#TransformationTuesday: A spotlight on Claire’s transformation in the 20-year separation

She had an independent life

When Claire was in her present timeline, she was independent. Sure, 1950s and 1960s America weren’t the most equal time, but it was far more equal compared to the 1760s. Claire had spent the last 20 years finding a place in the world and learning to live completely independently from her husband.

After becoming a doctor, she didn’t need Frank to support her. She was able to juggle being a mother and a surgeon, something that was unheard of at the time for most women. Mixed with the strong-headedness, it wasn’t surprising that she struggled to fit back into the 1760s way of life with a husband from the 18th century to boot.

Suddenly, she was thrown back into a world where a woman needed a man. If she didn’t have Jamie, she wasn’t going to stay and risk being with a man she didn’t love when she could possibly get back to the future and return to being a surgeon. That independence was difficult to get over and she still likely isn’t, which would explain the (admittedly terrible) Creme de Menthe episode and her (ridiculous) argument with the ship’s captain on the way to Jamaica. After 20 years of being independent and about a decade of being a respected surgeon, she wasn’t going to go back to the 18th century Claire she became in Seasons 1 and 2 within the space of a few weeks!

Next: Ranking the Outlander Season 3 episodes

How do you think Claire’s transformation affected her relationship with Jamie? Did everything that happened in the 20-year separation lead to who she viewed herself as in the 1760s? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Follow Claire and Jamie on Twitter for more looks at the transformations of the characters over the years.