent. Hoseason tells Alan, "I am a true-blue Protestant and I thank God for it." Further, David tells the reader, "It was the first word of any religion I had heard from him, but I learnt afterwards he was a great churchgoer while on shore." And yet, Hoseason is the same man who witnessed the killing of small boy but did not reprimand the murderer. He agreed to kidnap David for a sum and sell him into slavery. The hypocrisy is great but Stevenson does little to criticize. Instead, he characterizes the irony and hypocrisy which is often embodied in religion and allows the reader to draw his own conclusions. We know David to be of this faith too and we have very little criticism for him. Furthermore, we will come to observe that within the constructs that Hoseason has set for himself, he often follows his rules to the letter. In terms of of the faith he follows, he is logical and rational, fulfilling the established traits of the typical Scottish lowlander.

Chapter 10 Summary:

The Captain and officers had grown tired of waiting for David and so Hoseason presently entered the round-house. Alan drew his sword. The Captain was surprised, mentioning how disappointed he was in David, but soon left. Alan alerted David that the ambush of men might come at any minute. David sat waiting, not sure whether he was scared or angry, until he heard the noise of a weapon falling to the deck above. Alan armed himself and gave David a handful of pistols to use. Suddenly the men entered the room, led by Mr. Shuan who attacked Alan directly. Alan gave him a killing blow. Men rushed past David to try to push the door in, forcing David to shoot a pistol for the first time in his life. His first shot injured one man, possibly the Captain. The next two shots were fired wide but scared the group of men back onto the deck. The men ducked back in momentarily to pull Shuan on deck, though he was already dead.

Alan looked victorious but told David to expect more attacks. David became fearful now that he had witnessed the killing. He heard voices on deck made up of a leader barking out orders and subordinates accepting them. He warned Alan that the men were planning another assault. Alan responded that this news was good because otherwise they would have to wait up all night. Soon the men descended upon them again. David heard their noise only near Alan until someone softly dropped on the roof above him. As a man thundered down through the skylight with cutlass in hand, David drew his pistol against the man's back. The man froze and dropped his cutlass but David was too much in a panic to pull the trigger. The man then swung around and grabbed David which forced him to shoot his pistol straight into the man. Another man pushed through the skylight and met with David's angry pistol.

Just then, Alan screamed out and David turned to see him surrounded by a group of men. He thought they would certainly be beaten but Alan killed three more of the men and injured most of the others, who ran back onto the deck. Alan and David were victorious! Alan was so ecstatic that he hugged and professed his love for David and then created a poetic song in Gaelic which detailed his glorious victory. David, overcome by exhaustion and fear, burst into tears. Alan let him sleep first and kept the first three hour watch. He then woke David who kept the next watch until morning. Rain began and the wind quieted so that David could hear that the men on deck. They did very little, ignoring even the tiller. The sound of birds informed David that they were near land.

Analysis:

Expanding on the theme of duality, chapter X further explores the personalities of David and Alan, Lowlander and Highlander respectively. Where Stevenson is concerned, the idea of morality is an interesting one to broach because it is not a cut and dry issue. He did not believe that the Lowlander had morals and that the Highlander did not. He was more invested in the moral system of the Lowlander and the Lowlander's loyalty to it, yet we have observed how he shows that hypocrisy can surface in a religious Lowlander, as in the case of Hoseason. Statements that Stevenson made has led critics to believe that he felt that Highlanders have morals which they stick very closely to, but that these morals are themselves questionable. Alan will exhibit these characteristics in the following chapters, but we begin to see major differences between Alan and David in this chapter.

Alan is proud of his fighting capabilities. He knows that the battle with the ship's men will be tough but has confidence that he and David can succeed. He shows fear very rarely. For instance, after most of the men have fled, Alan turns nonchalantly to the four men lying on the floor and passes his sword through each of them. He is unaffected. Afterward, Stevenson compares Alan to an excited child. The simile creates a character little different from a child. Alan acts on emotion and passion, characteristic of his romanticism, and celebrates after his victory. The song he composes is an elaborate commemoration of the gallant job of killing he has committed. David reasonably notes that Alan has ungraciously given him no credit in the song but excuses the mistake because of artistry. He comments, "So that, altogether, I did my fair share both of the killing and the wounding, and might have claimed a place in Alan's verses. But poetsŠhave to think upon their rhymes; and in good prose talk Alan always did me more than justice." The song and David's reaction to the song are representative of the two men.

As for David, he is quite in shock at the events. He freezes when he draws his pistol on a man, unable to shoot until the man grabs him. After he has shot two men, he stares blankly and only returns to the scene when he hears Alan scream. Interestingly, following the battle, David is also compared to a child. The parallelism of the similes allows for a stronger contrast of the two characters. The text states, "There was that tightness on my chest that I could hardly breathe; the thought of the two men I had shot sat upon me like a nightmare; and all of a sudden, and before I had a guess what was coming, I began to sob and cry like any child." David is overcome by fear and disgust at the events that he has participated in and how close to death he likely came. He is reduced to the emotional reaction of a child because of the traumatic event and because he cannot rationally condone violent behavior in most cases. He has been brought up in a strictly religious household, and unlike Alan, situations such as these are rarely acceptable to him. The two men represent contrasting sides to a Scottish demeanor as well as the two battling halves within the Scotsman, and Stevenson himself.

Chapter 11 Summary:

When morning came, David and Alan breakfasted. Alan told David to expect more fighting especially since the men had no access to their liquor, as the round-house contained it all. In their location, David and Alan were able to share some of the best food and drink on the boat. As a gift of gratitude, Alan gave David one of the silver buttons on his coat. David was more thankful when he watched Alan meticulously brush his jacket, giving special care to the loose threads from the button. The vanity of Alan's speech also impressed and humored David. It was difficult at times not to smile at his claims.

Soon, Mr. Riach contacted the men hoping to arrange a parley with the Captain. David leaned out of the broken skylight to speak with Riach, learning that the rest of the ship's men refused to form any sort of further attacks even if the Captain and Riach wanted it. Riach said they meant no treachery and were more scared of Alan than anything. The parley was agreed to and the Captain and Alan met to speak at one of the windows. Hoseason attempted to make Alan agree to be dropped off in Glasgow. Hoseason's first official was dead and the ship was very difficult to maneuver without him. Alan refused, demanding to be let off in his own land so he would not to meet any red coated Whigs. The Captain then tried to convince Alan that the shore was too difficult to navigate in Alan's part of Scotland. Consequently, Alan suggested a large stretch of shore which would be suitable.

Hoseason asked for money. Alan agreed to his old proposition of thirty guineas if he was dropped sea side and sixty if he was dropped in Linnhe Loch. The Captain desired the sixty guineas if he brought Alan to the near spot of Ardnamurchan. Alan again refused, repeating his offer. He also refused to help the ship's men steer the ship, as the Captain requested, and gave the Captain the responsibility of avoiding ships loyal to King George. With an exchange of brandy for buckets of water, the deal was done. The Captain and Riach were able to drink again and David and Alan could clean the blood off their floor.

Analysis

The silver button that Alan gives David is the fifth gift he has received from a friend since leaving home, and all have been symbolic. The first four were from Minister Campbell in Essendean. Ironically, the fifth is from a man who detests anyone with the last name Campbell as the Stewarts are arch enemies of the Campbells in the Highlands. The reader must wonder why the Minister is given a Highland surname when he seems to be a very respected Lowlander. In fact, when David first meets Uncle Ebenezer, he tells the old man that he has many friends by the name of Campbell in order to seem less reliant on his uncle's graciousness.

Thus David first aligns himself with the Campbells but then befriends one who is an archenemy of the clan. Critics feel that Stevenson did not want readers to think that the duality between the Highlander and Lowlander sensibility was too simplistic or easily delineated. David accepts gifts from the Minister and from Alan and respects the gifts from both.

The button is a synecdoche for Alan as it stands for the attention and care which Alan gives to his appearance and to his belongings. More extensively, the button represents the pride which Alan feels for his heritage and his people. His appearance and the upkeep of his belongings are the symbols of the Stewart clan which Alan shows to Scotland, England, and France. David remarks, "For all [the bragging Alan did], when I saw what care he took to pluck out the threads where the button had been cut away, I put a higher value on his gift." Due to the mercantile system of thought in the Lowlands, David is not quick to realize the emotional value the silver button contains for Alan until he observes Alan's attempt to smooth the wound its removal has left in his coat. By giving David a piece of his coat, Alan has shared with David a piece of himself and his heritage. A bond between them has been forged symbolically.

Chapter 12 Summary:

Soon, the breeze blew off the rain and the sun came out. The ship's course was decided by Hoseason who feared that the boat may be too large to navigate between the smaller isles. Thus, they drove south hoping to come up to Linnhe Loch around the southern coast of the Isle of Mull. Alan and David sat pleasantly in the round-house with doors open so the breeze could blow right through. They smoked pipes and told their stories to each other. David hoped to hear about Alan in order to know what to expect from the Scotland he would soon land upon.

Alan was a good listener of David's story until he heard David mention the minister, Mr. Campbell. The name alerted a hatred in Alan who explained that the Campbell family was his worst enemy. He claimed the family had cheated, tricked, and robbed his clan for years, doing the greatest harm after the Jacobite defeat in 1746. Alan spoke also of his father. His father was the first man, Alan claimed proudly, to tip the King's porter. Yet, his generosity left Alan poor which is why he joined the English army. However, at the battle at Preston Pans, he deserted his army and joined the Jacobites. David realized that his desertion was punishable by death. David could not understand why a man who had deserted the English army and worked for the French King would reenter Scotland. Alan explained that he missed his land, family, and friends. Also, he needed to recruit men to serve the King of France. Journeying back into Appin was not very difficult. He could hide with friends or in the heather because the English could not cover all of the Highlands. Moreover, the Highlands were considered pacified five years after the defeat.

However, Alan explained that King George demanded rent from the Highlands he had conquered in 1746, an endeavor which was aided by Colin Campbell who was put in charge of the area. The clan chief, Ardshiel, had to flee to France where the people of Appin continued to send him a rent in addition to giving the rent King George demanded. David thought this noble, pleasing Alan. He helped transport the rent from one side of the English Channel to the other, pointing to his belt of gold. Alan further exclaimed how the man referred to as the Red Fox, Colin Campbell, decided to take less rent in order to starve Ardshiel. Here David added that if the Red Fox took less rent than the government must have a hand in the process. But Alan seemed angered so David changed the subject. In addition to these great stories, David learned that his friend was a talented piper, poet, fencer, and angler. Moreover, Alan was a man who liked to pick quarrels, though he rarely fought with David because of their time together in the round-house.

Analysis:

Near the beginning of this chapter, Stevenson writes, "And here I must explain; and the reader would do well to look at a map." The author is working to establish that the story is based in factual events and geography. As opposed to Treasure Island where Stevenson creates a fictitious surrounding, Kidnapped exhibits more validity since he grounds the adventures in landmarks that any reader can find on the map that he has provided in the book. By beginning the chapter with such a solid geographical foothold, Stevenson effectively adds a greater veracity to the stories which are to follow. As the brig is navigated through the tricky waters around the Isle of Canna and so forth, David learns a brief history of Alan's part in the Rebellion of 1746 and the role in Scotland which he and his clan play presently. The bad weather clears, and during the storytelling, the sun and a slight breeze delight David and Alan. The stage is set therefore by the weather and the factual information for Alan's story.

Characteristic of David, his reason for wanting to hear Alan's story is based in a rational and practical desire to prepare himself for the Scottish Highlands. As he mentions, "In those days, so close on the back of the great rebellion, it was needful a man should know what he was doing when he went upon the heather." Heather is a metonym for the wild Highlands, representing the rough and savage character of the land and people themselves. David wanted to prepare for the savage life he worried that he may encounter.

David is impressed by the pride and honor with which Alan gives his story. He is not only proud to talk about his chief and the two taxes that he helps transport but gives a story about his father being the first to tip the King's porter. This detail is rather inconsequential but Alan does not work on a basis of logic. He simply wants David to know what a great man his father was. Yet, note that during the Rebellion, Alan first fought on the side of King George before he deserted to the Jacobite side at the battle of Preston Pans. The reason why he first fought on the Hanoverian side is never given, but we do learn that Alan was not originally loyal to the Jacobite cause. Stevenson is thus able to provide a greater complexity to Alan's character and to illustrate that one cannot know everything about a Scotsman by knowing that he is a Highlander or Lowlander. This extends the mixing of sensibilities which was established by describing Hoseason as a strictly religious Presbyterian.

Chapter 13 Summary:

Late one night, Hoseason pleaded with Alan to steer the ship. Alan and David could tell that the Captain was earnestly worried about navigating his ship through the upcoming waters. Alan took the reins but found the sea to be ordinary. Suddenly, a fountain of water spurted high and the Captain demanded to know what had caused it. Alan recognized that the fountain was caused by water breaking on a reef. He was glad the fountain had alerted them. Hoseason agreed but pointed to the fountains spurting up all around the ship. Sure enough, many reefs became visible. Safe navigation seemed nearly impossible. Alan remembered that the Torran Rocks stretched for a mile along these parts. David noticed that Alan was white with fear but Hoseason and Riach remained calm. David respected them greatly at this time.

Alan remembered that there may be clearer waters near the land. Mr. Riach watched the sea from aloft and alerted Alan where to move the ship to avoid danger. He yelled down that the waters did seem calmer near land. The Captain declared that Alan had been correct after all and that he would remember this when they were settling their dues. Hoseason cared more about the ship, David observed, than he had about Ransome. Riach screamed to the men on deck to move the ship just as the tide hit the ship sharply. The boat spun like a top, throwing Riach onto the deck. David was stunned and confused. When he came to, he joined the seamen trying to repair the skiff. Injured crewmen came on deck to lend a hand as well. The Captain stood motionless, in shock. Alan told David that the land they neared was home to his hated Campbells.

One of the wounded man took over watch of the sea and suddenly shouted to the men to hang on. A great swell came and David was pushed into the sea. He sank below the water and rose to the surface many times. After being tossed about for a long while, David came to in calmer water, holding onto a spar. He was far from the ship and finally decided he was closer to the land. With his little swimming experience, he did not reach the shore for over an hour. The desolation of the isle struck him almost as much as his fatigue.

Analysis:

In this chapter, the reader observes the men under extraordinary circumstances and watches as they try to work together. Although the men have battled against each other and although Alan is a Jacobite and the others are Protestant followers of King George, the circumstances require a team effort. Again, Stevenson is highlighting that a Scotsman, as a human being, contains qualities of both the Highlander and the Lowlander. In times when one must function successfully, one must draw from each side of his humanity. Similarly, David and Alan are most successful along their journey when they are able to take advantage of each man's best qualities. Still, we will note in "The Quarrel" chapter, how far and difficult the gap is to bridge. In Chapter XIII, therefore, the men attempt to save the boat through a concerted effort, but the power of nature is simply too strong to submit to this unity. The theme of man versus nature will be further explored as we progress.

As we have discussed previously, David's adventures are symbolically a rite of passage in his move toward adulthood. We were instantly clued into this theme when the book began with David's departure from home after the death of his parents. After David's journey to his uncle's home, his next major journey takes place on the ship, the Covenant. He is meant to be sold as a slave when the ship reaches America, but with David's good luck, the ship never leaves the waters surrounding Scotland. Life on board the ship, slowly and progressively becomes clearer to David. As he nears each obstacle, the obstacle becomes clearer and dissolves, symbolizing the challenges along the rite of passage to adulthood which one must overcome.

David and Alan have successfully fended off the ship's crew and gained control of the brig. To symbolize the peace, the sun comes out. However, soon the normal waters begin spurting up in fountains, identifying that reefs lie around the ship. David is not ready for this obstacle. He does very little to help, is mostly tossed around, and finally is thrown completely overboard and washes away. Metaphorically, David has a good deal of work still to do. The reefs are a wake up call, separating David from the ship, which had been a womb of sorts and given him new confidence, and reducing him to a state where he must rely solely on himself and nature.

Chapter 14 Summary:

It was past midnight when David walked around the island. He took of his shoes and paced back and forth, afraid that if he sat he might freeze. With the beginning of dawn, he decided to trek to the top of the nearby hill, hoping to see a ship. From the top, he could not see the Covenant nor any other sail in the distance. Discouraged, David started walking east along the southern coast. He found no signs of civilization. It began to rain. His clothing, wet from his swim, remained wet and caused him to feel more miserable. He walked along until he came to a creek which was too deep to cross. He followed the creek until it narrowed and then grew wide again. David tried crossing at the narrowest spot but found it was impossible. Colder, he ran back to the shore to find the spar he had left. Unable to discover the spar, he waded into the sea only to view the spar twenty feet further out then he could reach. Greatly dismayed, David threw himself on the sand and wept. His stomach growled with hunger but David knew little of what was safe to eat. He caught a few snails and limpets. His first meal made him terribly sick but the second, made up of the same elements, restored him.

It rained all day and through the second. David traveled to the other side of the island but found no homes or people. He chose to set up a resting spot where he could view the neighboring islands of Iona and Ross. It soothed his heart to see signs of civilization. From this spot he also hoped to view boats passing which he might hail. On the third day, David noticed that his pocket had ripped, allowing his money to drop out. From the fifty pounds he left Queensferry with, he retained little over three pounds.

By midday, the sun finally came out and helped to refresh David's spirits. With the sky clear, David noticed a ship passing, headed for Iona. Exuberantly, he shouted to the ship. The ship's men could hear him but only laughed and continued to Iona. For only the second time, David wept. The next time he ate the island shellfish, he fell terribly ill. Yet when the illness passed, he was drier and better able to sleep. The next day, the ship from the previous day miraculously returned. David ran down to the shore to hear them speaking in Gaelic and laughing. He finally caught the English word "tide" and came to realize that the island was connected to land when the tides went out. He ran to the creek he had found earlier. It was much smaller. David waded across to the main island and was saved from his own folly.

Analysis:

David's experience on the islet where he lives for nearly four days without knowing that he is connected to the main island during low tide is a classic example of the dissolution of an obstacle after David approaches it or haggles with it. The reader thinks that David is stranded on a deserted island, tortuously within sight of habitation but without the means to reach that habitation. He traverses the entire islet to no avail, is made seriously ill by the diet of snails and limpets, loses most of the money he began with, and watches the very clothes on his body rot because of the incessant moisture. He is truly miserable on the desolate spot.

The isle is again symbolic of the reduction of the self. Man is stripped entirely of the material objects, such as the money and clothing, which made him recognize his humanity until he can come to terms with the very essence of self. At first, David resists the self-reliance, constantly looking over his shoulder out of fear or hope. The text states, "I had become in no way used to the horrid solitude of the isle, but still looked around me on all sides (like a man that was hunted) between fear and hope that I might see some human creature coming." Yet, David is forced to rely on his own direction and survival skills.

However, suddenly, a boat comes into play which finally tells David that the islet was merely an illusion. In fact, the islet is connected with the main islands David had been staring longingly at the entire time. He was never separated or deserted at all, but connected to humanity all along. However, David did not know that. Growing into adulthood is often about learning the ways to navigate life and deciphering the best processes of decision making. What had first seemed like an impossible task often dissolves into one quite manageable. The illusion of impossibility fades and understanding evolves. In much the same manner, David cannot at first understand the men from the ship which returns to save him. They are speaking Gaelic and choppy Scottish and so David has difficulty deciphering their meaning. Soon enough, however, he catches a word or two and can piece together the puzzle.The impossible becomes possible and David is able to save himself.

Chapter 15 Summary:

David walked in the direction he thought he had seen the rooftops. He came upon a small residence where an old man sat out front. With the man's limited English, David learned that his ship's crew had landed safely and had passed through that very house the previous night. He asked if a man wearing fancier clothes was among the group and the man confirmed this. The man inquired if David was the boy with the silver button. David answered and the man delivered a message from Alan. David was requested to find Alan in his own country, Torosay. The generous man invited David in for the night, making him punch and feeding him extremely well. David slept well and was much revived.

He started off late the next morning toward Torosay, noting the dress of the impoverished Highlanders reflected the edict of the 1746 defeat whereby their traditional dress was prohibited. He asked some of the natives directions to Torosay but received a flood of Gaelic in response. When night fell, David reached a small house but was refused entrance until he offered money for his stay. The house owner took five shillings, began speaking Scottish, and agreed to lead him to Torosay in the morning. David slept anxiously but found the man willing to lead him the next day. Five miles later they stopped at wealthier man's house to change the shillings. The man invited them to a meal with his family and served a strong punch for drink. David's guide was incapacitated after the punch and refused to continue. David appealed to the host but he refused to allow his guests to leave after punch. The next morning, David's guide was slow to start as he began drinking again. Finally they traveled a few miles but then the man stopped, saying his English had left him, and demanded more money. David compromised and gave him two shillings but the man soon stopped again and demanded more. When David refused, the man took out a knife but David was able to knock the man down and strip him of his knife and shoes.

He thus continued alone until meeting a blind man who professed that he knew the country so well that he could lead David. Unbeknownst to the blind man, David noticed a pistol hanging from the man's clothes. David doubted that the man was a catechist like he claimed. As they walked, David noticed that the man trying to knock him over. When David would not succumb to his tricks, the old man wandered off cursing. Happy to be alone, David continued until he reached an inn. The innkeeper told him how the blind man he had met was suspected as a highway robber. David ate and drank well again and went to sleep pleased with his progress.

Analysis:

Ironically, although David is quite relieved to find civilization on the Isle of Mull, the men he meets are largely villainous and dangerous. David has returned to walking along a path toward a destination as we found him at the beginning of the story when he sets out for his uncle's home. As this mode was his start, we can assume that he is now back on track along his rite of passage toward adulthood, moving from the Garden of Eden to the land of knowledge, symbolically speaking. He meets several obstacles along the way during the passage in this chapter and must learn how to deal with each without getting swindled. The chapter has a cyclical pattern, beginning with David walking alone, pleased to be back on track, and ending in the same manner. In the interim, David comes into contact with five different, challenging Highlanders whom he must judge. Cyclically, the man David meets at the beginning of the chapter and the man David is aided by at the end are both kind and helpful. The three men sandwiched in between cause the problems.

Luckily, the first house which David comes to on the Isle of Mull has been visited by the Covenant's crew and Alan. Furthermore, Alan has left a message for David and has given the man at the house a means by which he can trust to whom he is communicating. He identifies that David is "the lad with the silver button." We have already discussed how the button is a synecdoche for Alan - it is a piece of him and stands for his body and character. In a very Biblical sense, one could possibly say that the button represents the Eucharist, where a churchgoer may receive the blood and body of Christ. David has received from Alan's body and is now in search of him, following his path and the messages he has left behind. Furthermore, David has been reduced from a man with a name and past to a man identified by the button he is carrying. The button serves as a vessel for receiving the messages Alan has left behind and allows David a destination to seek. Otherwise, he would not know where to go or for whom to look. David only has purpose and direction through the button and the ticket it gives him. He does not make decisions on his own.

The three men David meets up with in the middle of the chapter try to swindle and trick him but he catches on rather quickly. The blind man is the most interesting. He claims to be a catechist, but yet has a pistol hanging out of his pocket and constantly tries to knock David over so that he can rob him. David however sees the pistol and notices the man's tricks and so is not manipulated by him. The pistol is symbolic of the manner in which David is able to see past the tricks and obstacles he is affronted with. His instincts toward the blind man are correct, just as the path he follows is straight and will lead him to Alan.

Chapter 16 Summary:

David took a ferry from Torosay to Kinlochaline. The boat's skipper had the last name of Macrob which he recognized as one of Alan's clan. David hoped to get a word with him but the crowds on the boat did not allow it. The trip was tedious but the good natured passengers sang in Gaelic to pass the time. As they neared the shore, David noted a ship filled with people in black crying out in mourning. It was an emigrant ship headed for America and the passengers on board David's ship either empathized or recognized the emigrants and wailed with them. Finally they disembarked and David spoke with Neil Roy Macrob. He asked for information on Alan Breck, offering money. Macrob was deeply offended. David then showed him Alan's silver button which Macrob recognized. He chastised David for not showing this first and grudgingly gave him Alan's instructions. David was given a route which led from the inn at Kinlochaline to Morven to Ardgour across lochs and finally to the house of James Stewart of Appin. Macrob warned him to speak with no one.

The night spent at the local inn was miserable as the place was in much disrepair. David departed the next morning and headed along the route he was given. Along the way, David met another catechist, Henderland, who was a member of the Edinburgh Society for Propagating Christian Knowledge. Being from the south, the catechist and David got along well and David was pleased to hear his own language. Henderland seemed to be welcomed by the people they passed. David told him much of his story, though changing his destination and leaving out any mention of Alan. Henderland continually asked him if he had snuff. He also spoke to David about the affairs of the Highlands and of the unfairness of many of the laws which Parliament had passed. The catechist noted how stealthy Alan was and how unlikely it was that Red Fox would escape trouble even if he was able to fully disarm and disband the clan of Ardshiel.

Henderland was kind enough to bring David back to his dwelling to sleep and eat. David was surprised by the hypocrisy of the catechist, rushing back to his home for his snuff but preaching to David about humility before God. Still, David found himself deeply moved and tried to think less highly of himself.

Analysis

The ship of mourners which David and the other ferrygoers approach is a reminder of the fate which David could have easily faced. The ship is full of emigrants being exiled to America. It is a merchandise ship, which leads one to believe that the passengers would not have a much better future to look forward to than David would have had. The air was filled with the sense of melancholy and death, affecting even David who was now removed from this fear. David however moves in the opposite direction from the mourning ship, symbolizing his step move past this obstacle and the new route he has effectively undertaken.

Mr. Henderland was likely created by Stevenson in order to please his father, who was a highly religious Protestant. He was never pleased that David had moved away from religion. Often David attempted to smooth the issue over anyway that he could. He would frequently send his father letters updating his progress and critics have guessed that the character of Henderland the catechist was a direct product of a suggestion that Mr. Stevenson made to his son in a letter that has been uncovered. McFarlan's note includes the following quotation from the letter Robert Louis sent to Thomas Stevenson on January 25, 1886: ³I quite agree with you, and had already planned a scene of religion in [Kidnapped]; the Society for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge furnishes me with a catechist whom I shall try to make the man.² His father had suggested a character like Henderland because there were so few characters who were well-respected, religious Lowlanders in Kidnapped and Stevenson liked to keep his father involved in his work.

Regardless of the reason for Henderland's creation, the reader will immediately be aware of the hypocrisy inherent in his character, as noted by David. The man is so consumed by getting to his snuff that he constantly interrupts David and then runs rudely into his house so that he can have some. David himself mentions that he finds it ironic that the man who is so obviously addicted to snuff has been sent to the Highlands to cultivate the more savage breed of Scots. Ironically, this same man also preaches to David about humility in religion. In contrast, the character of Neil Macrob, a clansman of Alan, is offended by the thought of a bribe and righteously delivers Alan's message out of loyalty to Alan and their relationship. Again, Stevenson highlights his theme of the complexity and duality of man as well as the complexity of Scotland.

Chapter 17 Summary:

The next morning, Henderland arranged for a man who was crossing the Linnhe Loch to Appin to bring David across, thus saving him from two ferry rides. As they reached the shore, David observed some red and metallic colors clashing and asked his host about it. The skipper noted that red coats must be moving into Appin against its residents. Saddened, David soon asked to be let off the boat. On land, David sat in the woods. He wondered why he was risking his life for a rebel like Alan when he could simply turn toward his home. Suddenly, he heard men coming down the trail and decided that he would continue to his destination. The leading man appeared regal, had red hair, and was accompanied by a lawyer, servant, and man of the Sheriff. When they neared, David stepped onto the path and asked for directions to Aucharn. The red haired man, who turned out to be Red Fox/Colin Campbell, asked him why he wished to know and David intelligently explained that he was neither for or against the Highlanders but was loyal to King George. Campbell was not willing to help on this day. While he was speaking, a single shot rang out and hit Red Fox. He dropped to the ground and died. Coming to his senses, David sprang up the hill, yelling after the murderer. He continued to chase him until the murderer disappeared.

Behind David stood the Sheriff's men, who demanded David come to them. He overheard one order the men to grab the boy because he was an accomplice to the murder. David was confounded. Men hiding in the bush reached out for him and helped him hide within. There, he saw Alan Stewart. Alan told David to follow him and they ran quickly through the countryside. Every so often, Alan would stand upright and a roar from the soldiers would follow. Then, Alan signaled for them to turn and they ran back to the spot where David had found him. They ducked down. David was exhausted and fell to Alan's side.

Analysis:

The reader will observe a clear example of David's decision-making, or the lack of active decision-making which takes place on his part. As the critic Kiely finds, ³For all the intrigue, kidnapping, border-crossing, spying, and sword play, David BalfourŠis an impotent hero, and Šis one of the inactive and inept heroes in the noncomic literature of adventure.² For the first time in the novel, David begins to wonder why he is running in search of Alan Breck, a condemned man who rebelled against David's King. Not only is it a dangerous venture, but David had been raised a faithful and religious Whig who was warned by his minister when leaving Essendean to not shame his homeland and faith. Yet, David has aided a wild Highlander Jacobite overthrow a ship of pirates and is now following the messages he leaves in hopes of catching up with him. What will David do when he gets there?

The thematic struggle he faces is best described by critic Edwin Eigner, who writes, ³Š[Kidnapped] depend[s] for suspense and significance on theŠthematic question: Can the boy transcend his conscience and bring himself to accept his despised companion?² Yet David never consciously decides whether he will support or tolerate Alan. We see him worrying about the issue, but his decision is made in the same haphazard and groundless manner the reader noted when David decided to continue to his Uncle's door after hearing what a dreadful man he was. The text states, ³I had no sooner seen these people coming than I made up my mind (for no reason that I can tell) to go through with my adventureŠ² Not only has Stevenson devised a character whose mind is fickle, but he stresses the lack of self-knowledge that David beholds by placing the fact that he has no idea why he has made a choice in parentheses so that the statement is highlighted for the reader. The syntactic structure of the sentence arranges the stress by placing the parentheses directly following the word ³mind² so that an immediate connection can be made by reader between David's mind and his fickleness.

Is his lack of active decision-making a fault? Or is his mental sharpness and maturity meant to be understressed? The critic, Kiely, likes to believe that Stevenson may have wanted to exhibit more profound human and psychological issues in Kidnapped but actually was not able to move away from the simplistic, open-air adventure which he had created in the more childish Treasure Island. Kiely states, ³But if there is a tendency [in Kidnapped] to expand the field [beyond Treasure Island] of adventure and to complicate the action with historical and geographical association, there isŠa stronger tendency to remain in the relatively simple and limited world of child's dream.² Kiely believes that that Stevenson's attempt to deepen the issues involved in Kidnapped was mainly a superficial function. However, other critics such as Eigner, believe the use of doubling and dopplegangers in addition to the similarities in Kidnapped to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, may add more weight than Kiely would have supported. We will further explore these issues as we move along.

Chapter 18 Summary:

Alan woke first and spoke to David. David however refused to lift his head and told him that they must part company. Alan demanded to know why and David explained that he did not wish to be near a man who either participated in or committed a murder. By describing how foolish it would be for Alan to take part in a murder for his safety and his clan's, Alan was able to convince David that he had no part in the crime. He was less successful in answering if he knew the identity of the murderer but David appreciated his skillful avoidance of the question and his loyalty to his own code of morals. David thought Alan immoral when he threw the soldiers off the murderer's track but was nevertheless quieted.

Alan illustrated the danger David was in now that the soldiers thought that he was an accomplice in the murder. David was skeptical but was finally persuaded that he was safer to follow Alan than trust the Campbell's justice system. Alan alerted David to the hardships they would have to endure on the run but David was still uplifted to learn that they would be heading south. They rested as the soldiers searched for them far off.

David learned of the events following his capsize. Two more great waves came and toppled the ship upon the reef so that water poured in. The bedridden seamen cried out in such horror that the able bodied men hopped into the dingy and paddled to shore. Another wave pushed the ship in their pursuit but was soon pulled under and sunk to the bottom. The seamen rowed silently to the shore. At this moment, Hoseason demanded that they ambush Alan. Reluctantly the crew spread out to attack him until Riach stood and defended Alan. He suggested Alan run which Alan did. Because Alan had caught a glimpse of David holding onto the spar in the water, he hoped David might have survived and left clues along his path to guide the boy. As Alan ran, he alerted all he saw to the wreck on the beach.

Analysis:

This chapter is mainly explanatory, as Alan illustrates to David why he would not have participated in the crime, the probable difficulty of their journey versus the injustice David would face in a Campbell court, and the events which befell the Covenant and its crew after David was thrown overboard. The great ship has sunk to the sea floor. Symbolically, the womb which David had been trapped inside had been destroyed, freeing him to a more independent existence, one would think. However, after four days of living alone on the isle and managing to survive rather ingeniously, David follows the path of a condemned rebel instead of searching for a route home. By luck, or happenstance, David is thrown into a situation where he finds Alan. From this point until David reaches the Shaws at the end of the book, the two men are virtually inseparable. There are points where David considers leaving Alan but he does not wish to betray the kind friend.

Still, it is curious. If we look at David's adventures as a rite of passage, can he experience a true rite of passage when he will travel with a companion on whom he is so dependent? Is that a path to maturity or dependence? Or can one be mature and dependent simultaneously? Perhaps we will discover that David and Alan are codependent, which would support the analysis that David and Alan are two halves of one self, or doubles of one being. Yet, what does this say about adulthood? Was Stevenson actually saying anything about adulthood?

David morally believes that since he and Alan are innocent of the crime that they should aid not hinder the Sheriff and that they had no reason to run because their innocence would have been revealed. He does not understand the complex clan politics which exist in the Highlands, and which is partially explained in the historical note given at the beginning of the novel. His attempt to be rational and reasonable is thus rejected by Alan who feels that any jury David faced would be made up of Campbells, who were incapable of holding a fair trial. Each man does not understand the views of the other but David finally agrees to trust Alan as he is in his home territory. But one must realize that Alan's views are subject to a great bias because of his notion that anything to do with a Campbell is evil. Proof of this bias surfaced in Alan's reaction to David's friend Minister Campbell. The bias that each has - David's bias for reason and Alan's bias for romanticized resentment - drives their blindness to truth and is synecdochal for the very characters of David and Alan.

Chapter 19 Summary:

When it grew dark, the two climbed through the heather, coming out in view of a lit house. Many people scurried about but froze as Alan gave three sharp whistles to identify himself. When Alan and David reached the house, they were greeted by James Stewart of the Glens. Alan asked him to speak in English so David could understand. James immediately mentioned how bad of a day it had been. The murder would certainly be pinned on the people of Appin. Alan asked him to consider that the Red Fox was dead as well. But James exclaimed that he had a family and it would be better for him if Campbell were still alive.

During this conversation, the confused scurrying behind them continued. James explained that they were burying the weapons and burning dangerous documents. When Alan learned that they planned to hide his French clothing, he ran off to retrieve it, handing David over to James. David and James entered the house and sat at a table, but James was too deep in thought to pay much attention to David. James' wife stood weeping and his son sat at the fire, burning select papers. Finally, James could no longer sit and began to pace. At one point, James ran to his son and struck him for trying to burn a paper which could help him. The situation was very awkward for David, who was glad to see Alan reappear in his tattered French garb. While David changed into better clothing, the matter was settled between Alan and James that he would run with Alan. They were given provisions, including arms, food, and money. Alan noted that the money would soon run out but James told him he should not wait for more but should send word once they had traveled awhile. He exclaimed that soldiers would soon ransack the entire area and the news that Alan had been present would surface. James would have to create a wanted poster with Alan's name and another with David's. He figured that the Red Fox's relatives would do the same and it was James's only hope of avoiding some of their retribution.

Alan cried that he had brought David to this and now acted like a traitor. Alan asked David what he thought, who told them that they make posters of the man who had committed the crime, not of two innocent men. The Highlanders gasped, crying that they would not betray the Camerons. To David, this confirmed that the murderer was from the Cameron family. David gave up trying to use logic and agreed to help in any way he could. Mrs. Stewart ran over to Alan and David, thanking them both. She was especially grateful toward David because he was risking his life for strangers. She wept that she would always bless him. As day was approaching, Alan and David reentered the dark heather of the Highlands.

Analysis:

David comes into the urgency of the situation when they arrive at James of the Glens. He had not realized the severity of the situation nor the likelihood that the murder would be blamed on a scapegoat if the Campbells could not find the murderer. David still suggests making a wanted poster for the real murderer instead of for himself and Alan. However, the loyalty which the Stewarts feel toward the others in their clan overwhelms any sense of rational justice that David holds. The reader can understand the reaction that James and Alan have to the situation, though she may not condone it.

However, one also observes that Alan refuses to have his French clothing disposed of and puts the clothing back on his body even though it is incriminating, tattered, and dirty. This is a far from a rational response but Alan's romantic ideals and ego will not allow him to dress in clothing any less glorious. The clothing is a synecdoche for Alan, representing his loyalty to the French King and his need to arrogantly uphold his cosmopolitan reputation. As David observed on the ship, Alan was so consumed by his appearance and the material with which he adorned himself that he fussed over his clothing like a woman. By modern standards, this simile may seem sexist, but his point is well taken and we understand his meaning as we watch Alan return to his tattered French wear.

Mrs. Stewart is one of the few female characters in the novel. One will notice, however, that the female characters which are portrayed are given positive illustrations. Mrs. Stewart, though only a wife figure, and thus a secondary character, shows more sincere human emotion than do many of the other characters. One of Kiely's comments details that for all of the traumatic experiences which David and Alan undergo on their journey, truthfully their adventures are little more than boy's play. He alleges, ³For all the fatigue and discomforts caused by the rough terrain and the fickle Scotch climate during their flight in the heather, David and Alan have a rather whimsical time of it, whistling and joking and treating the dangers of man and nature with an air of casual disregard.² If this is true, which we will discuss later, the women at least seem to have a much more sincere investment in life and humanity.

Chapter 20 Summary:

During the night, they moved quickly, mostly running as dawn approached. Alan would pause occasionally at a house in order to keep his neighbors updated. When the sun rose, the two were in the middle of a valley, quite visible. The valley appeared empty but Alan ran on, coming soon to a stream. He leapt onto a rock in the middle of the river, followed shortly by David. David looked at the wide berth between them and the other side and became overwhelmed by fear. Alan tried to encourage David but saw that he may never move. Forcing David to drink some brandy, Alan then lifted himself up and leapt across. David, tipsy from the liquor, knew he must jump immediately. He took a giant jump, but only reached the shore with his fingertips. Barely grasping on, David was finally pulled onto land by Alan.

Alan instantly began running again. He slowed under a great rock, giving David a chance to breath. He then hitched himself up onto the rock by stepping on David's shoulders. From there, he was able to help David up. Once on top, David was able to see a sunken area in which the men could lie and be hidden from sight. Alan finally relaxed and teased David about his jumping abilities. He said however that he was to blame for their predicament. Because of Alan losing his way during the night, they had been in the open valley at dawn. Also, he had forgotten to bring water with them and had only the brandy. Alan told David that he could sleep first.

Hours later, David was awakened abruptly by the feel of Alan's hand across his face. He had been snoring. David did not care but upon sitting up, noticed the large amount of red coated soldiers scattered across the valley. Because of the proximity of the soldiers, David and Alan were forced to lie flat upon the rocks as silently as possible. In the sunlight, the rock became so hot that only the little area of peat and moss on the rock stayed cool. Only one man could fit on this, so they took turns lying on the burning rock surface. The heat was unbearable and the hot rum did not help. Sometimes, the red coats came close enough to touch the rock.

Finally, as the afternoon came, a shadow crept across the land and allowed the men to slip down behind the rock into the shade. As the soldiers moved closer to the riverside, Alan and David slipped away along the other side of the valley. It was slow moving but when the sun went down they were able to stand upright and travel faster. They reached a river and lay happily in it, drinking the water. Much refreshed, they continued until Alan was sure enough of their safety that he whistled tunes as they walked.

Analysis:

This chapter really begins the arduous and tumultuous trek which David and Alan undertake together to escape from Appin back to Queensferry. The route will be circuitous and haphazard since they must escape detection. It will bring David many times near death. And here from the start, the two must face danger. We will learn a little more about their dynamic as we watch the journey in its infant stage.

The first real obstacle that is approached is the large river, in the middle of which a rock stands. Alan leaps onto the rock and is ready to jump to the far riverbed. David has a look on his face which immediately tells Alan that he is too frightened to jump. He freezes, similar to the time he is faced with shooting a man in the round-house on the ship. Shooting a man is a horrible act and one that David never thought he would be doing. Jumping from a rock to the shore does not compare in severity. However, the rock incident can be looked at as a metaphor for David's active life, as we have begun to explore. David is a rather unusual hero and narrator. It is ironic that the first-person narrator, a character and a voice endowed with great agency, has such a passive active life within the novel. Of course, the events are determined by David's route and the eyes the readers look through are David's own. However, few of the actions are precipitated by David. The largest protests he seems to raise throughout the novel are over moral issues, such as gambling, lying, and drinking. Kiely called David an "inactive" and "inept" hero because of the lack of agency the character holds. He is incapable of risking the jump from rock to shore without the aid of brandy to loosen his inhibitions. With Alan's pleading and the brandy, David is finally able to make that jump. But the question remains, can he make the jump to independent thought and adulthood? He is an incomplete and fractured hero.

A quotation a little further on in the chapter again highlights David's passivity in his battle with self and agency. The text asserts, "I followed him at once, and instantly fell all my length, so weak was I and so giddy with that long exposure." This quotation refers to Alan leading David off of the heated rock into the shade. David following Alan off the rock is an obvious semantic symbol for David's reliance on the agency which Alan possesses. Also, notice the stressed idea of the long exposure the men had faced on the rock. They were exposed to a long period of scorching sunlight which burnt and drained their bodies excessively. As sunlight often functions as a symbol for knowledge, the quotation could be said to illustrate an overexposure to knowledge. David has suddenly been placed in a very adult position of a condemned man on the run. Furthermore, the theme of man versus nature surfaces in the quotation as we observe David struggling with the land which, as a mercantile Lowlander, he did not often have to manage.

Chapter 21 Summary:

They walked in the dark uphill until they came to a cleft of a great mountain, named Corrynakiegh, where a cave lay in which they could hide. They remained in this spot for nearly five pleasant days. They could sneak to a spot near the river and make a fire to warm themselves and cook the fish they caught in the river. Alan attempted to teach David how to use a sword. He was never pleased with David's progress and David thought at times that he might run the sword through him. But, David was pleased with his ability to stand in against Alan.

Soon, Alan mentioned that it would be awhile before the red coats found them. It was time to contact James and have him send money. David wondered how he would accomplish this contact but Alan was resourceful and made a cross out of wood in the tradition of the fiery cross, a signal for the gathering of his clan. He attached the silver button he had given David along with sprigs of birch and fir. Then, Alan explained that he would leave the cross outside the window of John Breck Maccol, a friend of his. John would recognize the button. Also, he would be able to discern that the two sprigs identified in which part of the heather Alan was hiding. David was skeptical but the plan worked and, shortly, the bouman approached the heather. Alan explained to him that he was needed as a messenger. The bouman required that Alan write his plea so Alan found a quill and, using gunpowder, wrote a message.

Three days later the bouman reappeared with a message from Mrs. Stewart, detailing the events which had transpired. James and some servants were imprisoned as facilitators, wanted signs for Alan and David covered the country, and red coats were uncovering buried arms. She included a small sum of money, a blessing for their safety, and a copy of the wanted poster. Alan was pleased with the description of his French wear. David was also pleased because he had since changed his clothes and was thus safer. He suggested that Alan change his clothes but Alan refused. David began to think that he may be safer away alone because he would not be recognized. Still, he could not be disloyal. Alan asked the bouman for his button back but John Breck said he had lost it. Alan did not believe him and the button was returned to David.

Analysis

The duality of self is explored in the relationship of David and Alan as two sides to a complete human persona. Alan tells David, "Ye're a man of small contrivance, David." They agree that hiding in Corrynakiegh is a good time to send to James for money. However, David does not see how they can possibly contact James and his family while he and Alan are hiding and have no means of communication. David is looking for logical, straightforward ways of affecting an action and when he does not see an easy possibility, he is incapable of looking further. He lacks creativity and romantic imagination.

Alan, by contrast, knows that if he thinks about the problem for a long enough time, he will invent some way of solving it. He is inventive and enterprising, refusing to be easily quieted. Creatively and constructively, Alan makes a cross which stands as a metonym for Alan's clan and his people's long history and tradition. The cross and the signified objects which he attaches to the symbol are a very clever way of communicating his need. David would not have imagined a vehicle of communicating which was so deeply endowed with meaning using the limited tools available.

Over the course of the five days spent in the cave at Corrynakiegh, David and Alan have a slight chance to relax. The river they use for fishing, bathing, and dining is hidden from sight in the mountain so that they are relatively safe at all times. Alan notes that the red coats will not determine their position for a while. The literary critic, Kiely, analyzes this passage of the novel as such, "Throughout their flight, while hotly pursued by semi-barbarous Campbells out for revenge, and troops of redcoats with a warrant for their arrest, the two heroes insist upon acting like vacationers on a walking tour of the Highlands." He then inserts the quotation from this chapter which discusses the two men competing to be the best fisherman. The scene is certainly jovial and filled with testosterone-esque competition, yet the assertion by Kiely is not completely fair when considering the surrounding circumstances. This event is one of the few relaxed times in the novel, especially over the course of the escape, and it allows the reader to view the boyishness and limitations inherent in each character. The playfulness reveals a greater humanity and solidifies the bond which is growing between the two men.

Chapter 22 Summary:

By morning, after hours of traveling, Alan and David reached the end of the mountains. Beyond them, the moor let off a mist that draped the land, and any soldiers on it. Alan stopped and asked David if he wished to risk continuing or rest for the night. Alan described how dangers lay all around so that Eastward was the only path they could choose. However, going East would bring hardship too as the land was very flat and they would be easy to spot. David rationalized that they might as well keep going and Alan applauded his spirit. When the mist died away, David saw that the land was nearly barren and dead. As the sun rose and heat increased, they kept to their knees or bellies. At noon, they lay behind a thick bush to rest. Alan permitted David to sleep first. Too soon, David was awakened. Alan set a stick in the ground to judge the time and gave David a specific time to wake him up. Yet, David was still so fatigued that he dozed off. When he awoke, the shadow on the stick was past Alan's mark and soldiers had moved in. He woke Alan quickly. Alan's face showed anger but he said nothing to David except that they had better make a run for it before the soldiers got any closer.

They ran for the large mountain nearby, Ben Alder. With no water left, smoke rising from the burnt ground, and their constant crawling about, David soon became extremely weary. He would have lain down had he not feared Alan and his fortitude. When they noticed the soldiers setting up camp for the night, David begged that they rest as well. Alan refused, exclaiming that they must reach the mountain. David did not know if he could continue so Alan offered to carry him. In disbelief, David agreed to keep moving. As he crept along in the light of night (far north, it does not get very dark during summer), David came to hate each step and the man who made him take it. He felt like a private blindly following his officer.

When day dawned, they had traveled far enough from danger to stand upright. They were so exhausted, however, that they stumbled dumbly into an ambush. Alan was walking in the lead when suddenly three or four men jumped out, knocked them down, and held dirks to their throats. David was too tired to be scared. Alan spoke to them in Gaelic. The men were from the Vourich clan led by Cluny Macpherson, who had played a large role in 1746. While a messenger ran off, Alan slept but David could not rest because of the grasshoppers' chirping. When they had to move again, David looked so weary that two Cluny men carried him into Ben Alder.

Analysis:

Interestingly, the dynamic between David and Alan changes during the course of their journey in this chapter. In the last chapter, the two men participated in somewhat friendly, but masculine driven competition. David was pleased to be the best fisherman, whereas Alan wanted to practice sword fighting with David so that he could show off his skill. Thus, although the two are enjoying the period they have to relax and game play, tension builds. In this chapter, we see how they deal with the tension of constant togetherness over a long and difficult trek. Alan is lenient when David falls asleep and allows the redcoats to move in without his noticing. It is because of this error that the men are forced to run all the way to Ben Adler. However, David is exhausted. As he pushes himself along, the main reason he does not collapse is not because of his own inner strength but because of a fear and/or admiration for Alan. He tells the reader, "Nothing but the fear of Alan lent me enough of a false kind of courage to continueŠI was driven to marvel at the man's endurance."

Yet, when David finally asks to rest, Alan refuses because of the danger they are in. When he offers to carry David, David is humiliated. Pride weighs more on him than his physical capabilities. A hatred grows as David hates every step and he hates Alan for making him continue. David comments, "And I dare say I would have made a good enough private; for in these last hours, it never occurred to me that I had any choice, but just to obey as long as I was able, and die obeying." David, through hatred and self-reflection, begins to understand the role he plays in conjunction with Alan. In their physical exertion and decision making, Alan is the controlling half of the partnership. David's growing hatred of this duality leads his body to finally collapse. The dynamic, though based on two halves, is an unstable splitting of human awareness. As David describes, "Šwhat a pair we must have made, going double like old grandfathers, stumbling like babes, and as white as dead folk." "Going double" is how the men hoped to survive, exploring Stevenson's metaphor of the doppleganger, but weaknesses are discovered.

The theme of man versus nature comes into play again as we see David and, to a lesser extent, Alan, grope to survive among the cruel elements of the moor, a stripped, dry, and barren expanse of land. The men have no water. Since they must crawl and slither, they inhale the smoke of the hot, burnt ground. The critic, Kiely, remarks, "Even the natural landscape, for all its atmospheric importance in Kidnapped, is not permitted to pose an ultimate threat to the characters." However, we may note that the landscape in this chapter is pivotal in breaking down the brotherly dynamic between Alan and David. David begins to lose his sense of practicality and to hate the position he has been put in during this journey and during this novel. As doubles - as halves - the men crumble to the point of blindly entering an ambush. The landscape does not kill them or save them, only men are capable of these acts in the novel. However, the character of the landscape certainly aids, symbolically, in the disintegration of the sense of self and the questioning of duality.

Chapter 23 Summary:

Cluny lived in a dwelling called the Cage because of its construction into the side of the mountain behind a wall of trees, dirt, and rocks. It was hidden from view like a wasp's nest. Cluny greeted them in drab, simple wear but with the poise of royalty. He kindly accepted the men into his home. The Cage was quite comfortable considering its elements and Cluny spoke of his entertaining Prince Charles of France at one point. The Cage was one of many hiding places in the countryside for Cluny. His clansmen still held him as an authority and protected him at all costs. Cluny was rather particular in his home due to the large amount of time he spent alone. He was visited by his wife or friends occasionally but not often. Daily, his servants gave him the news of the country which he devoured greedily. David was interested in seeing the inner workings of a Highland clan, though he certainly felt out of place as well.

Given some luxuries, Cluny squeezed lemon on the venison he served to David and Alan. Worn out, David could eat very little. After finishing the meal, Cluny took out an old deck of cards. David could have used his fatigue as an excuse but felt like he should speak his mind. He told them that he did not think it was right to play cards and so, he would rather not. The chief gasped but Alan tried to explain that though David was a Whig, he was a good boy and should be allowed to rest. David confirmed his exhaustion and explained that he was following his father's wishes. Cluny agreed but often looked his way in disgust. David was shown to a bed of heather . As soon as he lay upon it, he fell into a feverish sleep. He came to several times during the next couple of days but remembered little and barely gained consciousness. He did notice that Cluny and Alan played cards for several days and that Alan appeared to be losing after the second day. When Alan asked him for money, he was too ill to refuse.

On the third day, David finally came to his senses and was able to rise and step outside. Cluny spoke to him in Gaelic when he returned. David had to admit he did not understand. Annoyed, Cluny asked if he had the strength to move on. David mentioned their little money and Alan was forced to admit that he had lost both of their purses. The chief mumbled that he would certainly not take their money. Alan looked down in humiliation. David took the chief aside and asked what he should do since neither option allowed any of the three to retain his pride. David voiced that he had been correct in thinking that gambling was dangerous. Though angered, Cluny returned the money to David and shook his hand.

Analysis:

Cluny's cage is a highly symbolic dwelling. We have been looking at "the problems of the body and of the practical intelligence, in clean, open-air adventure" as well as the themes of Scottish duality and man versus nature. Critics have described Kidnapped has a largely visual novel. The adventures are mainly physical and take us through a variety of overtly described landscapes. The scapes change drastically, though within the limits of the Scottish scope, from rural Lowland kirk to large, foreboding residence to ship at sea to deserted isle to wild, weather beaten Highlands. Though the natural landscape does not dominate to the extent that it takes on the personality of a full-fledged character, it certainly affects the sensibilities of the heroes and often strips them to the base of their duality. The attention that Stevenson pays to geography is clear from the map placed at the beginning of the novel and the specific references to landmarks. However, he also seems to enjoy the use of geography and visual stimulation as a decorative and illustrative function of style, leading the reader through a sensory filled journey which can be read and experienced. The characters do often play second fiddle to this elaborative writing style and thus we must give the Cage a proper look.

Time nearly stops for the narrator once inside the Cage. David falls ill from fever and is barely conscious for a span of three days. During this time, the reader knows little of what goes on beyond Alan and Cluny's card game and Alan's selfish plea for money. It is almost as if David has fallen into the hole to Wonderland. He comments that his vision becomes distorted from the fever and his visual sense is thus demented. The text states, "Alan had stooped over the bed, and had his face close to my eyes; to which troubled as they were with the fever, it seemed of the most shocking bigness." Only because David is disoriented and feverish does he agree to give Alan his money. Alan however is under no contract to continue playing cards, as far as we know, and could have likely quit once his own money was lost. Alan's lack of reason, it seems, has grown with David's illness.

Within the Cage, as nature and man are largely kept out of the interior of the structure, the life that does come inside is largely exaggerated. David lies motionless, without agency. His practical sense is deadened. Alan, overcome by his romantic zeal and with little sense of responsibility, plays to the point that he loses all of their money. The environment of the Cage is a psychological metaphor for the role each hero plays in Stevenson's use of the doppleganger. David notices, "I was conscious of no particular nightmare, only of a general, black, abiding horror - a horror of the place I was in, and the bed I lay in, and the plaids on the wall, and the voices, and the fire, and myself." For David, the Cage is a Highlander hell which entraps him and inflates the faults of the self. Once he reaches the open-air on the third day, he can finally begin to piece together the irrational mistakes made by Alan.

Chapter 24 Summary:

One of Cluny's gillies, while carrying Alan and David's bags, led them to a hiding place near Loch Rannoch. The march occurred in silence as David was angered by Alan's actions at the Cage and Alan was embarrassed. David thought often of separation. He wished that Alan would suggest the idea. But Alan was not this gracious and David would not be so ungrateful as to suggest it himself. David also resented that Alan assumed that David would share the money he took back from Cluny. With these two subjects of pride boiling in David's temper, he remained silent, barely making eye contact with Alan. Alan noticed and finally apologized, noting that he did not wish to be where he was not welcome. Defensively, David reprimanded Alan for thinking that David would fail his friend. Alan expressed that he felt much in debt to David so David should make his life easier. This comment infuriated David more, who exclaimed that he had not reproached Alan for his stupidity in the least and was now being criticized for keeping silent. This quieted Alan and they walked quietly again.

When they reached the Loch, Alan and the gillie disagreed on their course of action. The gillie finally won and took them into Campbell territory. The land was barren and covered in fog. Their health received no relief and David felt increasingly bad. His throat was sore and a stitch in his side grew worse. When he slept in his wet beds at night, he could not help but see images from the nightmares of his journey. As the rains continued, he hoped for his grave but said nothing to Alan. Instead, he tried more to show his endurance. Alan grew weary of being apologetic and finally forgave himself and became more arrogant than before. David grew worse until his legs were virtually giving way underneath him. When he fell, however, he stood up so quickly that Alan did not give his fall much notice. Alan started berating the proud boy with name calling.

Finally, after being called Whig and feeling as if he was about to die, David exploded with anger. He criticized Alan, espousing that Alan should pay respect to the Whigs and Campbells who continually beat him. Alan was offended but David continued, finally pulling his sword and challenging Alan. Alan revealed his sword but then threw it upon the ground, collapsing into sadness. David's anger finally left him but he could not take back what he had said. He appealed to Alan with his seriously ill health. Alan ran to his side, apologized graciously, and offered to carry him though David was much larger in size.

Analysis:

The Quarrel chapter is discussed frequently by critics when they discuss Kidnapped. The critic, Eigner, describes the type of tension Stevenson was looking to illustrate in his writing, "And it is this division [between Highlander and Lowlander], a division characterized not so much by strangeness but by animosity, that Stevenson sought to portray in the David Balfour romances." He continues to comment on the animosity which Stevenson believed existed between the two Scottish cultures, and the two spirits within himself. He states, "Stevenson's heroŠis neither polished nor elegant, and he is not altogether charmed by the glittering Highlander, at