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Chapter 12
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Kidnapped, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Political Conflict and National Identity
Trust and Betrayal
Justice vs. Injustice
Coming of Age
Summary
Analysis
Late at night, Hoseason bursts into the round-house and demands Alan’s help to steer through dangerous waters. Alan suspects a trick, but the captain looks genuinely afraid. Alan and David follow him on deck, where they spot the island of Mull rising to their left and rough seas to the west. At first, David cannot understand the urgency. Then a swell crashes against a hidden reef, spraying water into the air.
Hoseason’s fear forces him to rely on Alan, giving Alan real authority for the first time since boarding the ship. Alan doesn’t trust the captain, but he agrees to help because he understands the risk of doing nothing. His confidence on deck comes from experience, not title, and David watches him move from outsider to leader without asking for permission.
Themes
Alan identifies the area as the Torran Rocks, a notoriously treacherous stretch of reefs extending for miles. Alan suggests steering closer to land, which might offer a clearer route. Hoseason reluctantly agrees and sends Riach aloft to help navigate. As they push on, the reefs grow more frequent and harder to avoid. Still, the brig makes it through most of the danger, and Hoseason thanks Alan—just as the ship strikes another unseen reef.
The journey through the Torran Rocks adds pressure with every mile. Alan’s decision to steer closer to land shows he understands the coastline better than the captain. Riach helps from above, but Alan guides the ship forward, forcing Hoseason to follow his lead. However, even with Alan’s help, disaster strikes once again.
Themes
The brig crashes so violently that it throws everyone to the deck. Panic breaks out. David helps prepare the skiff while the wounded cry out, and those who can still walk try to help. Hoseason, shattered by the wreck of his beloved ship, stands motionless and muttering, unable to assist. Alan tells David that the nearby land belongs to the Campbells. Then a massive wave lifts the brig and tips it hard, tossing David into the sea. He sinks and rises repeatedly, beaten by waves and barely conscious. Eventually, he grabs hold of a floating beam. A powerful current pulls him far from the ship and throws him toward an inlet. Clinging to the beam, he kicks slowly until he reaches shore. Exhausted, freezing, and grateful to be alive, he drags himself onto the beach of the island of Earraid.
David’s struggle in the water strips everything else away. He no longer has Alan beside him, nor a crew, nor even land under his feet. All he has is instinct and the need to survive. Clinging to the floating beam, he finds just enough strength to keep going. His landing on the shore is slow and painful but he makes it. This ending leaves him alone, physically broken but still alive. Although he is a free man once again, now he must contend with nature as he attempts to survive alone on the island of Earraid.
Themes
