#FF: Why would Claire have given Mrs. Graham the pearls on Outlander?

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Outlander changed what Claire did with Ellen Fraser’s pearls in season 3, but why?

During Outlander season 3, Fiona, Mrs. Graham’s granddaughter, gave Claire her pearls back. These were the pearls that once belonged to Ellen MacKenzie Fraser and were a wedding present from Jamie for his new wife. With such an important connection many fans were shocked that Claire would have given them away.

However, giving the pearls to Mrs. Graham in the TV series was important. In the books, the situation was different. Frank didn’t demand Claire get rid of everything from the 18^th century; everything that would have been a connection to Jamie. While Frank did allow Claire to keep the wedding ring for the time being, he expected that with time she would have removed it. He would have likely demanded the burning of the pearls.

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Claire wouldn’t want that, so needed to make sure they remained protected. Even if they didn’t end up passing onto Brianna, she needed to make sure someone who would care for the pearls had them. That led to Mrs. Graham, who believed the story of time travel in full and helped Claire initially after the return to the 1940s.

Giving the pearls away was for the pearls’ safety. Claire knew they had to survive Frank’s jealousy and hatred, as he burned everything else.

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Whether there was an agreement of Claire getting the pearls back or not is unknown. Claire did make a comment to say she never expected to see them again, but that may have been due to moving to America and Mrs. Graham’s death. However, Fiona realized the connection and knew that they rightfully belonged to Claire. While Claire, Brianna and Roger searched for Jamie between the 1740s and 1760s, Fiona found the pearls and returned them to their rightful owner.

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It shouldn’t be that surprising that Claire would give them away. When she needed help to get Jamie out of Wentworth Prison, she was willing to trade them. Luckily, she was going to give them to the man who had given them to Ellen in the first place, so he refused to take them and offered help for Ellen’s son.

Next: #TBT: Why did Claire have to marry Jamie on Outlander?

Were you upset at the change or did you like it? Did you wonder what Claire had done with the pearls as Frank insisted the burning of everything from the past? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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