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Chapter 7
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
One night, David learns that Shuan has killed Ransome. Hoseason enters the forecastle and, speaking kindly, tells David to take Ransome’s place in the round-house. As sailors carry in the boy’s corpse, David runs up to the deck in horror. Inside the round-house, he finds Shuan drunk and dazed. Meanwhile, the captain and Riach quietly discuss the murder. When Shuan tries to drink again, Riach throws the bottle overboard, provoking a near-violent outburst that Hoseason quickly stops. Shuan breaks down, and Hoseason orders him to bed, announcing that they will say the boy fell overboard.
The way everyone handles Ransome’s death leaves David shaken. Nobody talks about it like it matters. Hoseason acts like it’s just another change in staffing, and Riach seems more annoyed than anything else. Even when Shuan almost explodes again, it’s more about keeping him quiet than facing what he did. David’s horror stands out because he’s the only one who still feels like something awful just happened.
Themes
David quickly adjusts to his new responsibilities in the round-house, running food and drinks to the officers throughout the day and night. Though the work keeps him constantly on his feet, Hoseason and Riach treat him with unusual patience—likely out of guilt for Ransome’s fate. Shuan, on the other hand, becomes increasingly unhinged. He stares at David with confusion, sometimes mistaking him for Ransome, and never seems fully aware of what he has done. Though David occasionally finds some relief in the stories Hoseason and Riach tell about their travels, he remains deeply unsettled. He despises working for men he sees as cruel and corrupt, especially knowing one of them is a murderer. Worse still, he cannot forget what lies ahead: the ship is bound for the Carolinas, where he expects to be sold into slavery.
Taking over Ransome’s duties gives David a closer look at the officers’ world, but it doesn’t make him feel any safer. Hoseason and Riach treat him more gently now, probably out of guilt, but their patience doesn’t erase what they’ve done—or what they’re planning to do. Shuan drifts in and out of awareness, clearly haunted but never held accountable. David tries to keep his head down and do the work, but he can’t ignore the weight of everything around him. Even the stories the men tell—meant to entertain or pass the time—feel hollow when he knows what kind of people they really are.
Themes
