Summary:
The theme of religious conflict between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Scotland in "Kidnapped," a novel by Robert Louis Stevenson.
Setting
The setting of the story was Scotland, 1751. The setting is very important in the story, because there was a battle going on in this time between the Protestants and the Catholics. Most of this was concentrated in Northern Scotland, where the story takes place. This also sets the conflict between two characters, David Balford and Alan (who was a year older than David was.)
Characters
The main character (protagonist) of the story is David Balfour. He is seventeen years old, and his father just recently passed away. His uncle is sending him away from home to have him cope with the loss of his father in a new area. He feels that this journey will help him, and he will enjoy himself wile he is gone.
The method of characterization is direct, because David is telling you the story in first-person point of view. He is telling about his experiences, and how they affect him personally. In the story, he shows emotion in what happens to him, and his opinions are mentioned about other characters.
Conflicts
The main conflict in the story is between David, and Alan. David is a Protestant (Whig) and Alan is a Catholic (Rebellious Jacobite.) They have different views about who should possess the throne of England. Protestants believe that they should be loyal to king James third, and Catholics would rather follow a ruler with Christianity, which filled the Whigs with rage.
David hated Alan for his rebellious attitude toward the king. He wanted Alan hanged for his beliefs. However, David and Alan were not always arguing before this. They were once friends, and they shared many thoughts and ideas together. When Alan confessed he was a Jacobite, David wanted to challenge him to a duel.
Climax
The climax of the story was when David regretted saying those awful things to Alan about his religious beliefs. He told Alan that he "lost on both sides," meaning that he was born as a Protestant, and rebelled against it as a Jacobite. David was certain that Alan would never forgive him for saying that, and he had to find a way to be his friend again.
He decided to "fake a deadly illness," to make Alan feel sorry for him, and to forgive him. Alan believed it, and forgave him as soon as he heard about it. This pleased David, but was a terrible thing to do in order to gain someone's trust back.
Critique
I think that this book was very suspenseful. I liked how David and Alan fought together in battles, because it showed that people can fight together no matter what their beliefs were. It was a very entertaining book, describing the scenery, and the adventure of traveling between islands. I chose this book, because I wanted to know about the "kidnapped" part of the book. I wanted to understand what was being kidnapped. In this case, it was David and Alan's friendship. You would never think the book would pertain to their friendship, and that's why I liked it.
I would recommend this book to others, so they can see the symbolism inside the novel. The author did a very good job in having David expressing his emotions and thoughts throughout the story. I think that the more people that read this book will learn about how important a friendship can be; weather it is between friends, or people that hate each other.
This is the complete article, containing 563 words
(approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page).
