“‘Come to my arms!’ he cried, and embraced and kissed me hard upon both cheeks. ‘David,’ said he, ‘I love you like a brother. And oh, man,’ he cried in a kind of ecstasy,
‘am I no abonny fighter?’”

The virtues of love and fortitude stand side by side at the heart of Robert Louis Stevenson’s coming-of-age historical adventure novel, Kidnapped. Stevenson is, of course, the well-known and beloved author of the archetype of pirate adventure, Treasure Island, and that treatise-on-the-dual-nature-of fallen-man disguised as a gothic horror story titled, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. These two works are most certainly Stevenson’s most read and imitated works, but perhaps greater loved by those who love Stevenson is Kidnapped. Tellingly, the full subtitle of this book is … (take a breath):

Kidnapped,
Being the Memoirs of David Balfour in the Year 1751

How He Was Kidnapped and Cast Away;
His Sufferings in a Desert Isle;
His Journey in the Wild Highlands;
His Acquaintance with Alan Breck Stewart
and Other Notorious Highland Jacobites;
With All That He Suffered at the Hands of His Uncle, Ebezezer Balfour of Shaws, Falsely so Called.

While the subtitle should probably be affixed with a “spoiler alert” label, the fact that so much of the storyline is awarded to the reader before we start the first chapter hints that perhaps there is more to this book than just the plot. Indeed, the treasure here is not found in the simple storyline, but it must be dug out like Flint’s gold in Treasure Island.

In Kidnapped, we accompany young David Balfour on his 30-chapter romp across the Highlands of 18th Century Scotland as he earns a trial-by-fire kind of education concerning what it means to be a man of quality. As his story begins, David is a proud but naive young man of just 16 years who has been raised by a kindly country minister and wife. By the end of the tale, David has been transformed by his experiences; his ideals have been weighed on the twin scales of danger and experience, have often been found wanting, and have been reformed into a combination of virtues that we are led to believe will establish Mr. Balfour as an esteemed gentleman in his new life.

Because of this growth in David, we could label the story as a classic bildungsroman (coming-of-age story), and it certainly is that, but it is also a clear example of a “Hero’s Journey” plot line. This designation, which can be applied to seemingly unrelated stories such as Star Wars, The Matrix, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Chronicles of Narnia, and even Beowulf, indicates (among other things) that (1)the hero of the story has a departure from his status quo; (2) he receives assistance from a mentor of some kind; (3) he engages in trials that are difficult and almost certainly dangerous; (4) he is eventually able to return home as a changed man. It is impossible to read Kidnapped without seeing how David Balfour’s experience closely mirrors this well-known framework. In his coming-of-age, David’s mentor is Alan. David sees the values and virtues that Alan loves and espouses; “Davie” weighs them for himself as he decides which of these values and virtues he will adopt as he passes the misty threshold into manliness.

Possibly to avoid letting Kidnapped seem overly predictable or familiar due to its adherence to well-known literary patterns, Stevenson squeezes a great deal of pathos from the relationship between David and Alan Breck, “The man with the belt of gold.” David’s initial choice to join Alan in his defense of the roundhouse in chapter 10 was less about David’s love (or even knowledge) of Alan Breck as a man, and more about his (David’s) love of justice, fortitude, and charity. Indeed, Alan Breck is not initially all that likable; he is a vain boaster, given to selfishness and violence. Clearly, David’s decision to side with Alan says more about David’s character than it does about Alan’s. When he heard the duplicitous Captain Hoeseason plotting, David, as a young man of principle, was disgusted by the dishonesty, injustice, and greed-driven treachery being shown by Hoeseason and his men.

In this pivotal moment in the book, the Siege of the Round-house, we see the foundation of a friendship that will be built on something much more formidable than personal affinity for one another. In spite of intense cultural and political differences that would often lead to bloodletting in the era, a love of justice drives young David to befriend Alan Breck, and a love of fortitude drives Alan to befriend David. Alan and David, who should by all rights be enemies, become boon companions, driven together by danger and their shared love of both righteous causes and principled actions.

Eventually, we come to the understanding that their friendship is an example of true Christian love, the kind that seeks the good of the beloved, that drives them both to sacrifice much for the good of the other, and finally find themselves safely through many trials and dangers. Perhaps it is Stevenson’s depiction of virtue that allows us to connect so easily to men despite the fact that they find themselves in circumstances unlike anything we have ever experienced.