Kidnapped

“I, for my part, was overjoyed to get away out of that quiet country-side, and go to a great, busy house, among rich and respected gentlefolk of my own name and blood.”

Occurring near the start of the novel, this quote reflects David’s starting point on his coming-of-age journey. He is an optimistic and innocent country boy eager to leave behind his humble past, expecting nothing but the best from his uncle. His adventure through the Highlands will temper his easy trust and teach him the value of loyal friends like the village priest he happily leaves behind.

“The pride of life seemed to mount into my brain at the sight of the red coats and the hearing of that merry music.”

David’s swell of patriotism at the sight of British troops and the sound of their marching music creates an ironic contrast that highlights his transformation. In later chapters, he comes to dread the sight of redcoats as he flees the British authorities.

“I was young and spirited, and like most lads that have been country-bred, I had a great opinion of my shrewdness.”

Presented as a memoir, Kidnapped embraces many stylistic conventions of that genre including highly subjective narrative reflection. The first-person narrator, presumably the older and wiser Lord David Balfour, often frames the events of the novel and the actions of his youth through a critical lens. Though it is written in the first person, temporal distance gives room for the novel’s speaker to critique his own actions and attitudes.