Outlander Book Club: Book 2, Chapter 8 breakdown

Foreshadowing within the Outlander chapter

There’s a lot of foreshadowing happening within this chapter. Mary Hawkins and the thoughts of Frank connect together. Claire knows how Frank’s lineage has to happen: Mary and Black Jack Randall marry and have a child together. However, she can’t figure out how that can be when BJR is dead.

This makes it clear that Black Jack Randall isn’t dead at all. We know that BJR did die at Culloden in the end. That was made clear during the 1968 sections. Now it’s just figuring out how he can be presumed dead at Wentworth. When will the Frasers learn the truth?

There is a mention of history being changed. We already know that it can’t happen. This sets up this storyline of disappointment. Jamie wants to believe that he can stop Culloden but once BJR does come back, it’s going to be clear that history can’t be changed all that easily.

However, Jamie does mention something that foreshadows a storyline. What if Frank got his research wrong? What if Black Jack Randall isn’t his direct ancestor? He’s onto something here. Mary Hawkins and Black Jack Randall didn’t have a child together. Jamie sets the seeds to tell us that there is someone else in this story, but why would Mary and Black Jack Randall marry?

Then we head to Master Raymond, where there is quite a bit of foreshadowing taking place. One element is knowing that Master Raymond is going to play a much more important part in the story—and not just in the French story. Claire talks about how she feels a comforting connection to him, and it’s clear that there is something between them.

Master Raymond calls her Madonna right away. It’s like he knows her, and he already knows that she’s pregnant, despite her not visibly looking so. What does Master Raymond know and how does he know it?

There’s a sense that he is some sort of wizard, which would make sense for what’s to come with Claire during childbirth.

We don’t get all the answers during Dragonfly in Amber or any of the other main books. This is something for the short stories. I recommend The Space Between.

Bitter cascara is also mentioned, foreshadowing what’s to come. We know that Comte St. Germain has become an enemy of Claire. He will do whatever he can to get revenge. There’s a reason Master Raymond shared the symptoms and how long it takes to recover.