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Chapter 21
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 traveling for seven straight hours, Alan and David reach an open stretch of the moorlands, which will be dangerous to cross because there is little cover and no way of seeing who might be watching them. Alan explains that they cannot go south into Campbell territory or back to Appin, which is crawling with redcoats, and heading north does neither of them any good. As such, they most continue east where they could easily be spotted. Alan and David begin crawling across the moor, keeping low and moving cautiously.
The open moor forces Alan and David into a position of complete exposure. There is no shelter, no structure, and no way to anticipate where danger might come from. Alan quickly calculates their options and decides they must keep moving east, despite the risks. His decision is shaped by terrain, politics, and the limited opportunities for escape. David accepts this without protest, understanding by now that hesitation will not make the route safer.
Themes
Eventually, they rest in a bush and take turns sleeping. David takes second watch, but exhaustion overcomes him, and he dozes off. When he wakes, he realizes in horror that he has fallen asleep and failed in his duty. Even worse, a body of soldiers is approaching from the southeast, sweeping the moor in a fan-like pattern. David wakes Alan, who says nothing but glances grimly at the advancing troops. Alan points to a distant mountain, Ben Alder, and declares they must reach it before dawn. Though this means running almost straight across the soldiers’ path, he insists it is their only chance. They begin crawling through the heather again, choking on dust. David struggles to keep up but pushes on out of fear. When he finally says he can go no farther, Alan offers to carry him. Stunned by the offer, David refuses to give in and keeps moving.
David’s failure to stay awake introduces a real threat to their survival. His mistake happens because he has pushed himself well beyond his limits in an attempt to survive. When he wakes to see the soldiers advancing, his shame is immediate. Alan does not lecture him; his silence says enough. The decision to aim for Ben Alder demands everything they have left. David reaches a breaking point but refuses help, not out of pride, but because Alan’s offer forces him to push himself harder.
Themes
As night falls and the soldiers camp behind them, David and Alan stagger forward, dazed and stumbling with exhaustion. At daybreak, nearly senseless with fatigue, they walk straight into an ambush. Several ragged Highlanders leap from the heather and press knives to their throats. David, too worn out to care, lies still while Alan speaks with the men in Gaelic. It turns out they are sentries of Cluny Macpherson, a rebel chief still hiding in Scotland despite the bounty on his head.
The encounter with Cluny Macpherson’s sentries breaks the tension without offering immediate relief. Cluny’s name carries authority, and the presence of allies changes the context, but David and Alan’s condition remains unchanged. They are still fugitives, still physically worn, and still deep in dangerous territory. Recognition by Highland loyalists offers direction, but not safety.
Themes
Alan is relieved: these are allies. A messenger is sent to Cluny, and while they wait, Alan falls asleep in the heather. David, despite his exhaustion, cannot rest and grows increasingly disoriented. When word comes back that Cluny will receive them, Alan perks up, eager for food and rest. However, David is too faint to stand and must be helped forward by Cluny’s men. Delirious, the men carry him deeper into the rugged mountain country of Ben Alder.
David’s physical collapse confirms the cost of the journey. His body gives out even as he reaches a point of refuge. Alan remains focused on their next steps, eager for rest and food, but David can no longer participate in decisions. The movement into Ben Alder becomes something David no longer controls, and the question of his survival shifts once again to the people around him.
Themes
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