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Chapter 17
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 some rest, Alan gets up and checks the edge of the woods before returning to David, who lies silent, sickened by the murder of Colin Campbell. David tells Alan they must part ways, as he is unwilling to travel beside someone who might be involved in such a crime. In response, Alan tells David he is jumping to conclusions. David presses him directly: did he have a hand in the killing? Alan swears he did not, and David, relieved, offers his hand. Alan ignores it and sidesteps questions about whether he recognized the killer. Alan also argues that helping the murderer escape was an act of loyalty. David disagrees but respects Alan’s integrity, however different his moral compass. When he offers his hand a second time, Alan takes it.
David’s reaction to the murder of Colin Campbell shows how deeply he values justice, even when it puts his safety and friendships at risk. He wants clarity, and his willingness to confront Alan directly marks a shift in their relationship. What was once based on admiration now becomes a test of principles. Alan’s refusal to answer certain questions creates distance, but David recognizes that silence doesn’t necessarily equal guilt. Alan believes loyalty sometimes demands complicity; David doesn’t. Yet David still respects Alan for standing by what he believes, and Alan’s eventual handshake signals that respect goes both ways.
Themes
Alan warns David that neither of them can stay in Appin. Alan is a known fugitive, and David will be suspected of being an accomplice. David naïvely believes they will be treated fairly, but Alan scoffs—Appin justice is controlled by the Campbells, which guarantees a biased trial. He urges David to stop thinking like a Lowlander and trust him instead. When David hears they will be heading south into familiar territory, he agrees to flee. The two of them watch from a safe spot as the redcoats march off in the wrong direction, allowing them a moment to rest. Alan promises that once they reach his cousin James Stewart, they can regroup and gather resources.
David’s belief that the truth will protect them runs into Alan’s more practical understanding of how power works in the Highlands. The idea that justice depends on who controls the courts—and not on facts—challenges David’s Lowland sense of law and order. Alan’s warning about the Campbells dominating local authority reflects the reality of post-Jacobite Scotland, where government power often reinforced clan rivalries rather than rising above them.
Themes
As they walk, Alan shares what happened after the wreck. He saw David briefly in the water and hoped he had survived. On shore, the Covenant crew launched a lifeboat and barely escaped before the ship sank, drowning two men below deck. Once ashore, Hoseason raged and tried to turn the crew on Alan, blaming him for the wreck. But Riach defended Alan and told him to run. As Alan fled, he spread word of the wreck to any passersby, who rushed to the scene. This drew attention away from him, letting him avoid detection in Campbell territory.
Riach’s defense of Alan complicates earlier impressions of the crew. Not everyone aboard The Covenant was cruel or self-serving. By telling this story, Alan fills in the missing chapter of their separation and shows David that his loyalty has remained intact. It also reinforces the urgency of their current escape: Appin is not a place where either of them can afford to stay still.
Themes
