Outlander Book Club: Book 1, Chapter 19 breakdown

Foreshadowing within the Outlander chapter

On the surface, it would look like there isn’t much foreshadowing here. After all, Claire is fully within the moment. In fact, she thinks a lot about her past/the future, which suggests that the chapter isn’t foreshadowing too much.

However, there are a few things that stand out for me. The first is that we know this monster is going to come up again. It happens in “Dragonfly in Amber,” off the top of my head. I think that’s when she mentions the monster to Roger and shares that she thinks there’s another time traveling portal under the water.

I also sense a foreshadowing of Claire’s connection to mythical creatures and other time travelers. Claire is certainly not the first person to go through the stones. She likely won’t be the last. But it looks like it’s not just people who can travel.

Claire notes how she feels safe. She feels a connection to the monster, and I think this foreshadows her comfort in the unknown and the supernatural in the future. She connects to Master Raymond and there’s later a mention of her own magical abilities. Then there are the beliefs that she’s a witch or a fairy, which would connect her to the monsters.

Something to also remember is that Claire’s abilities are considered stronger than some other time travelers. Not all see the blue aura that she later sees. I do think that the focus on the monster is partially to foreshadow this.