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Chapter 6
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
David regains consciousness in the dark hold of the Covenant, bound hand and foot, battered, and seasick. He hears the terrifying noises of a ship in rough weather and slowly realizes he has been imprisoned below deck. Despair consumes him as he understands the full extent of Ebenezer’s betrayal. He slips in and out of consciousness, struggling with fever, nausea, and terror. Eventually, a man named Mr. Riach arrives to tend to his head wound and give him a drink. Though Riach seems rough, David senses a hint of kindness in him.
David’s awakening in the Covenant’s hold marks his lowest physical and emotional point so far. The transition from betrayal to captivity forces him into a new kind of isolation—not just cut off from home, but from light, movement, and basic dignity. However, when Riach appears with water and crude sympathy, it seems that David may find some human decency aboard the ship after all.
Themes
Later, Riach returns with Hoseason. The captain says little, but Riach argues fiercely that David will die unless he is moved from the foul, dark hold to the forecastle. Hoseason resists at first but relents when Riach accuses him of attempted murder. Once Hoseason leaves, Riach mockingly bows behind his back, and David realizes that Riach might be his ally. Soon after, sailors carry David up and place him in a bunk with fresh blankets and daylight. The crew, though hardened and rough, treat him with a degree of respect. One man, now nursing David’s wounds, is the same man who knocked him unconscious.
Unlike Ebenezer, whose cruelty hides behind politeness, Riach and Hoseason operate in plain view, where strength and influence change hands quickly. Riach’s mockery behind Hoseason’s back suggests he doesn’t fear authority as much as he performs obedience for survival. David, still recovering, sees this and begins to understand power not as something fixed, but as something people manipulate.
Themes
While recovering, David learns more about life aboard the Covenant. He discovers the ship is bound for the Carolinas, where he is to be sold into slavery. David also grows closer with Ransome, whose broken spirit and twisted view of the world deeply sadden him. Ransome has known only violence and depravity at sea, especially at the hands of Shuan, who regularly abuses him. Ransome drinks often in an attempt to drown his sorrows.
David’s bond with Ransome gives emotional weight to the suffering around him. Ransome represents what prolonged abuse and hopelessness can do to a young person. Ransome’s warped pride and constant drinking shows how life aboard the ship can warp one’s identity. David, in contrast, still resists that reshaping, but he has only just come aboard the ship.
Themes
As the Covenant struggles through foul weather and hard sailing, David remains confined below deck, growing more restless. Still, a private conversation with Riach gives him renewed hope. David confides in Riach about Ebenezer’s betrayal and receives a promise: Riach will help him write to his friends and may yet help him reclaim his inheritance.
David has no power yet, but he has a plan and a potential partner. However, at this point, David knows better than to put his blind trust in anyone. Riach may end up helping him, but he could just as well betray him. Still, in order to cling on to his sanity, David must hope for the former.
Themes
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