Outlander Book Club: Book 1, Chapter 38 breakdown

Foreshadowing within the Outlander chapter

This chapter may initially seem like it’s in the moment, but I also think there’s a lot of foreshadowing in this. There’s a moment when Claire thinks about how she can’t have Frank and Jamie at the same time. I feel like this is foreshadowing something to come in Voyager.

We know that Claire will go back to her own time. She will be with Frank again. Yet to be with him, she has to leave Jamie behind. He is dead in the future, whether he died at Culloden or not. Claire has to grieve him, but she can’t necessarily leave him behind.

Another element of foreshadowing is the spiritual journey. While I’m not sure that Diana Gabaldon had this in mind when writing this story, it’s foreshadowing the spiritual journey that Roger will go on during The Fiery Cross and beyond. It’s foreshadowing how Roger will turn to faith to help him work through his trauma.

There are a few characters that have smaller spiritual journeys throughout. They all think about faith and God. Even someone who believes in science, like Claire, can still have plenty of faith and turn to God in a time of need.

Finally, there’s the foreshadowing of the strength of Claire and Jamie’s relationship. This is just a start of how they are weaker separated. Jamie can’t talk to Claire and he’s suffering because of it. Claire isn’t’ sleeping well because Jamie isn’t. The two are deeply connected, and they are going to be much stronger in the future when they know they can fully lean on each other.