Jun 28, 2007 05:52 PM
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(Updated Jun 28, 2007 06:33 PM)
The lead character is climbing the stairs in a dark tower, the wind howls outside, and a thunderstorm is brewing. He is making his way along the stairs, feeling the walls of the tower. He is just about to take a step forward, when a flash of lightning occurs, and he is shocked. Because he is standing on the last step, and after that there is nothing but emptiness. One step forward and he would have plummeted to his death.
I had read this book so many times as a kid, but yet whenever I came across this passage, I would feel a shiver run down my spine. And to date the book remains one of my all time favorites. The book is Kidnapped, R.L.Stevenson’s 1886 classic about the adventures of a young boy. And the lead character is of course David Balfour. This book would take it’s place in the list of my treasured childhood books, which I protected like a treasure. Other’s being Treasure Island by the same author, Around the World in 80 Days and 20000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne, Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swiftand of course my regular diet of Sherlock Holmes andAgatha Christie.
Kidnapped is the story of David Balfour, an orphan, whose parents have died. He is asked to deliver a letter to his uncle, Ebenzer Balfour, who resides in the Scottish town of Cramond. His uncle stays in the House of Shaws, a place which many residents of the town decry as sinister and evil. His wicked uncle is initially reluctant to welcome him, and lives like a miser. He asks David to fetch a treasure chest from the top of the tower in their house. And that’s where the above mentioned passage occurs. David realizes that his uncle wants to get rid of him, a la Kans Mama, so that he could inherit all the wealth.
David confronts his uncle over this, who prefers to remain silent over it. The next day his uncle takes him along to meet Capt Hoseason of a ship called Covenant. As his uncle is speaking with the captain, David is lured away, and kidnapped. David comes to know that his own uncle had sold him away into slavery. During a collision with a small boat from France, one of the survivors Alan Breck Stewart, is taken on board. Alan offers the captain a large sum of money to drop him off in France. David overhears the crew plotting to kill Alan, and he warns him. Alan becomes David’s mentor and friend, and during a storm, David is washed ashore onto the island of Mull. How David reunites with Alan again, and their adventures together in the Scottish highlands, and how David finally reclaims his inheritance is what the rest of the novel is about.
Kidnappedworks on different levels. It is an adventure novel and in fact the best part of the novel comes from David’s and Alan’s adventures in the Scottish highlands. There are enough thrills to keep the reader hooked here
David’s close brush with death in the tower
David and Alan fighting with the crew of the Ship.
David and Alan’s escape from troops in the Scottish heather.
The ship sinking in a storm, and David being washed ashore
Scottish Background
The novel deals with the aftermath of the Jacobite rebellion. Scotland is divided into a number of clans, and each clan has it’s own surname. King James VIII was the last Roman Catholic to rule over Scotland. He was deposed in the Glorious Revolution in 1688 by Parliamentarians tired of his despotic rule. In 1689 his Protestant daughter and son in law, Mary II and William II, became the rulers. His Catholic son James Edward Stuart laid claim to the throne and he took the help of King Louis XIV of France who proclaimed him the rightful heir to the English and Scottish thrones. TheCatholic states of France, Spain and the Pope recognized him as the real king, and his supporters in Scotland led what is called as the Jacobite Rebellion to restore him. The revolt got it’s name from the Latin name for James which is Jacobus.
Alan Breck** belongs to the Stewart clan and he hails from the remote coastal district of Appin in Scotland. He is a Jacobite Catholic, and a supporter of the French. Alan Breck Stewart was based on a real life character of the same name, and after the Stewarts suffered a rout in the Battle of Culloden, Alan escaped from the British red coats, and he was a wanted man for most of his life.
Colin Campbell** aka the Red Fox, is a member of the Campbell Clan, historically the most powerful Scottish Highland clans. In a sense both Alan and Colin are highlanders on the opposing sides. During the Jacobite uprisings this clan supported the British, and Colin Campbell was one of it’s most hated members. His assassination is also taken from a real life incident.
Most the novel is set against the Scottish highland and the city of Edinburgh. It also has liberal doses of Scottish language in it’s unabridged form. So before reading the novel, its better to get a brief background of the Scottish highlands and the Jacobite uprisings. This would help you to understand the historical context of the novel too.
Also some of the language is in Old English and could be difficult to follow in the unabridged version. So you could also go for an abridged version of the book, which is equally interesting too.
My recommendation would be curl up with this book on a rainy day, and enjoy the adventures of David Balfour and Alan Breck Stewart on the Scottish highlands.
