BOOK REPORT ASSIGNMENT:

KIDNAPPED BY ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON

Composed by:
Pratama Yoga Nugroho

A2B006074

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF HUMANITIES
DIPONEGORO UNIVERSITY
SEMARANG
2010

I.

SUMMARY

Chapter 1: I Start My Journey to the House of Shaws

In a morning, 1751, David Balfour was walking along with Mr.
Campbell. During the walk, they had conversation about whether or not David
was sorry to leave his hometown, Essendean. David was going to leave Essendean
to a place called the House of Shaws, as his father, Alexander, recommended
before his death. Mr. Campbell told David that he could make a good fortune
there and hoped that he would be a great man. Upon parting with David, Mr.
Campbell gave him some advices about the dangers David might face and how to
behave in the House of Shaws. After saying farewell to David, Mr. Campbell run
to Essendean, while David started his journey to the House of Shaws.
Chapter 2: My Journeys End
After walking for two days, at last David reached Cramond, after passing
Edinburgh. He began asking the way to the House of Shaws to local farmer but
strangely he gave unpleasant information about the house. Then, he met a woman
and asked her the same question. She guided him to a hill, from which they could
see the house. The scenery around the house was beautiful but the house itself
seemed to be neglected for a very long time. David was not sure if that was the
house but the woman assured him in a way that conveyed a message that there
was something bad about the house. David sat down observing the house and
started walking to it after seeing smoke rising from on of its chimney. He knocked
the door but it was not opened. Then, angrily, he kicked and beat the door until he
saw a man with a gun looking at him from the window above. David asked the
man to let him in but he hesitated until the man was assured when David told him
that he brought a letter from his father to Mr. Ebenezer Balfour.

Chapter 3: I Meet My Uncle

The man let David in and offered him supper with a bowl of porridge and beer. In
the conversation during the supper, David learned that the man himself was Mr.
Ebenezer Balfour, his uncle. Knowing this fact, David was filled with so much

emotion and almost cried. He gave Mr. Ebenezer the letter and after supper, Mr.
Ebenezer led him to a dark room told him to rest as it was his bedroom. The room
was dark and the bed was wet, so David wrapped himself with a plaid he brought
from home and slept on the floor. In the morning, David and Mr. Ebenezer had
breakfast with the same menu: porridge and beer. After breakfast, they had a
conversation in which Mr. Ebenezer asked David questions and promised him that
he would help him.

Chapter 4: I am in the Great Danger in the House of Shaws

The day passed quite well. During the supper, David tried to speak to Mr.
Ebenezer but he would not reply, so David turned his attention to books in a room
next to kitchen. When David started conversation about his father, Mr. Ebenezer
seemed to be very irritated. After supper, Mr. Ebenezer told David that he
promised Davids father to give David money and so he gave David the money.
Then, Mr. Ebenezer asked David to take the box in the tower. He told David that
the tower stairs was fine so David would not need a light. To Davids surprise, the
tower was not finished and the stairs were open to space. Had David slipped, he
would have died. David suspected that Mr. Ebenezer was trying to kill him and
calmly he went back to Mr. Ebenezer. Mr. Ebenezer was surprised that David was
still alive. David asked him questions like why he had given the money, why he
had lied, and why he had tried to kill David, and Mr. Ebenezer answered that
David would find the answer the following day. David took him to his room to
sleep while David himself slept in his plaid on the kitchen floor.
Chapter 5: I Go to Queens Ferry
The following day, after swimming in a burn nearby, David woke Mr. Ebenezer
up and had breakfast. While eating, came Ransome, a cabin boy, giving a letter
from Mr. Hoseason, a ship captain, to Mr. Ebenezer. David let Ransome in and
fed him. After breakfast, the three of them went to Hawes Inn in Queens Ferry to
meet Mr. Hoseason and Mr. Rankeillor. While Mr. Ebenezer was talking with Mr.
Hoseason, David went to the inn with Ransome to get a drink. There he met the

landlord, from whom he found some rumors about Mr. Ebnenezer. Then, Mr.
Ebenezer came out with Mr. Hoseason. Mr. Hoseason asked David to come with
him on board to talk about few things, along with Mr. Ebenezer. At first, David
refused, saying that he had to meet Mr. Rankeillor but gave up after Mr. Hoseason
persuaded him. On the ship, David found out that he was left on the ship by his
uncle and when he tried to run the boat that left the ship, something hit him in the
head. He fainted.

Chapter 6: I Go to the Sea in the Covenant

When he woke up, David found himself tied in the ship hold. It was dark, dirty,
and stinky. He got a severe fever and a man came in, checked his condition, and
went out. After a while, the man came in along with Mr. Hoseason, and persuaded
him to free David because otherwise David would die. Mr. Hosesason refused but
the man, whose name is Mr. Riach, insisted and spoke in a stronger tone, which
eventually made Mr. Hoseason change his mind. David was moved to the
forecastle where he could recover. He made companion with the ship crew. One
day, he heard a news that Ransome was killed by Mr. Shuan, another ship officer,
and Mr. Hoseason told him to replace Ransome working in the round-house.
Thus, David worked in the round-house serving meal and drink for the officers.

Chapter 7: The Man with the Belt of Gold

In a night, a week after David start working in the round-house, the Covenant
sailed through thick fog. The moved slowly forward and suddenly hit a boat, the
passangers of which sunk to the bottom along with it except a gentleman. The
captain brought him, a Jacobite named Alan Breck, to the round-house and agreed
to set him in safety with 60 guineas as the payment. however, when Alan Breck
was having supper, the three officers of the ship were planning a plot to kill him.
David who was asked by Alan Breck to give him beer heard the plot when he
asked the officers the key of the cupboard. At first, the officers asked him to take
their pistols while opening the cupboard as Alan would not suspect him of
planning something vicious but surprisingly David stood by Alans side by telling

him the plot. Then, David and Alan planned the defence to anticipate the attack of
the ship crews.

Chapter 8: The Battle of the Round-House

It was not a long after David entered the round-house that the officers came to
look for him. To their surprise, they found David and Alan were ready to fight.
Alan told the officers to call all the crews for the battle. Thus, the battle of the
round-house began. Alan used his swords to resist the crews attack while David
helped him with a pistol. A few crews died, including Mr. Shuan, and few others
were wounded. After being defeated in the battle, the ship crew let David and
Alan alone. David and Alan rested, talked, ate, and drank; and Alan gave David a
silver botton cut from his coat as a symbol of gratitude and told him that
whenever he showed it, the friends of Alan Breck would help him. The following
day, Mr. Riach and Mr. Hoseason invited Alan for a discussion over where Alan
was going. They came to an agreement that Alan would pay 60 more guineas as
he would be landed in Linnhe Loch, which was near to Alans own people, in
return. As they ship sailed to Linnhe Loch, David and Alan stayed in the roundhouse. There, they shared their stories and David found enormous information
about Alans background and historical events around the Great Rebellion and its
aftermath.

Chapter 9: The End of the Ship Covenant

It was late in the night that Mr. Hoseason asked Alan to come out of the roundhouse, when the ship was sailing toward an area full of rocks dangerous to the
ship. Alan said that it was Torrant Rocks and it was ten miles long. Alan
suggested that they go nearby the land since it might be safer that way. The ship
moved slowly but suddenly a very big wave hit the ship, tipped her, and threw all
the crews to the sea. David went down and down, but managed to find a wood, on
which he held on and swam to the shore. The next morning, he walked to the land,
hoping to find a house to ask for help. Two days later, he found a small cottage.
The owners of the house, an old man and his wife, helped David recover. Few

days later, the man told David that since David brought a silver button, he must
look for his friend (who is Alan) and would show him the way to Torosay, where
Alan had gone, the following day.

Chapter 10: The Lad with the Silver Button

The next morning, David started his journey to Torosay. It was said the distance
from Erraid, where he stayed for a while, to Torosay is fifty miles as the crow
flies, but in fact, he travelled more than a hundred miles. While walking, David
got lost many times and saw the misery, hunger, and hardship that the local people
suffered from. On the ferry from Torosay, he also saw very sad scenery as people
were leaving their home since their little farm were taken by force by the army of
the King. On the boat, David as the skipper of the ferry, named Neil Roy McRob,
about Alan. Foolishly, he offered him some amount of money, which infuriated
Neil. David apologized and showed the silver botton. Noticing David had a silver
botton, Neil explained the way to the house of James of the Glen in Appin. Neil
also gave David some advices regarding what to do and what to avoid in his next
journey. In his way to Appin, David walked a long with Mr. Henderland, a
Lowlander who admired Mr. Campbell, the minister of Essendean. David made a
good friend with Mr. Henderland and spent the night at his house. The next
morning, David went on his journey to Appin.

Chapter 11: The Death of the Red Fox

David had to cross Linnhe Loch and landed in a wood of birches on the steep side
of the mountain. There, he sat down, ate the bread that Mr. Henderland gave him,
and thought about what he would do next: keep looking for Alan Breck or go back
to Lowland. When he was deep in his thought, came four men on foot leading
their horses. They were Colin Campbell of Glenure or the Red Fox, his lawyer,
his servant, and a sheriffs officer. Then, David had a talk with the Red Fox and
all of sudden, a shot stroke the Red Fox and at last killed him. David, who saw the
murderer, cried out loud chasing the murderer but the lawyer asked him to come
back. To Davids surprise, the lawyer announced to his soldiers that whoever

could arrest David would get a reward. Then, David heard someone whisper to
him to hide among the trees. David followed the whisper and to his surprise it was
Alan Breck. David and Alan ran up the hill while behind them the soldiers chase
them. At last, they managed to escape the chase and after a while they came back
to the wood where they met each other and rested.

Chapter 12: The Flight through the Heather

At first, David suspected Alan of the murder but Alan insisted that he was
innocent. Convinced by Alans argument, David agreed to join Alan. They walked
for days without knowing where to go, with the main purpose in mind: avoiding
the redcoats who were sent to capture them. David and Alan mostly walked in the
night and rested during the day to avoid the capture. One day, exhausted after
walking for days, Alan and David were attacked by a group of ragged men. It was
the men of Cluny Macpherson, a prominent leader of Vourich clan whom David
thought had already gone to France. Then, Clunys men took David and Alan to
Clunys hiding place in the heart of Ben Alder.

Chapter 13: The Quarrel

In Clunys hiding place, David mostly lay ill on a bed but still could see Alan and
Cluny gamble. At first, Alan won the game but it turned out that he lost and
borrowed Davids money. By the time David recovered, all the precious money
they needed to continue their journey were all gone. David had to beg to Cluny so
that Cluny would give him the money back. Cluny agreed and they parted as
friends. In the next journey, David was so angry with Alan that he did not even
talk with him and refused Alans entire offer to help him. It was Davids pain that
always made him loose his anger to Alan. As Davids condition got worse, Alan
promised him to find a house so that David could rest there.

Chapter 14: The End of the Flight

The very first house that David and Alan could find belonged to MacLaren clan,
who knew Alan and welcomed him. There, David rested and was carefully taken

care by the owners of the house while Alan hid during the day and came to visit in
the night. The news that David and Alan stayed in the MacLarens travelled
quickly in the village, but even though the notice announcing whoever could
capture them was everywhere, no one in the village betrayed them. When David,
got better, he and Alan continued their way to Essendean. However, as they
reached near Queens Ferry, they could not cross the river, for the redcoats might
see and arrest them. With the help of a girl who worked in an inn, David and Alan
could get a boat and at last in the night they crossed the river and managed to land
in Queens Ferry safely. While David looked for Mr. Rakeillor, Alan hid because
he was a hunted man in the Lowlands.

Chapter 15: I Come to Mr. Rankeillor

David desperately tried to find Mr. Rankeillors house. In his rag and dirt, he
didnt dare ask people where they lawyer lived as people looked at him
suspiciously. It was late when David rested in front of a large, fine house. A
gentleman came out and asked David why he was there. David replied and to his
surprise, the gentleman is Mr. Rankeillor himself. They continued their
conversation inside the house. David told Mr. Rankeillor his adventures while Mr.
Rankeillor told him the truth about Mr. Ebenezer. They also discussed what to do
with Mr. Ebenezer. In the evening, they came out to pick up Alan and then went
to the House of Shaws to meet Mr. Ebenezer.
Alan came straight to the door, while David, Mr. Rankeillor, and Torrance (Mr.
Rankeillors servant) hid behind the corner of the house, near the door.

Chapter 16: I Win My Inheritance

Alan beat the door for some time and the window was open. From there, Mr.
Ebenezer asked Alan what he wanted. Alan answered that it was a matter about
David. Then Mr. Ebenezer came down, opened the door, and had a talk with Alan.
From the talk, it was revealed that Mr. Ebenezer had paid Mr. Hoseason twenty
guineas to bring David to the Carolinas so that he could make more money there.
Hearing Mr. Ebenezer told the truth, David, Mr. Rankeillor, and Torrance came

out. Then, all of them came in to the house and had dinner that Torrance brought
from home with a box. After dinner, Mr. Rankeillor and Mr. Ebenezer discussed
the problem and made an agreement. That night, lying sleepless on the kitchen
floor, David thought about all of his adventure and planned his future.

Good Bye
David was now rich but he still had to look after Alan. He had to find for him to
escape from Scotland. One day, they set out together toward Edinburgh. They
talked about what to say to the Advocate-General and how they should find a ship
to take Alan to France. Even though he was now rich, David lost and lonesome.

II. ANALYSIS OF INTRINSIC ASPECTS

1.

Theme
- Friendship and loyalty
Throughout the story, David and Alan develop a very close yet
dynamic friendship. David and Alan save each other life but theres a quarrel
between them that sets David to a point where he is very angry at Alan.
However, Alan remains loyal to David and even saves him when his health
deteriorates. In the end of the story, Davids feeling of loss and lonesome
upon parting with Alan makes it clear that he has made a very close
friendship with him
- Process to Adulthood
The story starts as David, a young boy, heads to the House of Shaws,
hoping he could find a rich relative there. However, the journey turns out to
be an adventure in which David has to face numerous unexpected
experiences. He goes through hardship and exhaustion, witnesses murder, and
sees some horrors during his adventure. He never expected such things to
happen in this adventure, yet they turn the young boy to a mature man.

2.

Character (major characters only)

- David Balfour: David is the main character of the story. He inherits a large

amount of inheritance but is sent to the Carolinas by his

uncle, who wants to take possession of the inheritance by
getting rid of him. Throughout the story, we can see that
he is a boy with youthful spirit and has somewhat mature
thought.
- Alan Breck

: Alan Breck is Davids friend whom he met in the sea when

he was waiting for a ship that would take him to France.
Alan is Jacobite and one of the dignitaries of Stewart clan.
Alan excels in fighting using sword and has a character of
a gentleman. However, he also has flaw in his personality.
His fever on gambling which makes him owes money to
David they need to continue their journey makes him
somewhat less admirable to David and this sparks a
quarrel between the two of them.

- Ebenezer Balfour : The uncle of David Balfour, Ebenezer Balfour is a

wicked old man who has committed a number of
vicious acts, including sending Davids father to a
cottage and hence lived in poverty and misery and
sending David to the Carolinas, hoping that he could
make a good fortune there while actually he wanted to
get rid of David.

3.

Setting:

Place : The story started from Essendean, where the main character lives, then
to the House of Shaws in Cramond. From Cramond, the story goes on
to Queens Ferry, the sea, the Torrant Rocks, Erraid, Torosay, Appin,
Clunys hiding place, Bracs of Balouhidder, and back to Queens
Ferry and Cramond.

Time : The story takes place in the year 1751 for a quite long period of time.

4.

Plot : The novel Kidnapped uses a forward plot. Little does it use a backward

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or mixed plot.
5.

Point of View: The novel Kidnapped uses the first-person point of view. The
author uses I to tell the story of David Balfour.

6.

Style : The simplified version of the novel basically uses few figures of
speech. It mostly uses denotative expression.

7.

Atmosphere: The novel has various atmospheres throughout the story. In the
beginning it is bright and happy but it changes into dark and
gloomy in the House of Shaws. Overall, it encompasses such
atmospheres as terrifying, sad, strange, and inspring.

8.

Mood

: The mood prevalent in the novel is quite varied. It starts with

joyful mood as David walks along with Mr. Campbell, but it turns
to be disappointment when David see the House of Shaws in
person. Later on, as the story progresses the mood evolves to
horror, audacious, melancholic, etc.

III. THE BOOKS IMPACT ON THE READERS ENGLISH LEARNING

In addition to having allowed the reader to gain a deep insight about
historical events happening in Scotland in the mid of 18 th century and the
culture of Scotland, reading the simplified version of Kidnapped has certainly
given a significant impact on the readers English learning. As the
vocabularies are mostly easy and the sentence structures are simple, the
reader found little challenge in reading and understanding the book.
One of the key learning the reader obtained in reading the book is new
vocabularies such as forecastle, berth, glen, and ben, as well as new idioms
such as as the crow flies. In addition, the writer also learned new variations
of writing style that he found interesting and fascinating. The reader believes
that those learning will enable to improve his English in general as well as his
writing and speaking skills in particular.

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