Outlander Book Club: Book 1, Chapter 22 breakdown

Just the Outlander book chapter

We start with everyone getting back to the inn after saving Claire from Black Jack Randall. None of the men are talking to her, pushing her out of conversations and pretending like she doesn’t even exist. Claire knows that she did wrong, and she decides to just accept the silent treatment and is grateful when it’s time to head to bed.

She isn’t grateful for too long. Claire receives a beating from Jamie. We don’t read it as it happens, though. Claire thinks about the beating the next day, and we find out that she did certainly fight back. It’s the type of thing we’d expect from Claire at this point.

Jamie feels like he has to give her the beating, though. Men would be beaten after what they did. In fact, some would be killed. Claire’s actions put everyone in danger. It’s clear many would have just left her in the hands of Black Jack Randall.

Feeling like she doesn’t understand the dangers of the Highlands, Jamie feels like beating her is the only way to make her understand. It’s only the next day that Claire believes World War II was far more dangerous than anything that could happen in the 18th century. But she’s looking at it from a modern warfare point of view.

Claire would have seen some horrific things in the Second World War; things Jamie would never have imagined. Let’s remember that World War I was a shock for the whole world. It was the worst war imaginable during the early 20th century and then World War II happened and was so much worse. Modern warfare made it possible to kill many people with just one bomb.

However, living in the 18th century was far more dangerous than the 20th century for many more reasons. Claire has seen war, but she’s not had to fight to survive every day of her life. She’s not been at risk of rape and murder every single day just walking down the street. And she also admits that killing in the 18th century is more like murder than warfare because it’s so up close and personal.

After the beating, the men are much better. They’re happier around Claire and offer her some chaffing and some sympathy. In fact, when they finally start riding again, they stop at times to give her a break from the saddle. They are happy that she’s been punished and taught a lesson, and now it’s time to move on in life. They’re not ones to hold grudges with the people they like and care about.

However, Claire can only ride in the saddle for so long. She decides to walk for a bit with Jamie sticking with her. Of course, Claire is angry with Jamie, but she listens to his stories of the past. She listens to how he was regularly beaten for things he did wrong and the beatings helped him understand not to do things again.

While Brian beat him, Brian was also a fair man. Jamie has learned a lot about being a man from his father, and he’s focused on being a fair and just man, too.

Claire understands the reason Jamie tells the stories. He’s not apologizing, but he is explaining. And he does think that Claire will think twice before disobeying his orders again.

It’s the final story that helps to fix the gap between them. Jamie tells Claire of the worst beating he received, back when he was 16. He had made fun of Mrs. Fitz at Castle Leoch and she’d told Colum about it at Hall. Jamie was beating with a belt by Angus and then forced to sit on a stool for the rest of Hall.

He also shares that’s why he took the beating for Laoghaire. He’d already told Claire that it was to save her from embarrassment, and in this chapter, we learn that he knows the exact type of embarrassment and shame she’d experience. It was easier for a lad to get over that embarrassment and move on, but it would have sat with Laoghaire for the rest of her life.

Claire does bring up that she thinks Jamie is interested in Laoghaire. He makes it clear that she thinks he’s pretty and he did think about bedding her, but he isn’t interested in her as a partner. It’s one of the reasons he married Claire, so he could avoid sin. “Better to marry than burn.”

It’s an interesting chapter, getting to learn a little more about Jamie’s past and getting a clear reasons why Jamie took the beating for Laoghaire. However, he admits that he’s still a man and finds Laoghaire attractive. That doesn’t mean he loves her. He seems to brush off the idea that there’s more between him and Claire at this point, almost like he feels he needs to hold onto a little pride.

What I love the most is the ending to the chapter. Jamie makes his oath to Claire, promising never to raise a hand to him again. One thing we learn is that he never takes an oath lightly.