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Chapter 15
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
After arriving at Torosay, David takes the ferry across the Sound of Mull to Kinlochaline on the Scottish mainland. The boat is crowded with Macleans, but David focuses on speaking privately with Neil Roy Macrob, a clansman of Alan’s. During the slow crossing, the passengers help row and sing Gaelic boat songs. Once they land, David quietly asks Neil about Alan and offers him a shilling, which offends Neil deeply. Only when David shows Alan’s silver button does Neil recognize him as the “lad with the silver button” and agree to guide him, warning him never to speak Alan’s name or insult Highlanders by offering money. Neil gives David instructions to travel through Morven and Ardgour toward the house of James Stewart in Appin, staying hidden from soldiers and avoiding English sympathizers. David spends the night in a filthy inn at Kinlochaline, which floods during a thunderstorm.
David’s encounter with Neil Roy Macrob forces him to reconsider how he approaches Highland society. His offer of a shilling, meant as a practical gesture, is received as an insult—a reminder that English customs don’t apply here in the same way. The silver button, once again, becomes a crucial token. It grants David safe passage not because of who he is, but because of who he is connected to. Neil’s instructions carry weight beyond travel advice; they outline the political landscape David must now move through, where trust depends on silence, loyalty, and cultural awareness. David’s willingness to listen and adjust shows that he is learning to move carefully through unfamiliar spaces without imposing his own expectations.
Themes
The next morning, David meets Mr. Henderland, a catechist working with the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. Unlike Duncan Mackeigh, this man proves kind, intelligent, and generous. They bond over shared connections, including Mr. Campbell. Henderland explains that although many tenants do contribute a second rent for Ardshiel out of loyalty, others are pressured by James Stewart and Alan. He describes Alan as a dangerous man and predicts that Colin Campbell will face serious risk as he tries to evict the tenants. Henderland offers David shelter, and David gratefully accepts. Before David departs the next day, Henderland insists on giving him sixpence from his own meager funds, an act of generosity for which David is grateful.
The meeting with Mr. Henderland introduces a more balanced perspective on the conflict David has stepped into. Unlike earlier encounters, this conversation does not rely on posturing or suspicion. Henderland speaks with calm authority and offers a view of Alan that complicates David’s loyalty. David does not reject Henderland’s warnings, but he also doesn’t allow them to shake his trust in Alan completely. Additionally, the gift of sixpence is small but meaningful, as it marks an exchange built on kindness rather than obligation.
Themes
