Outlander Book Club: Book 1, Chapter 18 breakdown

Foreshadowing within the Outlander chapter

The story that Rupert tells could have been a little bit of foreshadowing. Waterhorses come up again. Those who have watched the Outlander Season 5 finale will also understand the references to kelpies and waterhorses.

However, the main foreshadowing is in Claire needing to know how to protect herself. While she doesn’t want to take a life, there are times she will need to do it in self-defense. Nurses do take an oath, but Claire was a battlefield nurse. I do wonder if that is slightly different (though I’ve not done my own research into that). Claire doesn’t mention taking an oath in the way she did as a doctor, so the “do no harm” part doesn’t come up when Claire learns how to fight.

Instead, it makes it clear that Claire is going to have to use that knife at some point. The men know this deep down. The Highlands aren’t safe and they won’t always be able to protect her.

I think this also foreshadows the complete change in Claire’s opinions of the men and the men’s opinions of Claire. We’re just seeing the way their relationships are changing. However, there’s a sense of things to come in the future. Claire is going to need the men, whether it’s to save her or to save Jamie.

And there’s also the mention of Horrocks again. We know that Jamie is going to have to meet the man. And with the mention of Black Jack Randall, there’s a sense he’ll continue to be a problem.